Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and his revamped corps of wide receivers will face Tampa Bay, which had a secondary makeover this offseason.
The Buccaneers have lost 10 of their past 11 games, but the victory came against the Falcons, 22-17 on Dec. 30 in the regular-season finale.
Here’s a brief Q&A involving Ryan and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter.
Q: How tough is it dealing with the 1-4 record?
A: It's a little bit more difficult if you get caught up in it. One of the keys to being successful and being a professional is being able to separate yourself from those things even when it's good. You have to separate yourself from that, too, and trust in your preparation. Go out there and cut it loose.
Q: What’s your assessment of the Tampa Bay defensive front?
A: The Bucs are a little bit smaller (than the Jets). But they are a very athletic and penetrating defensive front. Their defense is playing really well. They are talented on the front end, and they are talented on the back end. They've got young and athletic linebackers that fly around. They are a football team that's been in every game that they've played.
Q: How does the revamped Tampa Bay secondary look?
A: Their secondary is different from what we saw last year with the addition of (Darrelle) Revis, the addition of Dashon Goldson and with (Mark) Barron coming into his own as a second-year guy. He's really emerging as a talented player. They've got some talented players back there, and they are playing well.
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