Prime-Time First TD Bets — Sunday Night Football, Week 16
Alex Christenson
The 0-1 Atlanta Falcons head to Tampa Bay to face their divisional rival in the 1-0 Buccaneers in Week 2. The consensus is that these teams are not evenly matched, but the Falcons hope to prove the doubters wrong and shock the world by defeating Tom Brady and the Bucs. Can Matt Ryan, Calvin Ridley and the Falcons bounce back after Week 1?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons Week 2 odds
Date/Time: September 19, 4:05 p.m. ET
Arena: Raymond James Stadium
How to Watch: Fox
Opening Odds: Buccaneers -8 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Latest Buccaneers-Falcons Odds
Looking for the latest odds for this matchup? Here they are, with the best prices from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Spread: Buccaneers -12
- Total: 52
For up-to-date odds, check out DraftKings Sportsbook.
Opening odds – Buccaneers vs. Falcons
We have already seen some pretty significant line movement in this game. The line has moved 4 entire points since the opening odds for this game were released. Coming into the season, the Falcons had high expectations, especially on offense. Despite losing Julio Jones, the Falcons were expected to slide Kyle Pitts right in and let Matt Ryan continue to lead one of the top passing attacks in the league. But if Week 1 was any indication — when they put up just six points against the Eagles — the Falcons might be taking a massive step backward this season.
On the other side of this game, the Buccaneers are coming off a Week 1 win in which they had zero trouble moving the ball and putting up points. The one potential cause for concern in Tampa is the fact that the Bucs defense, which carried the team for much of 2020, let Dallas put up 29 points (the team failed to cover the spread). In Week 2, we will get an idea of whether that was good Cowboys offense or bad Bucs defense.
Quarterback analysis – Tom Brady vs. Matt Ryan
This matchup features two of the oldest quarterbacks in the league, as Tom Brady and Matt Ryan average 40 years of age. While most quarterbacks slow down when they get older, Brady appears to age like fine red wine. He showed no signs of slowing down in Week 1, putting up 379 yards and 4 touchdowns. Brady looks even more comfortable in Year 2 of Bruce Arians’ offense, and with the added days off this week (opened the season on a Thursday), expect the Bucs to put up a lot of points on Sunday.
Ryan seemed to struggle in his first game without Julio Jones. While he’s often thrived despite Jones’ injuries, that was not the case Sunday, when the offense had trouble moving the ball all afternoon. The Falcons hope that Calvin Ridley can become Ryan’s new favorite target, but they failed to connect on any big plays last Sunday. Maybe Ryan will find the success against the Bucs pass defense that Dak Prescott was able to find, but a more realistic expectation is that Ryan will continue to struggle in Week 2.
Latest Buccaneers betting news & info
In Week 1, arguably the most obvious fact about the Buccaneers is that they are loaded with weapons on offense. Veterans Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown made it look easy against the Cowboys, combining to catch three of Brady’s four touchdowns.
One guy who was not a factor in Week 1 is former Pro Bowler Mike Evans. The Cowboys had a good game plan for Evans, as he was not open very often last Thursday. Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich did not sound worried about it, explaining that Evans rarely saw single coverage, which allowed other guys to get open. If teams start focusing on stopping Brown and Gronk, expect Evans to have a field day.
Latest Falcons betting news & info
In the last few years, Ryan has struggled to get touchdowns once he gets into the red zone, and that held true in Week 1. It is hard to pinpoint one reason for the struggles, but it is clear guys were not getting open, and running lanes were few and far between.
Free agent acquisition Mike Davis also struggled to get going in Week 1. He only accumulated 49 rushing yards on 15 carries, while teammate Cordarrelle Patterson ran for 54 yards on just 7 carries. While we should expect Davis to remain the starter in Week 2, there is an interesting battle brewing there, as the Falcons will likely look to feed whoever has the hot hand throughout the season.
Buccaneers vs. Falcons betting picks – NFL Week 2
It is pretty easy to predict the Buccaneers will win this game, with the real question whether they will cover the spread. When the line for this game was just -8, it was an easy lock button max bet situation. But with the spread moving all the way to -12, the question becomes can the Buccaneers cover such a large spread? FTN’s Matthew Freedman believes in the Bucs this week, even at the massive -12 spread. He says “How do you think they’ll [The Falcons] compare to the Super Bowl-winning Buccaneers, who will be playing with three extra days of rest and are riding a nine-game winning streak since last year’s Week 13 bye? I’ll answer that question: Not-Great-Bob.gif.” I’m going to agree with Freedman here and take the Bucs to cover.
Here are our betting picks for Buccaneers vs. Falcons in Week 2.
FTNBets best bets
- Spread: Buccaneers -12 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Over/Under: No Bet
For more information, betting picks, and analysis, check out the FTN NFL Bet Tracker.
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