Atlanta Falcons vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Picks, Odds, Week 17 Predictions 12/29/2019

Game: Atlanta Falcons vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Date: Sunday, December 29, 2019

Week 17

Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Tampa Bay -2

Total/Over-Under: 50.5

Raymond James Stadium is the site where Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Tampa Bay opens this matchup as 2-point favorites. The total is set at 50.5. The Falcons are 6-9-0 ATS and 6-9-0 when betting on the total. The Buccaneers are 11-4-0 when wagering on the over/under and 7-8-0 against the spread.

The last time they took the field, the Atlanta Falcons went up against the Jacksonville Jaguars and won 24-12. Leading the way at QB for the Falcons was Matt Ryan who went 32/45 with 384 yards through the air and threw 1 TD. He threw 2 interceptions during the game. Brian Hill led the team on the ground for that game. His longest run of the day went for 18 yards but he wasn't able to run one in for a touchdown. He ran for 66 yards via 7 carries which meant he was running for 9.4 yards per run. Julio Jones led the team in receiving yardage by earning 166 yards on 10 receptions. He had an average of 16.6 yards per catch for that game. The Atlanta Falcons ran the football 27 times and racked up a total of 135 yards which gave them an average of 5.0 yards per run. In all, they ran 73 plays for 518 yards. Overall, the Falcons totaled 28 first downs and they had 9 penalties for 64 yards. When it comes to their defensive performance, Atlanta allowed 14 catches on 32 throws for a total of 173 yards, and a completion percentage of 44.0%. Overall, they conceded 288 yards and forced 1 turnover. Against the run, the Falcons allowed 115 yards on 24 runs which means they had an average of 4.8 yards per attempt allowed. Another matchup you may want to look into is the NFL pick from Guy Bruhn on the Raiders vs Broncos contest.

Falcons Go to 6-9 After Win

The Falcons head into this matchup 6-9 for this year. They are a team that has the capability to score points among NFC South teams and I wouldn't expect things to change too much in this game. For total yardage, they rank 3rd among NFC teams and 5th in the league with 5,702 yards. When it comes to getting in the endzone, the Falcons currently have a total of 28 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns. They are in the middle of the pack in regard to scoring in the league with an average of 24 points per contest, which has them at 14th in the league. As a unit, they are averaging 85 rushing yards per contest which is 16th among NFC teams.

The Falcons have one of the average defenses in the NFL, allowing 25.1 points per game putting them 10th in the NFC. When talking about yards rushing, Atlanta is allowing 109.3 yards per game which has them at 3rd in the NFC South and 15th among NFL teams. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.1 yards per rush putting them 7th among NFC teams and 12th in the league overall. In total, they have conceded 1,274 yards rushing through 15 contests. When it comes to passing yards, the Falcons have conceded 3,725 yards. Opponents are completing 66.0% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.9 yards per attempt. They have allowed 26 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns.

The last time they took the field, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Houston Texans and lost 23-20. Ronald Jones II led the team in rushing for that game. He broke a long run for 49 yards and he notched 1 touchdown for the contest. He ran for a total of 77 yards by way of 14 carries which gave him an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Breshad Perriman was the leader in receiving yardage by racking up 102 yards on 7 receptions. He averaged 14.6 yards per reception for that game. Running the show from under center for the Buccaneers was Jameis Winston who went 25/48 with 335 yards through the air and completed 1 TD. He threw 4 interceptions on the day. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended up rushing 21 times and totaled 106 yards giving them an average of 5.0 yards per attempt. In all, they ran 72 plays for a total of 435 yards. On the day, the Buccaneers racked up 19 first downs and they totaled 6 penalties for 45 yards. In terms of defense, Tampa Bay conceded 19 catches on 32 throws for a total of 161 yards, and a completion percentage of 59.0%. Overall, they allowed a total of 229 yards and forced 2 turnovers. In the running game, the Buccaneers conceded 68 yards on 26 carries which is an average of 2.6 yards per run allowed. Josh Schonwald has a pick for the game between the Cardinals and Rams.

Buccaneers Now 7-8 After Loss

The Buccaneers head into this matchup 7-8. In terms of offensive proficiency, the Buccaneers have an offense that could be called mediocre in the league. When looking at their ability to score points, the Buccaneers sit in 1st among NFC South teams and 3rd out of all the teams in the league with an average of 29.1 points per contest. Tampa Bay is having a year to forget in the ground game by averaging 92 rushing yards per contest, ranking them 25th in the league. As a unit, they have a total of 1,385 rushing yards through 15 games, so they'll need to look to improve on these numbers if they want to compete with the better teams in the league. The Buccaneers average 402 yards per contest overall which has them at 3rd among NFL teams and 2nd among NFC teams.

The Buccaneers are conceding 28.1 points per contest ranking them 3rd among NFC South teams and 30th among NFL teams. Their pass defense is one of the middle of the road groups in the NFL. They are conceding 269 passing yards per game. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Buccaneers sit in 14th in the conference. They have conceded 29 passing touchdowns for this year. In terms of points given up, they have given up 421 points in total. In discussing yards rushing, they are giving up 73 yards per contest which puts them at 1st among NFL teams and 1st among NFC South teams. For this year, they have given up a total of 1,094 yards on the ground and 11 rushing TDs.

Who will win tonight's Falcons/Buccaneers NFL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Falcons +2

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