Bucks at Falcons
when: Thursday, October 3, 2024 | where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium – (Atlanta, Georgia) | Expedia.co.jp kick off: 8:15pm ET tv set: amazon prime
Play by play: Al Michaels | Analyst: Kirk Herbstreit | Side job: Kaylee Hartung
wireless: 98 Rock 97.9FM | Play by play: Gene Deckerhoff Analyst: Dave Moore | Side job: TJ Rives
As game day approaches, it’s time for the Pewter Report staff to make their weekly game predictions and provide game previews for this week’s matchups. Let us know what you think in the comment section of the article. Please also add your predictions.
Scott Reynolds: Bucks win, extend lead in NFC South
Bucks QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of USA Today
I found myself in a two-game slump and picked the Bucs to beat the Broncos in Week 3, then picked Tampa Bay to lose to Philadelphia last week. Last week, the team had 3 wins and 1 loss, so I’m happy to get an “L”. I’m picking the Bucks to beat the Falcons, so if they lose, blame the players and coaches, not me. I chose Tampa Bay because I’m not buying into the Atlanta hype this year. Kirk Cousins is 36 years old and still experiencing discomfort from his surgically repaired Achilles tendon. He was originally unable to move, but now he is a statue.
Without center Drew Dalman, Vita Vea expects to have another big game in the Civil War. I don’t know if the Bucs will get six sacks again, but Cousins should get some. Atlanta has only allowed four sacks this year, mostly because Cousins gets the ball away quickly with a healthy amount of short passes. Rookie offensive coordinator Zach Robinson is going through growing pains similar to what Dave Canales went through last year in Tampa Bay. The backs should play as pressmen on the outside in Cover 1 or Cover 3 looks. Cousins plays better against cover 2 and quarter coverage.
Offensively, the Bucs offensive line needs to be physical early and set the tone at the line of scrimmage. With Jesse Bates III and Justin Simmons patrolling the secondary, Tampa Bay will either try to run the ball to take advantage of Atlanta’s Cover 2 looks or force defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake to run a safety in the box. They’ll either try to lower it and force runs. That would allow either Mike Evans or Chris Godwin to take advantage of man coverage, which should be a win for the Bucks.
Reynolds game prediction: Bucks 30, Falcons 20
Reynolds season record: 2-2
Matt Matera: Bucks Stifle the Falcons
Bucks OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Thursday Night Football games can be all over the place since teams have to play a short week. In this case, it’s the Bucks who are on the road, but they feel like they have an advantage over the Falcons because they’re a bit more of a cohesive team at this point. The offense found its rhythm Sunday and the team will look to continue that momentum, while the defense broke through with six sacks on getting to the quarterback.
Let’s think about the Bucks’ defense for a moment. This is a great opportunity for the pass rush to pick up where they left off. The return of nose tackle Vita Vea makes a world of difference in pushing back the pocket. This helped the rest of the group and the outside linebackers Yaya Diaby recorded his first sack of the year. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins is a good player, but he’s also a statue in the pocket. Diaby ranks in the top five in pressure. If he continues that pace on Thursday, Cousins won’t run away like some other quarterbacks. Atlanta can’t run the ball well and failed to score a touchdown in their last game. Tampa Bay’s defense could once again contain them.
I don’t expect the Bucks’ offense to have as much success as it did Sunday. Atlanta’s defense poses a difficult challenge for the Bucs, especially with safeties Justin Simmons and Jesse Bates III. Add edge rusher Matthew Judon to the mix and it gets even tougher. Baker Mayfield should be at his best Thursday and continue to make decisions on the football. The Bucks may not go deep, but Chris Godwin can find cracks anywhere in the defense, and they may rely more on Rashard White and Bucky Irving in the screen game and intermediate passes. Can Sterling Shepard step up again with the Bucks? That may be what they need again. If the Bucks get another great showing from their defense, the offense should be good enough to secure a road win and enjoy some extra time off.
Matera Prediction: Bucks 23, Falcons 17
Matera season record: 2-2
Bailey Adams: Bucks proved they’re the top of the NFC South
Bucks QB Baker Mayfield and OC Liam Cohen – Photo courtesy of USA Today
I picked the Bucks to beat the Eagles last week, but I didn’t see it. that The type of person whose victories bear fruit. It’s hard not to feel good about where this team is and where it’s headed after a performance like this, and this is a group that knows themselves better than the Falcons right now. I think so. Despite being named the new favorite to win the NFC South this offseason, Atlanta is off to a 2-2 start and currently sits at 1-3 considering how they’ve played in their first four games. It could be a loss or 0-4.
