Bucs vs. Falcons Week 17 Odds
ATLANTA, GA (The Spread) – Following their embarrassing loss to the Saints in Week 16, the Falcons look to bounce back on Sunday when they host the Bucs at 4:15PM ET.
TAMPA BAY: The nightmare continued for the Buccaneers last Saturday as they were embarrassed by the Panthers in a 48-16 drubbing. That dropped Tampa Bay’s record to 4-11 on the year as the Bucs have now lost nine in a row. The Bucs have zero running game and their defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed, which has spurned talks about the team replacing head coach Raheem Morris after the season. There’s a possibility that he may be coaching for his job this Sunday but then again, it’s more realistic that this trip to Atlanta will be his final as the Buccaneers’ head coach.
ATLANTA: The Falcons continued their poor play against winning teams on Monday night when they were obliterated by Drew Brees and the Saints. The defense allowed Brees to break Dan Marino’s single-season record for most passing yards as he threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-16 victory. Matt Ryan threw for 373 yards and one score to rookie Julio Jones, but penalties, turnovers and overall lackluster play buried the Falcons in the Superdome. The good news is that Atlanta had already clinched a playoff berth the night before when the Packers beat the Bears. The bad news is that the Falcons could wind up back in New Orleans next week if the Packers don’t help them out again this week by beating the Lions (who currently own the No. 5 spot in the NFC, which would play the winner of this Sunday’s New York-Dallas game and likely sending the No. 6 seed to New Orleans). Of course, the Falcons would still need to beat the Bucs, even if the Packers did take care of the Lions.
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ODDS: Oddsmakers have installed the Falcons as 12-point favorites over the Buccaneers, while the over/under total for Sunday’s game is currently sitting at 47 points. Tampa Bay enters the week with a 4-11 overall record and is 1-6 on the road this year, while Atlanta is 9-6 overall and 5-2 at home.
TRENDS: The Buccaneers are 4-0 against the spread in their last four trips to Atlanta and 7-2 ATS in their last nine games versus the Falcons overall. The road team is also 5-1 against the number in the last six meetings but the favorite is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings. The under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings and 5-1 in the Falcons’ last six home games.
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