They don’t leave skid marks, but the Tampa Bay Bucs are fast enough.
They drop the occasional pass, but the Bucs are skilled enough.
They don’t figure out the red zone often enough, but the Bucs are smart enough.
But are they tough enough?
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That’s the question of the hour. After watching the Eagles push the Bucs around, after watching the Lions do the same, the hard question for Tampa Bay is whether it is hard enough. Can they stand up to a massive defensive line? Will they get smothered by a feisty offensive line?
It’s an important question with the Atlanta Falcons coming to town Sunday. The Falcons are going to try to run through the Bucs, muscle on muscle, strength on strength. The whole world knows it. The Falcons have limited ability to throw the ball — although that often seems to catch up to the Bucs — but they are patient, and they are relentless at running the ball.
Hey, there was a time that was just fine with the Bucs. They were quicksand and barbed wire, and few teams ran on them. But not anymore.
It’s a discerning feeling for a fan to see its team pushed backward repeatedly. It indicates a lack of power And in their losses, the Bucs have been mauled.
Can Atlanta do it? It should help that the Bucs are at home. In this division, a home team is always going to be favored.
But in the fourth quieter, on third and short, can the Bucs hold up?
We’ll see.
Prediction: Tampa Bay 23, Atlanta 21.
In other NFL games:
Buffalo 28, New England 24
Baltimore 22, Detroit 20
Kansas City 30, San Diego 24
Philadelphia 30, Maimi 29
San Francisco 28, Minnesota 14
And in the college games:
UConn 39, USF 13
FSU 24, Duke 21
Ohio State 27, Penn State 14
Alabama 21, Tennessee 17
Utah 24, USC 16