The Atlanta Falcons (1-1) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) both suffered week two losses, but will need to regroup quickly as they will meet on Thursday night in a game thats important for both teams.
Working on a short week, they will meet in an NFC South matchup Thursday night at the Georgia Dome.
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1. Josh McCown vs Falcons Secondary
Through two weeks, Tampa is dead last in passing efficiency. Josh McCown is completing a significant percentage of his passes (67.9%) but he’s not effectively moving the ball down the field (6.5 yards per attempt) and has three interceptions to just two touchdowns on the year. Last season McCown averaged 8.2 yards per attempt.
With weapons like Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans, down the field productions shouldn’t be a concern. They have just 173 receiving yards combined through the first two weeks of the season.
The Falcons have allowed more yards than any team in the league and are the only one yet to register a sack.
2. Falcons Can’t get Gashed by The Run
Tampa Bay is averaging 129.5 yards per game, including three runs of 20-plus yards, keyed by Bobby Rainey. The Falcons will look to dominate up-front, plugging gaps and making rush attempts impossible for the Bucs, ideally leading to tough third-and-longs. The Falcons were also ineffective against the Saints, giving up 5 yards per rush on 28 carries to New Orleans.
3. Matt Ryan Is King Of The Georgia Dome
Matt Ryan is prolific at home passing the ball. In 47 starts, Ryan is 37-10 at the Georgia Dome, completing 66.7 percent of his passes, averaging 244 yards per game while throwing 76 touchdowns to just 29 interceptions.
Random Notes-
Julio Jones has had at least 75 receiving yards in 7 straight games, dating back to week 1 of last season. That’s currently the longest active streak in the NFL, and it’s tied with Andre Rison (1992) for the longest streak in Falcons history.Gerald McCoy and Doug Martin may both miss the ballgame for the Buccaneers. McCoy has been listed as questionable on the team’s Wednesday injury report, which should mean he has a 50/50 chance of being on the field. missed Sunday’s game with a knee injury, but he’s been practicing this week and also drew a questionable tag for the NFC South matchup.Roddy White is questionable to play Thursday night against the Buccaneers; if White does not play, it will be just the fourth game he’s missed since entering the league in 2005. Since Falcons QB Matt Ryan was drafted in 2008, no QB/WR duo has combined for more targets, completions, yards or touchdowns.Jake Matthews looks like he’s more than ready to play. He’ll be a huge factor in the game this week if he is 100 percent healthy.