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The Atlanta Falcons may be rounding back into NFC contender form. After making the Super Bowl a season ago, the Falcons got off to a slow start in 2017 but have turned it on of late. Atlanta has picked up back-to-back wins over the Cowboys and Seahawks the last two weeks and will aim to make it three in a row against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12.
Atlanta will play three straight games at home and needs to excel at this point because the NFC South is very competitive. The Falcons are 6-4 on the year but trail both the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers in the division. The Buccaneers are the worst team in the division and are going to be hard-pressed to come away with this upset win.
This matchup in Week 12 of the regular season will take place on Sunday, November 26, 2017, at 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Odds Analysis
There is no spread on this one yet as the Falcons just played on Monday night. However, Atlanta should be a sizable favorite to take care of this one at home. Check in soon as the spread will be up quickly.
The scoring total could be pretty high. The Falcons’ offense had some hiccups early in the season but is starting to take off, and the Buccaneers don’t figure to offer much resistance.
Injury Report
Jameis Winston — The Buccaneers quarterback will miss another game with a shoulder injury. He has been out several weeks and Ryan Fitzpatrick will fill in once again. Tampa Bay has actually won two straight with FItzpatrick, but those victories came against the lowly Jets and Dolphins. This will be quite a different test for Fitzpatrick and the Tampa Bay offense.
Devonta Freeman —The Atlanta running back missed the Monday night win over the Seahawks with a concussion. It remains to be seen if he can return in time for this one. Freeman is a talented running back with 116 carries for 515 yards and five touchdowns. Tevin Coleman is a solid fill-in if needed.
Player To Watch
Matt Ryan -- The Falcons’ quarterback has turned it up a notch in recent weeks. The defending league MVP threw some interceptions early in the season, but several of them weren’t his fault or were bad luck.
He has been really good lately. He has nine touchdown passes and two interceptions in his past five games, accumulating a quarterback rating of 95.6 or higher in each outing. Ryan was 19-of-27 for 195 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the win over the Seahawks.
The Atlanta offense has had some hiccups this season but has basically all the same players as last year’s Super Bowl group and has found a rhythm with Ryan leading the way.
Free ATS Pick
The Buccaneers had high expectations heading into the season but do not have much chance at making the postseason. The injury to Winston has hurt, but the team wasn’t playing well even when he was under center.
The Falcons didn’t start the season like they wanted to but are starting to get it rolling. They are currently in line for a wild card berth but are still within striking distance of the Saints in the NFC South. Atlanta should have no problem whooping up on the Bucs and cruising to this win.
Check to see where this spread checks in as the Falcons figure to pick up a win by double digits. The scoring total will also be interesting as this one could be a shootout. Consider the “over” if it comes in too low.
NFL Odds: Falcons 34, Buccaneers 20
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