I like what I’m seeing from new offensive coordinator Liam Cohen, and aside from a weird performance in Week 3, Baker Mayfield is playing with a high level of confidence right now. I think he has a good chance of going to Atlanta and putting together another impressive show. This is largely thanks to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Known for eating Falcons. Atlanta’s run defense has also been pretty holey so far this season, so I’d like to see the duo of Rashard White and Bucky Irving break out a bit after showing signs of potential earlier this year. I’m looking forward to it.
And defensively, I think the Bucs’ pass rush found something last week and could take advantage of injuries on the Falcons’ offensive line. I like Yaya Diaby leading that effort with a sack or two and putting together another incredible game plan to slow down guys like Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgaier. I believe in Todd Bowles’ ability. Kirk Cousins has four interceptions in four games, and I think the Bucks might pick up two more on Thursday night for a total of six interceptions. Give Tampa Bay a clear win. It creates some rift within the division and proves whose class the NFC South is.
Adams’ game prediction: Bucks 30, Falcons 20
Adams season record: 2-2
Josh Quapo: Bucks’ convincing win makes him one of the best in the NFC
Bucs OLB YaYa Diaby – Photo courtesy of USA Today
I thought the Bucks were doing well this year. However, there was no chance that the team was “special” on my bingo card. I predict cornerback Zion McCollum will elevate to one of the best defensive backs in the NFL, and combined with the positive outlook on Tykie Smith, I predict the team’s secondary will be one of the best units on the team. I predicted it. And I’m on record as saying that I think Baker Mayfield’s 90th percentile result is a top-eight quarterback, but his 50th percentile result is 16th to 20th. Well, he currently ranks 13th in EPA/Dropback.
But I was wrong about Yaya Diaby. And that’s the point. He’s not as good as his pressure numbers suggest (like he’s not one of the best five pass rushers in the NFL), but his ceiling is higher than I previously thought. So the Bucks are clearly a lot better than I thought they would be. This would be a better team than Atlanta, especially in its current version. kirk cousins Much worse than I expected.
Cousins used to be one of the league’s better intermediate to advanced passers. From 2020 to 2023, he completed 64% of his passes of 10 air yards or more, gaining an average of 11.0 yards per attempt and 1.5 big-time throws for every turnover-worthy play on such throws. Recorded the throw. This year, those numbers have dropped to a 51% success rate, 9.2 yards per attempt, and four turnover-worthy plays versus zero big-time throws. And Cousins is avoiding deep throws more than ever, with his deep target percentage below 8 percent, near a career low. If Tampa Bay brings a similar defensive game plan to the Lions game and can keep Mayfield under 2.5 seconds, a road win against a divisional foe should be convincing.
Quipo’s game prediction: Bucks 27, Falcons 14
Quipo season record: 2-2
Adam Slivon: Bucks appear in prime time, defeating Falcons on the road.
Bucs ILB Labonte David – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
The Bucks have to travel to Atlanta in a short week to play the Falcons on Thursday night. After a 33-16 victory over the Eagles, the team’s arrows are trending even further back to where they were before facing the Broncos. They’re scoring better than last year, showing their offense is working better, and Todd Bowles is showing continued improvement and getting the most out of an injury-ravaged defensive unit. In the face of Dirty Bird, I believe this trend will continue.
Baker Mayfield, who started on offense, was activated Sunday and fed the ball to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin early on. Mayfield also spread the ball out to other playmakers such as Trey Palmer and Sterling Shepard. The passing game was fine, even without Luke Goedeke, moving the football quickly and trusting his reads to avoid pressure. That led to success and even more success in the run game. The Falcons’ secondary is loaded with talent, including A.J. Terrell, Jesse Bates III and Justin Simmons, but so is the Bucs’ receiver room. If Atlanta relies on single coverage to protect all of Liam Cohen’s creatively deployed weapons, it will only give them an added advantage in scoring points.
Defensively, it’s a group that Jalen Hurts couldn’t do much of offensively. This was without his two best wide receivers, but the defense was up to the task, coming home frequently and producing six sacks. Kirk Cousins had four touchdowns and four interceptions this season, and was more of a “Cole’s Cash” guy than a money thrower. The Bucks have acquired his number recently, including in last year’s season-opening win at Minnesota. Bijan Robinson is a very talented runner and his duo with Tyler Allgaier are some of the best in the game. There will be plenty of opportunities to ramp up the pressure again and force Cousins to resolve this issue. Both teams are expected to be close in this divisional matchup, but the Bucks will continue their winning ways and pick up another road win.
Slivong’s game prediction: Bucks 27, Falcons 20
Srivong season record: 2-2
