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Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons will be looking to build momentum as they head into the playoffs. For more on this game, check out Falcons blog The Falcoholic and Bucs blog Bucs Nation.
The Atlanta Falcons could still end up with the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs, thanks to the Detroit Lions' loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17. Given what Julio Jones has done so far in the Falcons' regular season finale against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it's fairly likely that they will.
Atlanta is up 28-0 early in the second quarter against Tampa Bay, and has gotten two ridiculous touchdown catches from Jones en route to that margin. Here's the first:
And here's the second, which is even better:
Jones has three catches for 71 yards and those two scores, and he still might not be Atlanta's clear offensive MVP so far. That's because Michael Turner has 85 yards and a touchdown of his own, and because the Bucs are so bad — they have now allowed 477 points on the season, a franchise record — that it is impossible to distinguish one great player outclassing a woefully undermanned team from another.
For more on the Falcons, head to The Falcoholic. For more on the Buccaneers, visit Bucs Nation. For more on the NFL, head to SB Nation's NFL hub and our Week 17 StoryStream.
The 9-6 Atlanta Falcons have already clinched a berth in the 2011 NFC Playoffs and will be playing for an improved playoff seeding and to gather some momentum heading into the post-season following last Monday night's 45-16 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Atlanta may also been seeking a bit of revenge against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won this season's previous meeting, a 16-13 affair in Week 3. Atlanta has won five of the last six meetings between the two teams, thanks largely to quarterback Matt Ryan, who has passed for 917 yards with eight touchdowns in his last three games against the Buccaneers. Ryan directs a high-powered Falcons offense that could have three 1,000-yard receivers in 2011. Pro Bowler Roddy White is already over 1,000 yards and 2011 first-round pick Julio Jones is 117 yards away. Future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez is 133 yards from the fifth 1,000-yard season of his career.
For the Buccaneers, Sunday could be head coach Raheem Morris' final game on the sidelines. Rumors continue to swirl that Morris, a Coach of the Year candidate who received a multi-year contract extension in 2010, will be fired as the Buccaneers regressed to 4-11 this season.
Dick Stockton, John Lynch and field reporter Jaime Maggio are on the call for FOX.
Game Date/Time: Sunday, January 1; 1pm ET
Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
TV Schedule
National: FOX
TV Distribution Map: The506.com
Radio Schedule
Buccaneers: WFUS 103.5 / WDAE 620 AM
Falcons: STAR 94 and 790 The Zone
For more on the Buccaneers head over to Bucs Nation. For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic. Follow the rest of the Week 17 regular season action at SB Nation NFL.
The Atlanta Falcons will be trying to improve their playoff positioning when they host the 4-11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the regular season finale on Sunday.
Atlanta has won five of the last six games between two NFC South rivals, with the Buccaneers ending their losing skid against the Falcons with a 16-13 win in the first meeting on September 25. Few in the media expect the Buccaneers to complete a season sweep, though.
The quintet of experts at CBSSports.com are picking the Falcons, Mike Florio and Gregg Rosenthal at NBC Sports/Pro Football Talk both pick the Falcons, as do the ESPN experts who have submitted picks this week.
Sports Illustrated's Peter King expects the Falcons to double up the Buccaneers, and would like to see the Falcons face the New Orleans Saints the following week.
Of all the possible Wild Card matchups, Falcons-Saints would be the nastiest (and I'm not even saying I expect it to happen), and the one I'd like to see the most. This game, not so much.
For more on the Falcons, visit The Falcoholic. For more on the Buccaneers, check out Bucs Nation.
The Atlanta Falcons have a wildcard berth all locked up, even after coming up short against the New Orleans Saints. This was supposed to be the year that the NFC South went through Atlanta, but a slow start and some bumps along the way changes things. Matt Ryan and company have one more chance to tune up their jalopy before the playoffs with a division game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Needless to say, Atlanta is the favorite, a big favorite. The opening line on this game was Atlanta as a 10-point favorite. It has since moved to a 12- to 13-point spread. Despite the big spread, a sizable number of bettors are taking the Bucs to cover. Tampa is 4-11 against the spread this season. Atlanta is 6-7-2 against the spread.
The over/under on the game is 47 points. Tampa has allowed two of their last three opponents to score more than 40 points, so the over is probably not a huge risk in this game.
For more betting information, check out Odds Shark. Visit The Falcoholic for more on the Falcons. For more on the Buccaneers, visit Bucs Nation.
NFL Scores Week 17: Bucs Vs. Falcons, Matt Ryan Pulled Early In 45-24 Win
The Atlanta Falcons walked over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning their regular season finale by a final score of 45-24. Atlanta ends the regular season with a 10-6 record and a wildcard ticket to the playoffs. The Buccaneers finish up with a disappointing 4-12 record, launching an offseason of soul searching for the franchise.
Falcons running back Michael Turned carried the ball 17 times for a 172 yards and two touchdowns. The highlight of Turner's day was an 81-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Quarterback Matt Ryan passed for just 106 yards and two touchdowns. He was pulled when the Falcons had a 42-7 lead. Julio Jones looked exactly like the wide receiver the Falcons traded up for in the 2011 NFL Draft, scoring twice and catching four balls for 76 yards.
The Falcons defense sacked Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman just twice, but Freeman struggled throughout the game. After a promising sophomore campaign in 2010, Freeman put the finishing touches on a downer of a third year with three interceptions in the season finale. The Falcons turned one of those interceptions into a touchdown. Freeman did throw for 274 yards and two touchdowns.
Atlanta opens the playoffs next weekend as a wildcard entrant. They will play the winner of the NFC East on the road.
Tampa Bay now grapples with the question of whether or not to fire head coach Raheem Morris, who by most accounts is a dead man walking.
For more on the Falcons, visit The Falcoholic. Follow the Buccaneers offseason at Bucs Nation.
Jan 01 7:34p by Ryan Van Bibber - 0 comments