The former coach sees a parallel in the challenge he faced in Atlanta, which drafted quarterback Matt Ryan in 2008, and the situation Koetter inherited with the Bucs, who have second-year quarterback Jameis Winston.
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After starting the game 3-for-7, though, Winston caught fire and delivered three Pro Bowl-caliber quarters to lead the Buccaneers to an impressive road win. The Falcons were unable to stop Winston’s accurate scoring passes to wide receiver Mike Evans and tight ends Brandon Myers and Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
Julio Jones led the league past year in receptions and yards with 136 and over 1,800 respectively.
WR Mohamed Sanu got off to a strong start with the Falcons.
A home team with a 10-0 halftime lead against a team that just lost its quarterback for the year probably shouldn’t lose if it expects to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
It was even more important that the his comeback started in the series following Atlanta’s first touchdown, a nine-play 75-yard drive in which he completes all six pass attempts for 59 yards. And the ball was intercepted by the Atlanta Falcons.
If the defense improves under defensive coordinator Mike Smith this tall, Tampa Bay should be in the mix for a NFC Wild Card berth.
Another long drive resulted in Bryant’s third field goal, and the Falcons got the ball back one more time with 1:52 remaining and no timeouts. Winston became only the third National Football League rookie to throw for over 4,000 yards, but his mechanics still do need some work and given Dirk Koetter’s propensity towards big plays, his completion percentage may always linger a little on the low side. It was set up by a big 26-yard gain by Humphries on a screen pass, with three Falcons defenders diving at him and missing. Tampa Bay’s last season-opening win also came in 2012.
The Bucs defense was led by defensive tackle, Gerald McCoy and linebacker, Kwon Alexander.
“I understand your point on it, but we felt like we were in a good spot with the plays that we had against them”.
OUR PICK: The Buccaneers beat the Falcons outright both times last season and are 11-5 against the spread in their last 16 games in Atlanta.
“We just shot ourselves in the foot”, Jones said.
Koetter says now that he answers only to himself, and it emboldens him to add a little Russian roulette to his game plan. In the first quarter, he had just 15 passing yards.
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Smith was the winningest coach in Falcons history, almost leading Atlanta to the Super Bowl during the 2012 season. He was hurt covering a punt in the first quarter.
