Five things to watch when Falcons host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in crucial NFC South clash

If there’s any one Tampa Bay player who has been a thorn in the Falcons’ side recently, it’s Mike Evans.

The last time these two teams faced each other in Week 7, Evans was the leading receiver with six catches on eight targets for 82 receiving yards. One of those catches was a 40-yard explosive touchdown catch. This season, Evans has surpassed the 100-yard receiving mark three times. He’s coming off that type of performance, accumulating seven catches for 167 yards against the Panthers last week.

Evans will be a continual test for the Falcons this weekend, especially with Terrell working through concussion protocol. The Falcons will have to pull someone else towards Evans if he can’t go. Speaking of which…

More than any other time this season, the Falcons depth (of which coaches have spoken at length about) will be tested. For the most part, the only major injuries the Falcons have had to account for are the losses of Troy Andersen and Grady Jarrett. In their absence others have stepped up, like Landman and Kentavius Street. However, with those Landman and David Onyemata ruled out for Sunday’s game, the Falcons have to dip into another layer.

Andre Smith Jr. is the next man up to replace Landman. The Falcons could also deploy Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone a bit more in certain packages, too, though not on the inside and in obvious pass-rushing situations. The expectation could also be that the Falcons play more reps with a three-safety look. With Onyemata out, the Falcons could move Calais Campbell inside to help maintain the middle while keeping Ebiketie out on the edge more than normal.

In the secondary, the status of Terrell and Okudah is questionable, so, depending on how things progress, the Falcons could see extended playing time for Clark Phillips III or Tre Flowers.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Falcons could be without two starting offensive linemen, which would be the most absences out of that core five-man group the Falcons have had in two seasons. Storm Norton will slot in for McGary at right tackle, and if Dalman can’t go, Ryan Neuzil will be the Falcons center. How the new player on the offensive line change the cohesion of the group — if at all — will be something to monitor Sunday.

As mentioned in the lede, this game is an important one for divisional standings. As explained in this week’s