atlanta sports tagged interest

With the NFC South being as wide open as it is, every divisional game takes on extra importance, and the Atlanta Falcons are going for their second straight divisional win on Thursday night at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Falcons are a very slim favorite and looking to move into what would be a share of the top spot in the division with the win.

The Falcons were able to beat New Orleans this past week without actually scoring an offensive touchdown, relying only on a special teams touchdown, a defensive touchdown and four Younghoe Koo field goals. They are going to need more on Thursday to beat a very good Tampa Bay team. One thing that would help get the offense going is finding a way to get tight end Kyle Pitts involved in the offense more. Pitts was targeted on just three passes on Sunday, catching none of them, and is buried down the Falcons’ pass-catching leaderboard through the first four weeks.

It has not helped that new quarterback Kirk Cousins is still working his way back from an Achilles injury and trying to make it work in a new offense.

On the Tampa Bay side, Baker Mayfield is coming off a monster performance against the Philadelphia Eagles and has been extremely effective in his career against the Falcons. In three career starts against Atlanta, Mayfield has a 101.7 passer rating and six touchdown passes to only one interception.

Along with their 3-1 overall record, the Buccaneers are also 3-1 against the spread this season while Atlanta is only 1-3 against the spread. That includes an 0-2 mark against the spread as home favorites.

All odds from BetMGM. Looking for NFL tickets? Find them here.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons odds

How to watch Buccaneers at Falcons

Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta

Time: 8:15 p.m. ET

Streaming: Prime Video

TV (local markets only): FOX with streaming on Fubo (try for free)

Expert picks for Bucs at Falcons

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(Photo of Kirk Cousins: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)