If the Falcons are going to be in the playoffs this season, they’re likely going to be going through the Buccaneers to get there.
Atlanta will host the Bucs in Week 15 and then travel to Tampa in Week 17 in a pair of games that, assuming all goes according to plan, will feature MVP quarterbacks on both sides of the field. The timing of those games came up when Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan discussed Tom Brady’s arrival in the NFC South during an appearance on ESPN.
“It didn’t get any easier in our division, for sure. They’re solid. Tampa’s defense was really tough. They add Tom, who’s such a consistent and great player,” Ryan said, via 247Sports.com. “The division’s going to be a battle every week . . . Our defense is going to have their work cut out for them, that’s for sure. It’s tough but I think any time you get those division games late in the year, it gives you a chance to either make up ground, or separate yourself. That’s what we’re going to need to do that time of the year.”
The Falcons have a trip to Kansas City sandwiched between those two games against the Buccaneers in a finishing kick that may determine whether they miss the playoffs for the third straight year.