FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons secondary will be on the hot seat Sunday against Tom Brady and the pass-happy Buccaneers.
The Tampa Bay rushing attack averages 76.4 yards, which ranks last in the NFL.
When the Bucs needed a victory to clinch their second consecutive NFC South title, they leaned on the passing attack. Wide receiver Mike Evans caught 10 of 12 targets for 207 yards and three touchdowns, while Chris Godwin caught 9 of 9 targets for 120 yards.
“They both have been terrific players for a while down there in Tampa,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “In the game on Sunday, they kept chipping away. They made some big plays, Mike Evans especially made some good plays down the field one-on-one. They are able to chip away and come up. … Carolina had control of that game for a while, but Tampa made the plays in the fourth quarter and come out with a win.”
The Falcons have been defending mostly in zone coverage. If they just sit in the zone and try to keep Evans in front of them, Brady will go to his death-by-crossing-route routine.
The Falcons could have A.J. Terrell follow Evans and put Isaiah Oliver on Godwin man-to-man, so they do have options, even as Cornell Armstrong has taken over most of the snaps from Darren Hall.
“Obviously, they have an elite receiving corps,” Falcons nickel back Isaiah Oliver said. “That’s been the case for years now. We understand that. We know that’s going to be the challenge for us, especially in the secondary.”
There also the matter of covering the Bucs’ ex-Falcons – Julio Jones and Russell Gage – who have combined for 72 catches, 710 yards and six touchdowns.
“We know that we have to come with our ‘A’ game and be able to stop Mike, Chris, Russell Gage and Julio,” Oliver said. “They’ve got a plethora of guys. We just understand that, and we’ll be ready for it.”
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The Bow Tie Chronicles
Atlanta Falcons 2022 schedule
Sept. 11 Saints 27, Falcons 26
Sept. 18 Rams 31, Falcons 27
Sept. 25 Falcons 27, Seahawks 23
Oct. 2 Falcons 23, Browns 20
Oct. 9 Buccaneers 21, Falcons 15
Oct. 16 Falcons 28, 49ers 14
Oct. 23 Bengals 35, Falcons 17
Oct. 30 Falcons 37, Panthers 34 OT
Nov. 6 Chargers 20, Falcons 17
Nov. 10 Panthers 25, Falcons 15
Nov. 20 Falcons 27, Bears 24
Nov. 27 Commanders 19, Falcons 13
Dec. 4 Steelers 19, Falcons 16
BYE WEEK
Dec. 18 Saints 21, Falcons 18
Dec. 24 Ravens 17, Falcons 9
Jan. 1 Falcons 20, Cardinals 19
Jan. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
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