The Buccaneers will head to Atlanta for a rematch with their divisional foe in Week 14. The Bucs beat the Panthers 21-18 last Sunday and improved to 5-7, coming in just behind the 6-6 Falcons in the NFC South race. Atlanta is in the driver's seat and Tampa Bay is treating Sunday's matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium like a playoff game, given the playoff implications. The Falcons boast a top-10 defense in both yards and points allowed, in addition to a rushing attack that is ranked sixth in the NFL. Atlanta plays a physical brand of football, powered by a robust ground game and a stingy defense in the red zone. The Falcons beat the Bucs in Week Seven on a Younghoe Koo 51-yard field goal as time expired and on Sunday, the visiting team will be ready for a divisional fight on the gridiron. Here are five Buccaneers to watch in Week 14:
Carlton Davis III
Second-year wideout Drake London is Desmond Ridder's go-to target. London, the eighth-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has hauled in 46 passes for 573 yards and two touchdowns during his 2023 campaign. With rare high-point ability, fluidity in-and-out of breaks and an impressive catch radius, London elevates the Falcons' offense alongside Bijan Robinson. Carlton Davis III has the size to match up with London, a bigger-bodied receiver who aims to box out opponents. Davis is efficient at blanketing receivers on the boundary and attacks the catch space with aggression. He is disruptive on the back end and snagged his first interception of the 2023 season in Week 12 against the Colts, which set up a short touchdown drive. He is second on the team with six passes defensed and will be matched up with London on Sunday. London tallied six catches for 54 yards against Tampa Bay in Week Seven and Davis, along with the Bucs' secondary, will aim to mitigate his effectiveness at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield will need to be aware of Jessie Bates III at all times. The Falcons' bolstered their secondary during free agency by signing Bates. Thus far, Bates has accounted for five of the team's seven interceptions in 2023. In Week 12 against the Saints, Bates was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He recorded a 92-yard pick-six off Derek Carr in that matchup and came up with a clutch peanut punch in the third quarter as the Saints were driving down the field. Bates has had a league-leading "ballhawk rate" of 23.0% since 2020, which measures what percentage of passes disrupted when he is the nearest defender per Next Gen Stats. In addition, Bates leads Atlanta in tackles with 92. He is adept at limiting receivers/backs/tight ends in man coverage, making plays on the ball in zone and disrupting the run in the box with physicality. He is able to pattern match receivers with hip fluidity and effectively reads the quarterback's eyes for prime positioning. Baker Mayfield has thrown just eight interceptions this season and his interception percentage of 2.0% ranks 14th in the NFL. Mayfield has spurred the Bucs' offense in 2023 with moxie and high-effort improvisation to extend drives.
Lavonte David
Bijan Robinson is the Falcons' leader with 756 rushing yards, galvanizing the club. He has exceeded the lofty draft expectations that accompanied his eighth-overall selection. Robinson is electric with the ball in his hands, possessing a tantalizing blend of power, shiftiness and pass-catching ability. With a low center of gravity to navigate through traffic between the tackles and agile feet to create in the open field, Robinson creates a nightmare for defensive coordinators. Th Falcons also incorporate Tyler Allgeier (492 yards) and Cordarrelle Patterson (130) in the run game out of multiple personnel groupings to exploit matchups. It will be all hats to the ball on Sunday and particularly a critical matchup for the Bucs' inside linebackers. Tampa Bay has been plagued with injury at the position and the Bucs are hopeful that cornerstone Lavonte David will be able to play after missing two games. He has been a full participant this week leading up to the Week 14 matchup and signs point to him being able to suit up, barring any setbacks. David's read-and-react skills are evident the moment the play starts. His understanding of leverage and pursuit angles sets him apart and David is able to stuff rushers at the point in the hole. He is a textbook tackler and is as good as it gets in covering pass-catching tight ends and running backs. David will likely play a key role on Sunday against the Falcons' sixth-ranked rushing attack.
Antoine Winfield Jr.
Antoine Winfield Jr. was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 13. He became the fifth safety in team history to win Defensive Player of the Week accolades and the first since Mike Edwards in Week Two of the 2021 season. Winfield finished Week 13 tied for first in the NFC in tackles for loss (two), tied for first in interceptions (one), tied for second in passes defensed (three) and tied for fourth in sacks (1.0). He also tallied a game-high eight tackles, including six solo takedowns. Among defensive backs this season, Winfield Jr. is tied for first in sacks (3.0), tied for first in fumble recoveries (three), tied for second in forced fumbles (three), tied for third in quarterback hits (five), tied for fifth in takeaways (five) and tied for ninth in passes defensed (11). He makes his presence felt week-after-week, flying to the football like his hair is on fire. After primarily filling the slot corner role in nickel packages in 2022, Winfield Jr. moved to a full-time role at free safety – his previous responsibility – to showcase his range and ball-hawk prowess in 2023. The move has paid dividends and on Sunday against Ridder, Winfield Jr. will work to continue his sensational streak of dominance from the post.
Rachaad White
The last time the two NFC South teams met, the Falcons ran for 156 total yards in contrast to 73 for the Bucs. The Falcons are currently ranked sixth in the league in rushing yards per game, while the Bucs are ranked 30th. However, the Bucs' ground game has made significant strides in recent weeks with season-highs against the Colts and Panthers. Over the course of the last two games, the Bucs accumulated 125 yards and 6.6 per carry in Indianapolis and followed suit with 128 yards and 4.6 per tote in the win over Carolina.
"A lot of credit to the O-line, quite honestly," said Baker Mayfield. "Just getting their targets right, just all being on the same page and really understanding the concepts of how their tracks mean a lot. The running back room as a whole has grown a lot – just understanding how they're supposed to set up these blocks, how they're supposed to play off the combos and just making a lot more plays in space. It's that whole unit. Not to leave out the tight ends and the receivers in the blocking schemes. Everybody is a part of it, so everybody just being on the same page and getting more reps at it has been the biggest improvement."
With White's prowess in the open field, the Bucs manufactured the run game by getting No. 1 in space on screens, out of empty packages and on outside zones. As he made strides on the perimeter, the Bucs were able to improve the run game through the interior on inside/mid-zone and duo. White has developed in locating tight creases and hitting the hole with authority between the tackles. The Bucs' will strive to continue their progression on the ground in Week 14.
