Only in the NFC South could a game between two teams with a combined 5-9 record be so important. 

However, the winner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Week 8 battle with the Atlanta Falcons will likely determine who is the favorite to win the division. 

At 2-5, the Bucs have been left for dead more than once this season. However, their 43-13 annihilation of the first-place Carolina Panthers has them right back in the thick of the division race. 

Now only one game out of first place, Tampa’s season has officially risen from the dead. 

If the Bucs can beat the 3-4 Falcons on Sunday, they will be only half a game behind the Panthers, who fell to 3-4 with their loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. 

However, securing a victory over Atlanta will be no easy task. The Falcons are marching into Raymond James Stadium on a high note after their 29-20 win over the previously unbeaten San Francisco 49ers last week. 

This crucial NFC South showdown will have a big say in who takes the division crown this season and features two teams that have walked similar paths through the season’s first seven weeks. 

The Bucs and Falcons both had high expectations coming into the season. Both teams have talented rosters and were hoping to break free of their recent curse of mediocrity. 

Like the Bucs, the Falcons fell flat coming out of the gate. After two straight losses to start the season, including an embarrassing 34-3 home defeat to the Panthers in Week 2, Atlanta looked like the league’s worst team. 

However, those losses came with starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and backup Tua Tagovailoa both injured. The Falcons were forced to start third-string Cooper Rush in the first two games before he was benched for Jack Strand. 

Penix returned in Week 3 and led Atlanta to a dominant 35-14 win over the Packers at Lambeau Field, followed by a 45-24 thrashing of the New Orleans Saints on the road in Week 4. 

In those victories, plus last week’s triumph over the 49ers, the Falcons have looked like a legitimate playoff team. 

The Bucs have also looked like a bottom-feeder for much of the season. However, in their demolition of the Panthers and a Week 5 road upset over the Dallas Cowboys, the Bucs have also looked like a playoff team. 

Both teams have taken turns as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde this season. 

Which version of each team will we see on Sunday?

In my five keys to a Buccaneers’ victory, I highlighted the need for Tampa’s defense to contain superstar Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson and to find a way to stop tight end Kyle Pitts, who has been a Buc-killer his entire career. 

If the Bucs can do both, they have a great chance to earn their third victory of the season. If not, it could be a long afternoon for the home team. 

The Bucs must also give their own star RB, Bucky Irving, a healthy workload to control the clock and keep the potent Atlanta offense on the sidelines. 

If Irving gets 20+ touches and Baker Mayfield takes care of the ball in his second game back from a three-game absence with a broken thumb, the offense should have success. I believe the Bucs’ defense, which has been strong all year, will slow the Falcons offense just enough for Tampa to get its second straight victory. 

I think a late Penix interception will seal the game for the Bucs. 

Prediction: Bucs 30, Falcons 24