The Falcons snapped their home losing streak with a big upset victory over the 49ers in Week 7, getting back on track in the NFC South race. Now at 3-4 and heading into a critical matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta has the chance to get back to .500 and bury a division foe in the process. The Bucs looked like a very different team in their drubbing of the Panthers—thanks for that!—but that was a funky game.
I’m not sure if bettors don’t believe in the Falcons or if they really believe in Tampa Bay, but Atlanta enters Week 8 as a 2.5-point road underdog per FanDuel. The Bucs do have a good defense, and showed they could run the ball very well against against Carolina. Is that a sign of things to come, or an aberration against a Panthers team that basically no-showed?
We’re going to find out on Sunday! The Falcons have a big opportunity to seize control of the NFC South and set themselves up well heading into a rough two-game stretch. Getting the division win here makes it easier to deal with potential losses to two AFC contenders. 4-6 heading into the bye and the much easier closing stretch is not a bad place to be—and if Atlanta can steal a game in the meantime, they’ll be .500 after playing one of the most difficult opening schedules in the NFL. That’s certainly better than I predicted!
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