Bucs vs. Falcons: Pewter Predictions For Week 8

BUCS vs. FALCONS

WHEN: Sunday, October 27, 2024 | WHERE: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL) | KICKOFF: 1:00 p.m. ET | TV: FOX

PLAY-BY-PLAY: Adam Amin | ANALYST: Greg Olsen | SIDELINE: Pam Oliver

RADIO: 98 ROCK 97.9 FM | PLAY-BY-PLAY: Gene Deckerhoff | ANALYST: Dave Moore | SIDELINE: T.J. Rives

Game day is approaching, and it’s time for the Pewter Report staff to make its weekly game predictions and offer up our game preview of this week’s matchup. Let us know what you think in the article comments section and add your prediction, too.

Scott Reynolds: The Curse Of The Creamsicles Lives On In Another Bucs Loss

This is going to offend some of you Tampa Bay fans, but if the Bucs lose once more in the creamsicle uniform game it’s time to bury Bucco Bruce again. Yet as long as you keep buying the retro merch the team will keep trotting out the losingest uniforms in NFL history on an annual basis. The throwback game has been a fun novelty over the years – until kickoff. Then the team has lost the last four games with the winking pirate helmet in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2023. Without Chris Godwin and Mike Evans and with a defense playing absolute terrible football right now I expect the orange and white losing streak to reach five games.

In order to have a chance at beating the Falcons, Todd Bowles needs to play more man defense with tighter coverage – but he won’t. He’ll continue to play soft zone. Bowles needs to get the worst inside linebacker in the NFL, K.J. Britt, off the field on passing downs – but he won’t. He’ll keep J.J. Russell on the bench. Bowles thinks that simply better communication will fix all the woes on defense. I don’t think Kirk Cousins will throw for 509 yards again, but over 300? Yeah, pencil that in.

I trust Liam Coen more than I trust Bowles right now in terms of figuring things out and making adjustments. Getting an early lead – and holding it – will be critical if the Bucs have a chance of beating the Falcons. I’m excited to see what Coen can do without Evans and Godwin and how creative he can be. I just a feeling it won’t be enough as Bowles’ defense won’t be able to stop Cousins and the Falcons’ offense. I was the only one to pick the Bucs to beat the Ravens last week and look what happened. In the words of The Who – I won’t be fooled again.

REYNOLDS’ GAME PREDICTION: Falcons 27, Bucs 20
REYNOLDS’ SEASON RECORD: 3-4

Matt Matera: Bucs Shock Falcons And Win In The Creamsicles

Typically, Bucs fans have gotten angry when Tampa Bay wears their creamsicle throwback jerseys because they have only won once in 2009 since the team has worn them in five games as an alternate uniform. But, with everything down for the Bucs at the moment, it only makes sense that the negative of the Bucs injuries and the negative of the Creamsicles would reverse the curse and have the team win, right?

It certainly is going to be an uphill battle for the Bucs on Sunday against the Falcons. Not having Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to work with is difficult, but not impossible. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen will have to be in his bag in this one, but luckily he’s got a great run game to help him out and on top of that, an offensive line that has been as strong as ever. If Tampa Bay can continue its rushing attack with Rachaad White, Sean Tucker and hopefully Bucky Irving, the team will control the pace of play. With little pass rushing attack from Atlanta, Mayfield will have time to throw and eventually someone at receivers gets open.

Tampa Bay’s defense is what I’m very worried about. At this point, I don’t trust Todd Bowles to make the right adjustments to slow down the Falcons offense. All they can hope for is that they limit Bijan Robinson like they did last time and play more man-to-man. The zone defense in the middle of the field has killed the Bucs. It’ll take a turnover or two to win it, but somehow, someway, the Bucs fall into a splash play. A win keeps their season on track.

MATERA’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 28, Falcons 24
MATERA’S SEASON RECORD: 4-3

Bailey Adams: Picking The Bucs Against My Better Judgement

Everything is telling me to pick against the Bucs this week. They’re on a short week after losing their top two receivers to injury. The Falcons just had Kirk Cousins run up a franchise-record 509 passing yards in a 36-30 overtime win over Todd Bowles’ team three weeks ago. I’m not a believer in the “creamsicle curse,” but for the sake of the argument here, that’s just a cherry on top of what feel like bad vibes going into the weekend.

