Buccaneers vs. Falcons: Bold Predictions for Week 2

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hosting the Atlanta Falcons this week. It’ll be divisional matchup where despite the outcomes from the previous week both teams will undoubtedly play each other though.

Check out which Bucs Nation staff writer makes the boldest claim for this week’s game below!

Bailey: Losing Sean Murphy-Bunting—for however long it’ll be—is a big deal for the Buccaneer defense. There’s no getting around that. But Todd Bowles and the rest of the coaching staff sound more than confident in Ross Cockrell as he steps into a bigger role in Murphy-Bunting’s absence. And you know what? I’m feeling pretty confident in him as well. So, I’m predicting that Cockrell will have a big impact on Sunday’s game, picking up his first interception of the year and coming away with at least two pass breakups.

James: Though I made a prediction regarding turnovers on the Locked On Bucs podcast, I’m going in a different direction here. Many were bothered and concerned with Mike Evans’ production and involvement in week one against the Cowboys - though they shouldn’t be. This week it will be the exact opposite. I think this game has Evans written all over it and he will be a huge factor for the offense as they strive to become the first team in NFL history to reach nine consecutive wins while scoring over thirty points. I think Evans goes for over 150 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Atlanta.

David: My season bold prediction was that Ross Cockrell would lead the defensive backs group in takeaways. With Sean Murphy-Bunting out and Carlton Davis III suddenly on the injury report, the Bucs defense needs a playmaker in the secondary and it could be Cockrell’s moment to shine. Give him two takeaways in this game. Book it.

Mike: Running the ball quickly went by the wayside for the Bucs in their season opener, but you should see a much greater focus on the ground game Sunday. A lot went wrong for Atlanta against Philly, but containing the run game was especially a struggle. The Eagles running backs racked up 111 yards on 24 carries - good for 4.6 yards per carry. We’ll see a rebound from Ronald Jones after his costly early fumble bought him another one-way ticket to the bench, and Leonard Fournette should get his licks in as well. We’ll see 125 yards between the two and at least two scores with, perhaps most importantly, zero turnovers.

Editor’s Pick by Gil Arcia: Lots of love for Cockrell this week. The problem I have is the confidence in the defense this early in the season especially how they looked last week. With that said, I like Mike’s bold prediction for Week 2. It’s important that the Bucs get the running game going and Bruce Arians and his staff know that.