Buccaneers WR 'expected to play' against Atlanta in revenge game
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2) head into Sunday's matchup with the Atlanta Falcons as losers of two-straight games, while the Falcons have won back-to-back contests. Even though the Falcons haven't been a very good team, they still played the Buccaneers pretty close in both 2021 matchups. Tampa Bay had a meager three-point lead in the […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2) head into Sunday's matchup with the Atlanta Falcons as losers of two-straight games, while the Falcons have won back-to-back contests.
Even though the Falcons haven't been a very good team, they still played the Buccaneers pretty close in both 2021 matchups. Tampa Bay had a meager three-point lead in the fourth quarter of the first matchup before safety Mike Edwards returned two interceptions for touchdowns and the Buccaneers had a 20-17 halftime lead before scoring 10 unanswered points in the second half to make it a final score of 30-17.
Regardless, it's always important to have your best players on deck for a divisional matchup. Sure, the Buccaneers are 10-point favorites. But anyone who watches football know divisional games have a different feel.
The Falcons are down two key players in Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Pitts, which is huge when considering how those two players allow the Falcons to run their offense at max efficiency.
So, obviously, that's a good development for both the Buccaneers and their fans.
Things got a little better for the Buccaneers in regard to their own players Sunday morning. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Buccaneers expect wide receiver -and former Falcon- Russell Gage to play.
It's very good news for the Buccaneers, who saw their best offensive output a week ago against the Kansas City Chiefs. Gage was key in the Buccaneers' 14-12 loss to the Green Bay Packers and gave them a shot at overtime with his fourth quarter touchdown reception.
As Rapoport notes, things are still up in the air when it comes to Julio Jones' availability, who will also be looking to extract some revenge against his former team this week. If he plays, of course.
Featured image via George Walker IV / USA TODAY NETWORK
