***TNF IN THE SWAMP - ATL @ TB***

***ATLANTA FALCONS @ TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS***

Revenge is in the air tonight as the Atlanta Falcons swoop into Tampa Bay looking to get even with their divisional rival the Bucs who seem to have their number as of late. TB Sophomore QB Jameis Winston is 3-0 against ATL in his young career and will be looking to make it two sweeps in his first two seasons tonight. This is a tall order for the Bucs as they have struggled with inconsistencies this season and will be facing one of the best offenses the NFL has to offer. QB Matt Ryan and the Falcons are rolling on all cylinders with both the passing and ground game clicking at a dominant rate. WR Julio Jones is an unstoppable force and newly acquired number 2 WR Mohammad Sanu seems to serve as a nice compliment to feed off of all the attention Jones draws. Rookie TE Austin Hooper will also be getting his first start tonight when the veteran TE Jacob Tamme went down with an injury early in the grueling game against Green Bay last week. Hooper has caught every pass thrown his way so far and looks to be another sure handed target for Ryan to look to in the intermediate passing attack. Speaking of grueling games, both teams went into overtime last Sunday but had different results. The Falcons were able to edge out the Packers at home when they were able to squeak out a 1 point victory and the Bucs basically played 5 quarters of football against the Raiders and it ended in heartbreak with Derek Carr throwing for 500+ yards and finding a WR late in OT for the winning touchdown. Despite Tampa being at a slight disadvantage with having to play more minutes than the Falcons, I believe since they don't have to travel that this quick turnaround could benefit them as they look to get the bad taste out of their mouths against a rival who they know they can beat. The Bucs have not won at home yet this season which has to be painful for their fanbase. I got to believe that the Bucs are well aware of this and want to get off the schneid at home more than anything. Tonight's prime time stage serves as a great spot to do so. They got the Color Rush uniforms and got good 'ol Johnny Lynch being inducted into the Ring of Honor with other Buccaneer alumni like Mike Alstott in the house providing plenty of good vibes and energy. This Bucaneer team has plenty of young talent and even though their defense has not looked like it at times, I think they have what it takes to come together and slow down this high flying offense a bit tonight. Tampa LBs LaVonte David and Kwon Alexander are beasts and two of the best in the league that not many know about in my opinion and I like them to slow down RB Davonta Freeman and the pass rush with a healthy Gerald McCoy and Robert Ayers to feed off the crowd and get after Matt Ryan to rattle his cage as well. Rookie CB Vernon Hargreaves is getting better with every game and I would assume he will follow Julio Jones in this one, and on the other side of the field veteran CB Brent Grimes should feel motivated up against his old team to have a game as well. Judging off the first go round with these two squads in Atlanta week 1, one would think this game should be a high scoring affair but I am not so sure. I see a closer game throughout with some solid defense by TB coupled with them also taking some time to find some rhythm on the offensive side of the ball. They will be without their top RBs but will still most likely try to pound the ball with a combination of Rookie RB Peyton Barber and Antone Smith. With all the injuries at RB for the Bucs the job is there for the taking at the moment and for these guys to show what they can do. I think they will fair well against the Falcon defense and that Jameis will find his favorite target WR Mike Evans in some big spots tonight as well. As I mentioned before, I see a close game throughout and a FG game either way and I'm leaning toward the upset. Taking the points, BUCS+4.5