The Bucs are set for a crucial NFC South matchup against the Falcons on Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium. At 3-2, Tampa Bay leads the division by a half-game over 3-3 Atlanta.

Of course, this will be the first of two meetings between the Bucs and Falcons this season, with the return game set for Dec. 10 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

This has been a pretty even series over the years, as Tampa Bay holds an all-time lead of 30-29 and has a 5-1 edge over the last three seasons. The two teams split the season series in 2022 after the Bucs swept the matchups in both of Tom Brady’s first two seasons with the team. The Falcons haven’t swept the season series since 2018, though they also swept in 2017.

Given that these two teams match up twice every year, this is a familiar foe for quite a few players on the Bucs’ roster. And a lot of them have had some serious success against the Falcons over the years. We’ll dive into some of the top Falcon killers here.

Bucs’ Top Receivers Have Feasted On Falcons’ Defensive Backs

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are two all-time greats in franchise history, and the fact that they’ve been on the same team for much of their respective careers doesn’t get talked about enough. They’re the top two players on the Bucs’ all-time leaderboard for both receptions and receiving yards. Soon enough, they’ll be No. 1 and No. 2 on the receiving touchdowns list.

With all of this in mind, it’s no surprise that both players have had plenty of success against the Falcons over the years.

Evans has more production against the Falcons than any other team in the NFL. Over his first nine seasons, he has played 16 games against Atlanta in his career, totaling 85 catches for 1,317 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has three multi-touchdown games and four 100-yard games against the Falcons (plus two 99-yard performances), with his best game of the series likely being his 11-catch, 150-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 43-28 loss on Nov. 3, 2016.

Most recently, Evans caught four passes for 81 yards in Tampa Bay’s 21-15 win over Atlanta at Raymond James Stadium last October. He didn’t play at Atlanta in Week 18, with a lot of starters resting for the playoffs after the team clinched the NFC South the week before.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: USA Today

As for Godwin’s most production against any one opponent? The answer is also Atlanta. In 11 games against the Falcons, Godwin has 61 catches for 879 yards and nine touchdowns. Like Evans, he has three multi-touchdown games and four 100-yard games against them.

Godwin has delivered some explosive performances in this series over the years, with two of his most notable coming in the 2021 calendar year. The first of those was actually the 2020 season finale in which he caught five passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns in a 44-27 Bucs win.

Then, in the 2021 season, he had a 15-catch, 143-yard game in a 30-17 win. Those 15 catches set a single-game franchise record. Not to mention, he starred in a 2019 game at Atlanta with Jameis Winston finding him seven times for 184 yards and two scores.

In 2022, Godwin missed the first meeting against the Falcons and played some in the season finale, catching six of his seven targets for 55 yards.

Two Of Tampa Bay’s Top Pass Rushers Are Familiar With Atlanta’s Backfield

Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett and QB Matt Ryan – Photo by: USA Today

While Evans and Godwin are on another level in terms of success against the Falcons, two of the Bucs’ most-established pass rushers have also done well against this division foe in the past. Both Vita Vea and Shaq Barrett have made themselves familiar with Atlanta quarterbacks during their Buccaneer careers.

Barrett has been a part of six games between these two teams and has four sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. Granted, most of his sack production came in one record-breaking performance back in 2019. In the final game of that season, Barrett notched six tackles and three sacks, breaking the franchise’s single-season sack record. He entered the game even with Warren Sapp at 16.5 sacks before posting three to finish the year with 19.5.

Vea’s success has been spread out pretty well over his seven career games against the Falcons. He has five sacks, dividing those between four different games. His biggest day against Atlanta was in 2021, when he dropped Matt Ryan twice for a combined loss of 17 yards.

Perhaps the most memorable moment for Vea against Atlanta wasn’t a sack, and it didn’t even come from his normal nose tackle position. Back in 2019, he lined up at fullback near the goal line and caught a touchdown pass from Jameis Winston.

🚨 THIS IS NOT A DRILL 🚨

VITA VEA HAS HAULED IN HIS FIRST CAREER TOUCHDOWN pic.twitter.com/UXlButlO9H

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 24, 2019

Bucs’ Linebacking Duo Has History With Making Plays Against Falcons

Bucs LB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

As a Buccaneer legend and longtime fixture in the middle of the defense, Lavonte David certainly has seen his fair share of Bucs-Falcons contests. And with so many games against Atlanta, the playmaking linebacker is bound to have some eye-popping numbers. Over 21 games, he has 112 solo tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception.

Perhaps David’s best statistical performance against the Falcons came on Sept. 18, 2014, when he tallied seven solo tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in what was ultimately a game everyone would better off forgetting as Tampa Bay lost 56-14.

A day that David would surely like to remember far more was the final game of the 2020 regular season, which saw him finish with five solo tackles and a forced fumble in the Bucs’ final tune-up before their run to Super Bowl LV.

Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo by: USA Today

Devin White has done his own share of damage against the Falcons over the years, with 34 solo tackles, five sacks and two fumble recoveries in seven career games against them. He has two multi-sack games against Atlanta in his career, with his biggest day coming in a comeback win for the Bucs on Dec. 20, 2020.

Tampa Bay trailed that game 24-7 in the third quarter before coming back to win 31-27, and White was right in the middle of it with 10 solo tackles and three sacks. Those sacks were all extremely well timed, too.

The first came with the game tied at 24, as he dropped Matt Ryan on third down to force an Atlanta field goal. The Bucs came right back after that field goal to take a 31-27 lead, and on the next Falcons’ possession, White dropped Ryan for another third-down sack to force a punt. And on one final drive for Atlanta, White got sack No. 3 as Tampa Bay held on to win the game.