Falcons vs. Buccaneers Week 5 & 8

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are entering the final week of their 2024 offseason program, with a three-day minicamp capping the efforts. As players and coaches prepare to head into one last break before the start of training camp, we’re taking a look at each team the Buccaneers are going to face when the regular season arrives. From how those teams fared last year, to what they’ve done with the roster since, to some as-yet-unanswered questions – we want to get a better feel for what the Bucs will be up against this fall. Today’s focus is on an Atlanta team with a new head coach, an expensive new quarterback and hopes of challenging Tampa Bay’s run of three straight NFC South titles.

The 2023 season would prove to be the final one in the tenure of Head Coach Arthur Smith, as his squad would finish 7-10 for the third time in his three years at the helm. However, it started out well enough, with the Falcons claiming wins over the Panthers and Packers, both at home, to get off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2017. Quarterback Desmond Ridder, a third-round pick in 2022, got the opening-day start after a promising finish to his rookie campaign.

The Falcons lost the next two on the road to Detroit and Jacksonville, scoring just 13 points in the process. They got back on the plus side with a narrow win over Houston but dropped back to .400 with a 25-16 loss to Washington. Through those first six games, Ridder had thrown six touchdown passes and six interceptions. Still, after a win over the Buccaneers in Tampa in Week Seven, the Falcons had possession of first place in the NFC South, by a half-game over Tampa Bay and a full game over New Orleans.

While the Buccaneers fell into a midseason swoon that at one point dropped them to 4-7, the Falcons couldn’t take advantage to pull away in the division, losing three straight tight games to the Titans, Vikings and Cardinals. The loss to Minnesota at home was particularly painful, as quarterback Josh Dobbs, just acquired in a trade five days earlier after a season-ending injury to Kirk Cousins, threw a game-winning touchdown pass to Brandon Powell with 22 seconds left in regulation in a 31-28 decision. Taylor Heinicke started that game for the Falcons and did throw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith but also tossed a critical interception in the fourth quarter.

After a bye week to regroup, the Falcons got back on track with defensive-minded wins over the Saints and Jets. That…