NFL Betting Odds: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Added on Dec 03, 2010 by Jack Thurman in
2 Comments
One of the better matchups this weekend in the NFL sure didn’t look like a ‘must see’ game before the season started–the The Atlanta Falcons were expected to contend for the NFC South title before the season, and they’ve lived up to the expectations thus far posting a 9-2 record and leading the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints by one game. The surprising component of this matchup is the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still in the hunt. The Bucs still have a serious need for improvement in a number of areas, but they’ve shown a lot of competitive spirit and have scrapped to a 7-4 record. Considering the team went 3-13 a year ago their improvement is truly remarkable.
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
December 3, 2010 1:15 PM Pacific
We took a position on the Falcons last weekend due to their impressive success at home—Atlanta has become one of the best home teams in the NFL since Mike Smith took over as head posting a record of 19-3 SU/15-7 ATS at the Georgia Dome during his tenure. They’re also 6-0 SU/4-2 ATS at home this year. The game wasn’t quite as easy as we’d expected but Atlanta took care of business and we cashed our tickets. Now we’re going the other way for the simple reason that dome teams they don’t fare as well outdoors on natural grass. The Falcons are just 10-12 SU on the road since Smith became coach and are 7-7 on natural grass in that timeframe. Atlanta is also facing a scheduling sequence with road games at Tampa Bay, Carolina and Seattle and there’s a real danger that they may think they can ‘phone it in’ against a relatively weak schedule and look ahead to their first post Christmas game, 12/27 against New Orleans.
Tampa Bay gave the Falcons all they could handle earlier this year at the Georgia Dome, with Atlanta needing a late defensive stand to preserve a 27-21 victory. Tampa Bay has good talent on offense with quarterback Josh Freeman and reliable passing targets in Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow. The Bucs don’t have the sort of big name superstars that teams get ‘up’ to play, but they’ve shown an impressive ability to play hard and find ways to win on both sides of the ball. That’s why they’re 9-5 SU/9-4-1 ATS in their last 14 games.
The Bucs have admittedly had trouble when stepping up in class this season but overall we like the direction that Rahim Morris has this team heading and are never unhappy with the effort they put forth. That in itself is amazing–we spent much of last year criticizing Morris and thought he might be in over his head. The Bucs still have a long way to go before they’re a contender but Morris has done one of the better coaching jobs this season. Guys that know their “X’s and O’s” are a dime a dozen and I’m sure Morris would be the first to tell you that there’s any number of guys who are better tactical football coaches. Coaches that can get a strong effort out of their team week in and week out is a much rarer quality. The Bucs play hard for Morris and as the team upgrades their overall talent level this consistent focus and effort is invaluable. In a tricky scheduling spot for Atlanta we’ll take the points with the home team and look for them to pull the outright upset in an ugly, low scoring game.
Bet Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3 over Atlanta Falcons
Bet Tampa Bay/Atlanta Under 44′
2 Comments
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December 3, 4:29 pm
Atlanta should win but it will be another hard fought game.The BUCS are about a wideout and running back from being a superbowl contenders.Right now the BUCS could be a spoiler for any team.
December 3, 4:44 pm
Atlanta`s defensive line is the only weakness I see.If they could get more of a pass rush from there two tackles and stop depending on J.A.56 so much,they would unload havoc plus they could just run TURNER and SNELLING the whole game taking pressure off MATTIE ICE but the ICEMAN loves pressure anyway.