The Falcons are giving up 154.4 yards rushing per game, which ranks 26th in the league.

“There is no rule against whipping a block and making a play,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “That’s something that we’ve got to get better at. I think everybody has kind of been feeling their way around now. . … We’ve got to cut it loose and go make plays especially in our run defense.”

Tampa Bay running back Bobby Rainey rushed for 163 yards against the Falcons last season.

“This is a good running team,” Smith said. “(Tampa Bay coach) Lovie (Smith) is going to try to run the football. They’ve got two backs. We anticipate the Doug Martin will be back and Rainey, we had a hard time tackling him when we played them last year in Tampa.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka scores a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (Jason Behnken/AP)

Credit: AP

Featured

Jo'wan Bellamy taught in the GNETS program for 17 years and recently transferred to Atlanta’s new behavioral program at Crawford Long Middle School. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com