Buccaneers vs. Falcons prediction, pick, odds, where to watch, live stream, kickoff time for ‘TNF’
On the Week 15 edition of “Thursday Night Football,” the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host their division rival Atlanta Falcons.
Tampa has lost four of its last five games since blowing a huge lead in the NFC South and now risks missing the playoffs if it can’t rebound down the stretch. The Bucs play three divisional games in the final four weeks of the season and need to rack up wins in those contests, starting with Thursday night’s game.
Atlanta has had an even bigger slide, losing seven of its last eight games. The Falcons aren’t even playing for draft positioning either, as they traded their first-round pick to the Rams in last year’s draft. They are playing the strings here and fighting for jobs next season and in the future.
Which of these two teams will be able to end their recent streak of poor play? We’ll know soon enough. But before we break down some of the key storylines, here’s a look at how you can watch the match.
Where to watch Buccaneers vs. Falcons
- Date: Thursday December 11 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
- Flow: Main video
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Odds: Buccaneers -4.5, O/U 44.5 via DraftKings Sportsbook
Key scenarios
- NFC South race. The Buccaneers and Panthers are tied with 7-6 records, but the Bucs currently sit in first place in the division thanks to the opponents’ joint tiebreaker. (They haven’t played each other yet and they’re both 2-1 in the division, so they have to go to the third tiebreaker to decide which team is on top.) Tampa plays Atlanta here, then travels to Carolina next week and Miami the week after that before hosting the Panthers to finish the season. The Panthers put the Saints on the road this week before hosting the Bucs and Seahawks, then traveling to Tampa to finish out the year.
- “Buccaneers injury returns”. The Bucs already got Bucky Irving back and now they also get Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan. Evans has been out since suffering a collarbone injury in Week 4. McMillan has yet to play this season after suffering a neck injury during the preseason. The Bucs offense hasn’t been as good lately as it was early in the season, so these returns should provide a significant boost.
- Hawks in free fall. Atlanta has lost seven of its last eight games after starting the season 3-2. Changes could be on the horizon if Raheem Morris and Co. fail to turn things around in the long term. This is going to be difficult as they work with a backup quarterback and a defense that has regressed significantly since the start of the season as one of the hottest units in the league. If the Falcons continue to stumble, we could see a new head coach and/or general manager in Atlanta next season.
Buccaneers vs Falcons prediction, picks
Tampa hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire lately, but the Falcons seem to be dead in the water. Tampa should be able to move the ball Thursday night, especially with Evans and McMillan returning from injury. The Falcons, meanwhile, seemingly can’t move the ball with any degree of consistency with Kirk Cousins under center. The Bucs have a good run defense and are weaker against the pass, which goes against what the Falcons would like to do given the current state of their roster.
Take: Buccaneers 24, Falcons 13 | (Tampa Bay -4.5, under 44.5)
