Falcons first-round draft pick Chris Lindstrom has been near flawless since his return from a broken foot.
The Falcons (6-9) are hoping that he can help boost the offensive line when they face the Buccaneers (7-8) in a battle for second place in the NFC South at 1 p.m. Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
If the Falcons win, they would earn second place by virtue of a better in-division record, the second tie-breaker after head-to-head play, which would be 1-1. If the Bucs win, they’d claim second place outright at 8-8 to the Falcons’ 6-10.
Carolina (5-10) will finish last because if they are tied with the Falcons at 6-10, the Falcons have the head-to-head tiebeaker, 2-0.
Lindstrom, who was the 14th overall pick in the draft this year, didn’t play when the teams met Nov. 24 and will be counted on to help get the run game going and firm up the interior of the passing pocket.
The Falcons were held to 57 yards rushing, and quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked six times and hit 13 times in the 35-22 loss to the Bucs on Nov. 24 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Lindstrom, who suffered a broken foot in the opening game of the season, missed 11 games. He returned against Carolina on Dec. 8 and had his playing time increased over the subsequent games.
Lindstrom has played 220 snaps, committing only one penalty, and has not allowed a sack since coming back from his broken foot. His return coincides with the Falcons’ three-game winning streak.
“It’s been amazing,” Lindstrom said. “It’s a great stretch of weeks for the team, and it’s great to be a part of it.”
The Falcons envisioned Lindstrom and rookie right tackle Kaleb McGary solidifying the offensive line. But after Lindstrom’s injury, the Falcons used Jamon Brown and Wes Schweitzer to try to replace him, while McGary was learning the ropes in pass protection.
The Falcons planned to start five first-round picks with McGary, Lindstrom, center Alex Mack, left guard James Carpenter and left tackle Jake Matthews. Carpenter has battled through injuries and is out with a concussion, while Matthews has been solid.
“It’s been fun playing with Alex and Kaleb,” Lindstrom said. “The whole line and whole team. It’s a great feeling.”
The Falcons rushed for more than 100 yards for only the fourth time this season against Jacksonville on Sunday.
“I really love working with all of the guys on offense,” Lindstrom said. “It’s so much fun seeing other guys succeed as an offensive linemen when you do your job. You see them do great and that’s a really awesome feeling.”
Lindstrom had a big matchup with Pro Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell in the Jacksonville game.
“Calais is a great player, and it was a really great opportunity,” Lindstrom said. “We talked about that all last week, going against a great front and great defense. Especially with those individual matchups. He’s a great player. It was great challenge and opportunity to work my technique and prove myself.”
After going against Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett in practice, Lindstrom said he was well-prepared.
“Then when you go out on the field, you are playing (Campbell) and you’re playing as hard as you can,” Lindstrom said. “But in the long term it’s getting you better playing great players like that. It was a great opportunity and a lot of fun.”
The Bucs give up just 72.9 yards rushing per game, which ranks No. 1 in the NFL. Defensive tackles Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh anchor the defensive front.
“They are two great players,” Lindstrom said. “Since being back, we’ve played against a bunch of great fronts. These guys are really good. It’s an in-conference rivalry game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere to play in. It’s going to fun, intense.”
Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter wants to run the ball to slow Tampa Bay’s pass rush.
“It’s always good when you can run the ball,” Koetter said. “It opens up everything else. In the games we’ve been able to do that, it makes for a more efficient day overall, a more explosive day.”
Koetter has been warning the offense about how well Tampa Bay’s front seven has been playing.
“Another great opportunity to finish the year (strong) and keep getting better,” Lindstrom said.
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