Falcons 2022 record: 2-3 (T-2nd in the NFC South)
Opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Location: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL)
Final Score: Buccaneers 21 – Falcons 15
Notable Falcons Performances:
QB Marcus Mariota – 14/25 (56%) for 147 YDS, 1 TD, 7 carries for 61 YDS
S Jaylinn Hawkins – 11 tackles
LB Mykal Walker – 11 tackles
KR/PR/RB Avery Williams – 4 returns for 97 YDS, 3 carries for 11 YDS, 1 rush TD
Notable Buccaneers Performances:
QB Tom Brady – 35/52 (67.3%) for 351 YDS, 1 TD
RB Leonard Fournette – 139 total YDS, 2 TD
WR Mike Evans – 4 REC for 81 YDS
WR Chris Godwin – 6 REC for 61 YDS
CB Antoine Winfield Jr. – 8 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFL
Next Opponent Preview:
Sunday, October 16 – vs. San Francisco 49ers (12 pm CDT on FOX; Listen locally WTGZ Tiger 95.9 FM)
San Francisco 49ers 2022 record – 3-2
Previous Opponent: Carolina Panthers (W, 37-15)
Series History: Atlanta trails series 31-47-1
Takeaways:
Winning on the road against a division rival is tough; and that goes two-fold when Tom Brady is under center. If not for an extremely slow start, we might be talking about this game differently. But, when you’re down by more two scores for pretty much the entire game it’s tough to make a successful comeback. The Bucs defense flexed their muscles against a Falcons offense that was down its top two weapons in Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Pitts. The offensive line gave up five sacks this game, making it easily the worst outing so far this season. This team is full of fighters though, and they scratched and clawed their way back to make it a one-score game. Some key mistakes and questionable officiating ultimately cost the Falcons the opportunity to come back, but I still like what I see from this team week to week. Up next Atlanta comes back home to the Benz to face maybe the best defense in the league in the San Francisco 49ers, but with their offense not hitting on all cylinders this game can be winnable.
