The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons will face off in each team's 2025 regular season opener on Sunday, September 7, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Buccaneers and Falcons finished first and second in the NFC South in 2024; after both teams concluded Week 16 with 8-7 records, the Buccaneers went on to win their final two contests and their fourth straight division title at 10-7 while the Falcons' season ended with consecutive overtime losses to leave the team at 8-9. Atlanta did win both head-to-head contests last season, a 36-30 overtime decision in Atlanta in Week Five and a 31-26 barnburner in Tampa three weeks later.
Both the Buccaneers and Falcons had top-10 offenses in 2024 in terms of total yards, and both also finished in the top five in passing yards. On defense, both teams struggled to find interceptions and were in the bottom half of the league in pass defense. Based on their final 2024 numbers, here's how the Buccaneers and Falcons stack up against each other for Sunday's season opener:
When Tampa Bay Has the Ball:
| Buccaneers Offense | Category | Falcons Defense |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd (399.6) | Net Yards Per Game | 23rd (345.2) |
| 4th (6.21) | Yards Per Play | 20th (5.50) |
| 4th (29.5) | Points Per Game | 23rd (24.9) |
| 4th (149.2) | Rushing Yards Per Game | 15th (120.6) |
| 3rd (250.4) | Passing Yards Per Game | 22nd (224.5) |
| 1st (50.9%) | Third Down Percentage | 31st (45.3%) |
| 17th (7.01%) | Sacks Per Pass Play | 31st (5.36%) |
| 27th (2.80%) | Interception Percentage | 20th (2.08%) |
| 4th (66.7%) | Red Zone Touchdown Pct. | 28th (64.9%) |
When Atlanta Has the Ball:
| Falcons Offense | Category | Buccaneers Defense |
|---|---|---|
| 6th (369.8) | Net Yards Per Game | 18th (341.8) |
| 8th (5.79) | Yards Per Play | 18th (5.46) |
| 14th (22.9) | Points Per Game | 16th (22.6) |
| 10th (130.5) | Rushing Yards Per Game | 4th (97.8) |
| 5th (239.3) | Passing Yards Per Game | 29th (243.9) |
| 17th (39.2%) | Third Down Percentage | 14th (38.1%) |
| 7th (5.72%) | Sacks Per Pass Play | 16th (7.30%) |
| 29th (3.40%) | Interception Percentage | 29th (1.11%) |
| 20th (54.7%) | Red Zone Touchdown Pct. | 14th (54.4%) |
Advantage Buccaneers: Third Downs on Offense
The Buccaneers had the best third-down offense in the NFL in 2024, converting on a team-record and league-leading 50.9% of their attempts. Josh Grizzard, who was tasked by former Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen with devising the third-down strategy for each game, has now succeeded Coen as the Bucs' coordinator. Meanwhile, Atlanta's defense struggled to get off the field on third down throughout the 2024 campaign, allowing a conversion rate of 45.3%. That ranked 31st out of 32 teams. Both teams are loaded with skill-position talent and both head-to-head meetings last year were high-scoring affairs. The Buccaneers' ability to extend drives with third-down conversions could be a deciding factor if another shootout materializes on Sunday.
Advantage Falcons: Passing Offense
Second-year quarterback Michael Penix had an encouragin three-game cameo as the Falcons' starter at the end of last season and he is surrounded by a deep group of skill-position players with early-round draft pedigrees. The Falcons finished fifth in the NFL in passing yards last season and return wide receiver Drake London (100 catches for 1,271 yards) and dual-threat running back Bijan Robinson (61-431). Tight end Kyle Pitts has not necessarily lived up to his status as the highest-drafted tight end of all time (fourth overall in 2021), but he did have 179 yards and two touchdowns in two games against the Buccaneers last season. Tampa Bay used the 2025 offseason to build up secondary depth after ranking 29th against the pass in 2024, but preseason injury issues at cornerback and safety means that unit remains a question mark heading into the new season.
X-Factor: Falcons' Pass Rush
Atlanta has been trying, unsuccessfully, for multiple seasons to juice up what has been one of the NFL's most anemic pass rushes. Last season, for instance, the Falcons ranked 31st in sacks per pass play on defense and recorded just 31 sacks overall, with no player finishing with more than six. This past offseason, the Falcons got more aggressive than ever in this pursuit, not only using the 15th-overall pick on Georgia outside linebacker Jalon Walker but then burning a 2026 first-round pick to trade back up into the first round and nab Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce. If those two make an early impact and the Falcons' pass rush is indeed more dangerous in 2025, that could impact how effective the Buccaneers' offense is on Sunday.
