The Atlanta Falcons did something they weren't supposed to do this past week. By beating the previously-undefeated San Francisco 49ers, they proved they can hang with the best competition the NFL has to offer - at least when they are playing at their best.
Trouble is, the Falcons don't always do that - and the best word you can use to describe this team right now is streaky. Their defense can give up a lot of points and a lot of yards, but also force turnovers when they need it, as they did in Sunday's win. Their offense can either be totally barren or the most-explosive in the league from drive to drive.
Getting some more consistency will be crucial if Atlanta is going to catch Carolina in the NFC South race and return to the playoffs for the first
time in nine years.
Next up are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who just blew the Panthers out by 30 points. According to Brent Sobleski at Bleacher Report, the Falcons need a complete game to beat their rivals this week.
"A win in Tampa would put Atlanta back at .500 with a chance to overtake the Panthers—if they fall to the Green Bay Packers. The Falcons will have to play a complete game for the second straight week for it to happen. However, they should feel a lot better about their chances of taking the division for the first time in a decade than they did before Sunday's upset over the 49ers."
Offensively that means getting both Bijan Robinson and Michael Penix going at the same time, something that hasn't happened often this season.
Defensively the Falcons need to give up fewer explosive plays and get into a rhythm earlier in games - having fallen behind big early on in their last two games.
The good news is that they have done well against the Bucs in recent years, winning three of their last four matchups and five of seven overall. However, each new season represents a different challenge and it would be a mistake to bank on that recent history as a guarantee of victory.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: B/R analyst: Falcons need a 'complete game' to beat Buccaneers
