Falcons 17 Buccaneers 6

Atlanta won their second straight on Sunday and amassed a season sweep of their division rival Buccaneers in a 17-6 victory in Tampa to improve to 7-6.

As usual, or so it seems, Atlanta got off to a horrendous start. They couldn't click offensively and Tampa drove down the field on two consecutive drives. Fortunately for the Falcons, their defense stood tall when they had to and limited the Bucs to two field goals in those drives to lead 6-0 over the Falcons.

The biggest play in the game came in the third quarter when Tampa appeared to be driving yet again, in attempt to take a two score lead over the Falcons. End John Abraham hit quarterback Bruce Gradkowski from his blind side and knocked the ball loose. When all was said and done, outside linebacker DeMorrio Williams came up with the football and ran the distance for a touchdown. Following the extra point, Atlanta took a 7-6 lead and would maintain a lead for the duration of the game.

The Falcons then received some bad news as they were driving in attempt to extend their lead later in the game. Starting tailback Warrick Dunn limped to the sidelines with an apparent leg injury and just a few plays later, backup Jerious Norwood did likewise when he reaggravated a leg injury. So, in came third string tailback and usual starting fullback Justin Griffith, and the guy didn't miss a beat. On a third down play fairly deep into Tampa territory, Griffith took the draw and scampered all the way into the end zone for a touchdown, juking a safety out of his shoes with one of his moves. With the PAT, that put Atlanta up 14-6. They later added a field goal to seal the victory at 17-6.

The defense needs to be applauded for their efforts in this game. It was one of their better and most complete efforts of the season. The receivers made a couple of nice catches in the game, but there were also a couple of drops and a lack of effort on the part of wideout Ashley Lelie on the fade route into the end zone. That lack of effort cost the Falcons a chance at scoring at least three points. The Falcons' first field goal attempt, which would've potentially tied the game up at 3-3, was botched on a low snap from the center. The game didn't come without the Falcons' fair share of mistakes, but fortunately, they committed less than their opponent.

The biggest question mark going into Saturday night's home game against Dallas is, what will be the health of Atlanta's top two backs? Early word is that neither injury is a season-ender, but both backs are questionable for Saturday's game. If neither can go, I have to imagine Griffith will get the start at tailback. With the way he played on Sunday, he should be allright, but it's always nice to have that fresh set of legs come late into a game. Quarterback Michael Vick may be asked to run more than he did against Tampa. The guy ran it just three times for five yards, both season lows. I honestly have to wonder if that tweaked hamstring of his from the week prior's game had anything to do with he not running the ball as much. If that was the case, I hope he hammy's ready to go against the Cowboys. The Falcons appear to be getting healthier by the week on defense. John Abraham and Ed Hartwell appear to be getting quicker and better by the week. Corner Jason Webster is due to come back any week now and backup corner Jimmy Williams saw some play time this past Sunday.

As of right now, the Falcons find themselves tied for the 5th seed in the NFC alongside the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, who are also 7-6. But, because of a tie-breaker, Atlanta is currently 7th in the league, behind both the Giants and the Eagles. This weekend, though, the Giants and Eagles will face off against one another and Atlanta will play host to Dallas on Saturday night. It's odd hearing these previews for the Saturday night game. It contends that the Falcons MUST win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. I hate to disappoint you guys and your attempt to make this game appear larger than it actually is, but that's not true. If the Falcons lose on Saturday, they will fall to 7-7. The Cowboys would up their mark to 9-5. The winner of the Giants/Eagles game would up their record to 8-6 and the loser would fall to 7-7. At worst, Atlanta would be tied for the 6th spot in the NFC along with the loser of the Giants/Eagles game and possibly the likes of Carolina and Minnesota. Atlanta finishes up with Carolina at home and the Eagles in Philly. We could potentially have three 7-7 clubs duking it out in the final couple weeks to earn the final spot in the playoffs. While I feel that Atlanta will have to win two of their last three, they definitely have room to lose one, and if there is one that they CAN lose, it's the game against Dallas. Atlanta would get themselves into a much greater mess if they lost to Carolina or Philly. But, if Atlanta beats Dallas and improves to 8-6, it's a brand new ball game. Atlanta would then be tied (record wise) with Dallas, tied with the winner of the Giants/Eagles game, be a game up on the loser of that contest, and be at least a game up, if not two on the Panthers and Vikings. In that situation, the Falcons would be, at worst, tied for the 5th spot. They'd hold the tie-breaker on Dallas. But, if Dallas won the NFC East, that wouldn't matter. The Giants hold the head-to-head tie-breaker on the Falcons. Atlanta could potentially be tied with Seattle, but if the Seahawks win the NFC West, that won't matter. Either way, things will be very interesting the last three weeks for the Falcons. It'd be terrific for them to beat Dallas to ease the pressure off of them some and enhance the pressure on other teams in the conference chasing a playoff spot, but it's not the end of the season if they do lose.