Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Line Should Get On Track Against Atlanta Falcons

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have invested heavily in their defensive line. Four first- and second-round draft picks have been used to select defensive tackles and defensive ends these past two years. With just two sacks through two games this investment hasn't shown much of a return on the stat sheet this year. 

But that should change against the Atlanta Falcons. Through two games the Falcons have given up a whopping nine sacks, which is third-worst in the NFL. While the Bucs faced two teams who base their passing game on quick passes, the Falcons throw a little deeper, running a lot of five- and seven-step drops. In addition, that offensive line has looked horrendous, although center Todd McClure could return from injury on Sunday. 

There is one other reason to think the defensive line should nab their first sacks against the Atlanta Falcons. While the Bucs were held without sacks against the Lions and had just two sacks against the Vikings, they have done a tremendous job at one statistic: tackles for loss.

Through two games, the Bucs have 13 tackles for loss. That is tied for third in the NFL, behind only the Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams. For comparisons sake, the Bucs had just 69 tackles for loss last season, or 4.3 per game, vs the 6.5 per game they have right now. 

With so many tackles behind the line of scrimmages it's only a matter of time before some of those tackles are made on a quarterback. And tomorrow sounds like a good day for that to happen.