The NFL schedule this week is littered with several intriguing matchups. One that may sneak past fans is Thursday’s primetime contest, featuring the Atlanta Falcons (4-9) taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) in a NFC South showdown.
Atlanta’s season is in a tailspin. The Falcons have lost seven of their last eight games, dropping close decisions to some of the league’s best teams. Their only win since mid-October came against the New Orleans Saints the week before Thanksgiving Day.
Tampa’s recent outings have been forgettable performances. The Bucs have lost four of their last five games, and only a win over the Arizona Cardinals two weeks ago has prevented the NFC South squad from entering this game with a losing record.
Which team will snap their losing ways with a win on Thursday? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props from this primetime matchup.
After an offseason of flirtatious offers, Atlanta ultimately kept veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to serve as a backup to second-year signal-caller Michael Penix, Jr. That insurance policy benefitted the Falcons after Penix was lost for the season last month.
Cousins has been solid in his limited return to the starting lineup. He’s completing over 60 percent of his passes for 845 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions thus far. He also piloted the Falcons to the team’s lone win since October 13 in place of Penix.
While Tampa Bay’s running defense is strong, its defensive secondary hasn’t been up to par in 2025. Opposing quarterbacks are completing nearly 67 percent of their passes against the Bucs. The defense has allowed 10 of their 13 opponents to throw for more 206 yards thus far. Expect Cousins to finish with at least 210 passing yards, covering this prop bet.
Baker Mayfield is having another strong season for Tampa Bay. The former top-overall draft pick has completed over 60 percent of his passes for 2,722 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only six interceptions thus far.
After starting the season on fire, he’s cooled due to injuries in the receiving corps (more on that later). Only once in the past seven games has he thrown for at least two touchdowns in a single outing. Expect him to snap out of that funk against the Falcons, throwing at least two touchdown passes on Thursday to cover this prop bet total.
Running back Bijan Robinson has been stout for the Falcons in 2025. The third-year runner has 1,081 rushing yards on 215 carries, scoring five touchdowns on the ground for Atlanta. He’s also added 56 receptions for 602 yards through the air, scoring twice more in the passing game.
In these two teams’ previous matchup, Tampa Bay shut down Robinson’s runs. While he ran for 24 yards on 12 carries, the Bucs surrendered over 100 receiving yards to the 5-foot-11 athlete through the passing attack. Expect Atlanta to use Robinson again as a receiver out of the backfield, and he’ll finish with at least 37 receiving yards on Thursday.
Losing Mike Evans earlier this season has hurt Tampa Bay’s explosive pass offense. Although Mayfield continues to look like one of the league’s top signal-callers, the Buccaneers aren’t the same team without their top receiver.
That’s why oddsmakers have such a small spread favoring the Bucs. While Cousins has filled in admirably for Penix Jr., the offense isn’t as explosive with the veteran under center.
Bettors should expect Tampa Bay to jump all over this opportunity to build a lead in the NFC South, winning this contest by at least a touchdown on Thursday.
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