Bold Predictions Week 8: Falcons Versus Bucs

Julio Jones goes for over 130 yards receiving and 2 TDs

Jones suffered a slight hamstring injury that did not keep him out of any games but clearly hindered his stellar production. Jones seems to be inching closer to 100% each week and caught his first receiving touchdown since week 3 last week versus the Titans. When 100%, I think Jones is the best wide receiver in football. There is nobody that can guard this beast 1 on 1, and there is certainly nobody on the Bucs that can stop him. Matt Ryan has not been great in recent weeks either, so look for both Ryan and Jones to look more like their early season forms against the Buccaneers.

Falcons’ defense comes up with a defensive score

The Atlanta defense was absolutely spectacular last week against the Titans. They held Tennessee to just 7 points, and those came after a turnover in the Falcons’ own redzone. The unit has been very solid for most of the year, and is facing a Buccaneers offense that can be prone to turnovers. Jameis Winston has thrown 7 interceptions this season and 2 of them have gone for touchdowns. He has not been bad in his rookie campaign, but he still makes some very questionable decisions that can result in big plays for the opposing teams. The Falcons have shown they can be opportunistic on defense, so they should be in for at least one big play against the rookie quarterback.

Devonta Freeman DOES NOT reach 100 yards rushing

Yes, most of the time Freeman is on this list going for 150 yards. However, this time I do not expect Freeman to have a huge game. While Tampa Bay is not a great team, they do have a more than respectable run defense. They currently rank 9th in total rush defense. Rushers are only averaging 3.7 yards per attempt. Freeman has been the best story in the NFL thus far and I do not expect him to slow down, but in this particular game, the Falcons are going to have to lean on Matt Ryan and the passing attack a little more than usual. After all, take a look at how Kirk Cousins torched the Buccaneers secondary last week.

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