The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a statement in the NFC South race in Week Seven, thoroughly dominating the division-leading Panthers in Charlotte in a 43-13 decision. The Buccaneers ran for 258 yards, took the ball away four times on defense and special teams leading to 20 points and sacked Carolina quarterback Bryce Young five times in what was the team's most complete effort of the season so far. It marked the third-highest margin of victory in a road game in franchise history.
The game also put the Bucs back into the division race, with the 3-3 Panthers now holding just a slim lead over the 3-4 Atlanta Falcons, the 2-5 Bucs and the 2-5 New Orleans Saints. Tampa Bay has a chance to continue a rise in that clustered foursome with the Atlanta Falcons coming to town in Week Eight. The Bucs and Falcons are scheduled to square off at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, November 1, with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast by FOX.
The Buccaneers win in Carolina on Sunday was their first of six games against division opponents. Now they face a Falcons team coming off an impressive victory over the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in Atlanta. Quarterback Michael Penix threw touchdown passes to Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Nick Muse and was not intercepted, while running back Bijan Robinson put up 122 yards from scrimmage. Holding onto a 19-14 lead entering the fourth quarter, the Falcons ended three of San Francisco's last five drives with takeaways, including interceptions by linebacker Kendal Daniels and safety Jessie Bates.
After a slow start to the season, Atlanta's offense has averaged 31.0 points per game over the last five weeks. Penix has returned from injury to provide a different level of production for the unit and Robinson has racked up 907 yards from scrimmage in seven outings. The Buccaneers' defense, however, has had a strong start to the season and just held what had been the NFL's leading passer to 163 yards. That unit has also produced 10 sacks in the last two games.
In the all-time series between the Buccaneers and Falcons, Atlanta holds a one-game edge, 33-32. The Bucs will try to tie it up on Sunday and serve notice that they are a real factor in the division race despite their 1-5 start to the season.
