Despite having the top seed in the NFC locked up, the Atlanta Falcons say they plan to play to win this Sunday when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons are 13-2 SU and 9-5-1 ATS on the season.

Tampa Bay is 0-5 SU and 0-4-1 ATS over its last five games. Atlanta is 5-1 SU and 3-2-1 ATS in its last six games against the Buccaneers.



View Tampa Bay vs Atlanta Odds and Stats.



Power Rankings / Prediction:
The OddsShark Power Rankings have the Falcons at No. 13 and the Buccaneers at No. 14 heading into this contest. Handicapping models project a 32-23 result in favor of the Falcons.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Atlanta's No. 5-ranked offense, averaging 26.8 PPG, against a Buccaneers defense that ranks No. 24 this week at 25.1 PPG. The Falcons aerial game is averaging 286.4 yards per game, less than the Buccaneers secondary allows through the air, 303 YPG per game.

In comparing defenses, the Buccaneers own the league's No. 5-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 90.1 yards per game when on the road. Atlanta, on the other hand, rates No. 26 this week in generating rushing yards at home.

Tampa Bay was a 28-13 loser in its last match at home against the Rams. They failed to cover the 3-point spread as favorites, while the total score of 41 sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. Josh Freeman's 372-yard performance through the air wasn't enough last time out, as St. Louis earned a 28-13 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

Atlanta won its last outing, a 31-18 result against the Lions on December 22. The Falcons covered in that game as a 3.5-point favorite, while the 49 combined points took the game UNDER the total. In their last game, the Falcons got 4 passing scores out of Matt Ryan en route to a 31-18 win over the Lions on Saturday at Ford Field.


Tampa Bay Buccaneers Trends:
When playing in December are 1-9
When playing on turf are 3-7
After outgaining opponent are 5-5
When playing within the division are 3-7

Atlanta Falcons Trends:
When playing in December are 6-4
When playing on turf are 8-2
After being outgained are 8-2
When playing within the division are 6-4

A few Buccaneers at Falcons trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Tampa Bay's last 15 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 5 games at home
Atlanta is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Tampa Bay
Atlanta is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games