# Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5) Week 8 Preview vs Atlanta Falcons (3-4): Prediction, Depth Chart, Injuries, Odds

Source page: https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/news/tampa-bay-buccaneers-2-5-week-8-preview-vs-atlanta-falcons-3-4-prediction-depth-chart-inju

> Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers ride a blowout win into a rematch with the Falcons, looking to flip last season's narrow home loss. Game details When Sunda...

By Rhett Zone · Published 2026-10-31 23:41 UTC

_Drafted with AI from our own data and checked by an editor._

[Baker Mayfield](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/players/baker-mayfield) and the Buccaneers ride a blowout win into a rematch with the Falcons, looking to flip last season's narrow home loss.

## Game details

- When | Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET
- Where | Raymond James Stadium
- TV | Fox
- Line | Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2 | O/U 43.5 (market view)
- Atlanta Falcons record | 3-4
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers record | 2-5

## Overview

The [Tampa Bay Buccaneers](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/teams/tampa-bay-buccaneers) are 2-5 and carry a one-game winning streak into Sunday after beating the Carolina Panthers 43-13 on the road in Week 7. Before that, Tampa Bay lost 19-26 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-16, lost 14-17 to the Green Bay Packers, and lost 16-23 to the Minnesota Vikings. The Buccaneers have scored 162 points and allowed 151 this season.

The [Atlanta Falcons](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons) come in at 3-4, also winners of one straight after beating the San Francisco 49ers 29-20 in Week 7. Before that, Atlanta lost 23-31 to the Chicago Bears, lost 23-30 to the Baltimore Ravens, beat the New Orleans Saints 45-24, and beat the Green Bay Packers 35-14. The Falcons have scored 171 points and allowed 173 this season.

Baker Mayfield picked up his 200th career touchdown last week and has thrown a score in three straight starts, and he's torched Atlanta before, throwing 17 touchdown passes against just four interceptions for a 102.2 rating across seven career starts against the Falcons. [Bucky Irving](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/players/bucky-irving) is coming off his first career two-rushing-touchdown game, a 106-yard effort that marked his fifth career 100-yard rushing game, and he's gone over 50 scrimmage yards in eleven of his past twelve games at home. Running back [Kenny Gainwell](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/players/kenny-gainwell) is questionable with a hip injury and tackle [Luke Goedeke](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/players/luke-goedeke) is questionable with a calf injury, while top receiver [Emeka Egbuka](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/players/emeka-egbuka) is out with a foot injury. The Buccaneers are favored by 2.0 points with the total set at 43.5, a line that points to a tight, low-scoring battle rather than a shootout.

## Key players

Bucky Irving is the engine of this offense, projected for 14.5 DraftKings points off his first career two-touchdown rushing game last week, and he's found room against Atlanta before with 50-plus scrimmage yards in three of his four career outings against the Falcons.

Baker Mayfield projects for 11.5 DraftKings points and has thrown a touchdown pass in three straight starts, carrying a 102.2 rating against Atlanta across seven career starts that includes 17 touchdown passes to just four interceptions.

Emeka Egbuka is out with a foot injury, pulling one of Tampa Bay's receiving options and his 9.5-point projection off the board entirely.

[Chase McLaughlin](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/players/chase-mclaughlin) projects for 9.0 DraftKings points as Tampa Bay's placekicker in a game that could come down to finishing drives rather than explosive plays.

[Chris Godwin Jr.](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/players/chris-godwin-jr) carries a modest 5.5-point projection but scored a receiving touchdown the last time these two teams met.

## Keys to the game

Tampa Bay has to slow down [Bijan Robinson](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/players/bijan-robinson), who leads the NFL in scrimmage yards (907) and rush yards (704) and is chasing his fourth straight game against Tampa Bay with 100-plus scrimmage yards and a touchdown, with 175 scrimmage yards and a rushing score the last time these teams played.

The Buccaneers need Baker Mayfield chasing his sixth straight start against Atlanta with two or more touchdown passes, continuing a streak of three straight starts with a score through the air.

Tampa Bay's defense wants to win the turnover and pressure battle, with [Jacob Parrish](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/players/jacob-parrish) leading the NFL with eleven pass breakups and [Yaya Diaby](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/players/yaya-diaby) coming off a career-high three-sack game.

## Fantasy angles

Start Bucky Irving with confidence at 14.5 points — a two-touchdown rushing day last week and a strong track record against Atlanta both point toward another heavy workload near the goal line.

Baker Mayfield is a solid starting option at 11.5 points, fresh off his 200th career touchdown and riding a streak of three straight starts with a touchdown throw.

Sit Emeka Egbuka — he's out with a foot injury, making his 9.5-point projection irrelevant this week.

Chris Godwin Jr. is a low-end flex at best at 5.5 points, though his history of scoring against Atlanta gives him some appeal in deeper leagues.

Chase McLaughlin is a reasonable streaming kicker at 9.0 points in a game that projects as tight and could turn on field position.

## Prediction

The market sees a tight one, projecting a 23-21 Tampa Bay win. That lines up with the 2.0-point spread favoring the Buccaneers and a 43.5 total that points to a game decided in the red zone rather than by big plays. With Baker Mayfield's history of piling up touchdowns against Atlanta and Bucky Irving punching in scores from short range, Tampa Bay has the look of a team that finishes drives when it matters. Factor in the heavy rain expected at Raymond James Stadium, and ball security and short-field execution could matter as much as anything else on Sunday.

## Injury report

- Player | Pos | Status
- Emeka Egbuka | WR | Out
- Kenny Gainwell | RB | Questionable
- Luke Goedeke | OT | Questionable

## Depth chart

### Offense

- Pos | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- QB | Baker Mayfield
- RB | Bucky Irving
- WR | Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin Jr., Ted Hurst III
- TE | Cade Otton
- LT | Tristan Wirfs
- LG | Ben Bredeson
- C | Graham Barton
- RG | Cody Mauch
- RT | Luke Goedeke

### Defense

- Pos | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- LDE | Calijah Kancey
- NT | Vita Vea
- RDE | A'Shawn Robinson
- WLB | Rueben Bain Jr.
- LILB | Alex Anzalone
- RILB | Josiah Trotter
- SLB | Yaya Diaby
- LCB | Zyon McCollum
- RCB | Benjamin Morrison
- NB | Jacob Parrish
- SS | Tykee Smith
- FS | Antoine Winfield Jr.

## Recent results

- Team | Last games
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Wk7 W 43-13 vs Carolina Panthers, Wk6 L 19-26 vs Pittsburgh Steelers, Wk5 W 24-16 vs Dallas Cowboys

More league notes: [What To Look For - Week 8](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/news/nfl-press-what-to-look-for-week-8), from the NFL.

[**Game page**](https://profootballnewshub.com/nfl/game/115)

*Written by Rhett Zone, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores, box scores, injuries and depth charts). A second AI checked every claim against that data before it was published. Read how we use AI in our [editorial standards](https://profootballnewshub.com/editorial-standards).*

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