NFL Week 17 and we will see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Atlanta, Georgia to take on the Atlanta Falcons. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 PM (Eastern) start time and it will be televised live on FOX. Currently the odds for the game have Atlanta favored by 3.5 points, while the total sits at 45.5. Check out Sportsbook Spy to find out what side the Public is taking on all today's games.
Free Analysis: The Buccaneers' playoff hopes vanished with their current five-game losing streak, which started with a 24-23 home loss to Atlanta in Week 12. The only thing Tampa Bay still has to play for is trying to avoid the NFC South cellar - the Bucs are tied with Carolina for last place in the division. Tampa Bay's offense caught fire midway through the season, but the flames have been doused by five turnovers in each of the past two games. Quarterback Josh Freeman has been the primary culprit, throwing four interceptions in each of the past two contests after throwing just eight in the previous 13. The Buccaneers, though, are a top-10 passing team with Freeman under center. Wide receiver Vincent Jackson deserves plenty of credit for that, as he's set career highs in receptions (69) and yards (1,334) in his first season with the team. Running back Doug Martin (1,312 yards, 10 TDs) has enjoyed a big rookie season but has just one 100-yard game during the five-game losing streak. Martin is third in the league in total scrimmage yards with 1,766. The defense has been one of the worst in the league, especially against the pass (last in the league), and allowed 345 passing yards to Ryan and the Falcons in the first meeting.
Win or lose, the Atlanta Falcons will finish the season with the NFC's best record. Still, given their lack of playoff success with Mike Smith as coach and Matt Ryan under center, the South champs definitely don't want to head into the postseason on a down note. Led by a career high-tying four touchdowns from Ryan - who threw three the week before in a 34-0 home victory over the New York Giants - Atlanta (13-2) won 31-18 at Detroit last Saturday to clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference. Atlanta is 0-3 in the playoffs under Smith and Ryan after losing 24-2 at the New York Giants in last season's wild-card round. The year before, the top-seeded Falcons were routed 48-21 by Green Bay in the divisional round. Atlanta looked susceptible in a 30-20 loss at Carolina in Week 14, but the Falcons have responded with impressive wins over the Giants (34-0) and at Detroit (31-18). The offense has been outstanding with quarterback Matt Ryan (4,481 pass yards, 31 TDs, 14 INTs) and a prolific receiving corps led by Roddy White (87 catches, 1,309 yards, 7 TDs), Julio Jones (76 catches, 1,142, 10 TDs) and Tony Gonzalez (88 catches, 889 yards, 8 TDs). Matt Ryan's 56 wins are the most by an NFL quarterback in his first five seasons. He has won 11 straight home starts and is 33-4 at the Georgia Dome. The defense has given up a lot of yardage at times but has used 30 turnovers to mitigate the damage.
Free Pick: Im looking to take the over in this one. Even if Ryan doesn’t play the whole game you can bet that who ever is in the will still put up big numbers vs this pitiful Tampa Bay pass defense. The Atlanta defense has not been that great at times and with some starters possibly sitting I expect a struggling Tampa offense to put up some points in this one. It won’t be easy but I do seem the teams getting to at least 48 points in this one.
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