But against all of my own logic and everything I’m feeling about this one, I think the Bucs may just find a way. First and foremost, it’s on Bowles to find answers for Cousins and this Atlanta offense. If Tampa Bay’s defense can’t play one of its best games of the season and keep Cousins, Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson in check, it’s curtains for this team’s chances of avoiding the season sweep at the hands of the Falcons.

I think this defense may do just enough. And I have some newfound faith in the Tampa Bay run game, especially after it proved New Orleans wasn’t a fluke and took it to Baltimore’s top-ranked run defense in Week 7. I like the run game to lead the way and Baker Mayfield to play a clean game and make it work, linking up with Sterling Shepard and Cade Otton for touchdowns in a narrow Buccaneers win. It probably makes no sense, but I’m rolling with the team in orange and white against my better judgement.

ADAMS’ GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 23, Falcons 20
ADAMS’ SEASON RECORD: 4-3

Josh Queipo: Bucs Rally To Win Late At Home

In a rare Week 8 playoff-like game the Bucs will face off against themselves. Yes, Tampa Bay will be without their two most prolific receivers. And yes, the defense has been a sieve for large swaths of the season. But here’s something we might not be considering enough. The Falcons’ defense is actually worse than the Bucs. Where the Bucs are allowing 0.036 EPA/play the Falcons are allowing 0.043. And while the Bucs allow a success rate of 45.8% the Falcons allow 46%.

The Bucs have an inconsistent pass rush. The Falcons have no pass rush. The Bucs have forced 10 turnovers this year to just seven for the Falcons. The Falcons allowed 18 points to a hapless Steelers offense and 20 to the Panthers. The Bucs offense, behind a Top 5 offensive line (yep, you read that right), will generate enough yards and points to help a defense that I expect will play better than it did in Tampa Bay’s Week 5 loss in Atlanta and keep the Bucs’ playoff hopes alive.

I expect less K.J. Britt, more dime defense and a better showing in the middle of the field. I expect offensive coordinator Liam Coen to continue to impress, under abridged circumstances and re-calibrated expectations while pushing Tampa Bay’s run game into the upper echelon of the league. And I expect the team’s yo-yo season to continue for yet another week.

QUEIPO’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 23, Falcons 21
QUEIPO’S SEASON RECORD: 4-3

Adam Slivon: Bucs Clean Up Defense, Do Enough To Beat Falcons

Plenty has changed when looking at the trajectory of the Bucs’ season this week. As they prepare to face the Falcons for the second time in the past month, they are looking to stay afloat and persevere despite losing two of their biggest offensive pieces. One cannot understate losing Chris Godwin and Mike Evans in the middle of a tough gauntlet of games.

Still, Baker Mayfield appears confident in his remaining weapons and should be able to distribute the ball to them adequately enough to move the football when needed. Mayfield won’t need to shoulder as much of the offense, especially with the run game coming to life over the past few weeks. The three-headed monster that is Rachaad White, Bucky Irving, and Sean Tucker remains, as does an offensive line that has only gotten better as the season has progressed. While one should not expect continued 30-plus point outbursts, there is enough talent to think they can stay in ballgames – as long as the defense gets it together.

Todd Bowles’ unit is performing the worst it has during his tenure as head coach. Despite having the talent to be above-average, defensive gameplans have not been up to par in stopping their matchups this season. Arguably the worst showing they had came Thursday night against the Falcons, a game where Kirk Cousins had 509 passing yards and four touchdowns. By comparison, that was more than double the passing yards of ANY game Cousins has had this season (241 passing yards in Week 2 is his second-highest). What should help is knowing how Atlanta will attack them, but there must be adjustments made to not experience Déjà vu on Sunday afternoon. 

The team has shown resolve in the past in must-win games and did so recently after traveling to New Orleans early before Hurricane Milton hit Tampa Bay. They need to show that same mental fortitude again after some big losses have thrown them a mid-season curveball. This week, the familiarity of facing the Falcons again should work in their favor. Color me an optimist, but I predict they sneak out a close win to stay alive in the NFC South and reverse their fortunes rocking the Creamsicle uniforms. 

SLIVON’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 20, Falcons 17
SLIVON’S SEASON RECORD: 4-3

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