Earlier this season, thanks to some sweat-inducing late-game heroics, some opined whether the Atlanta Falcons’ new identity was their ability to close out football games.
They have a golden opportunity this weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to once again showcase that newfound identity.
I’m sure nothing would do more to invigorate sparse crowds at Mercedes-Benz Stadium than to see the home team shock the world by beating the defending world champions.
Because of that pedigree, the Bucs represent one of the biggest remaining tests for the Arthur Smith-led Falcons team this season. Earlier this season in Week 2, the Falcons were competitive against the Bucs, shrinking the latter’s early lead to within three points going in the fourth quarter before everything fell apart in the final stanza due to a pair of flukey pick-sixes from quarterback Matt Ryan.