NFC South Showdown: Falcons vs. Bucs Upcoming Game Info & History

When Do the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Play Next?

Atlanta Falcons tickets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tickets can be found on their respective team pages, along with schedule information.

Are the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rivals?

Yes, the Falcons and Buccaneers are longtime NFL division rivals, both playing in the NFC South. The two teams have competed in the same division since 2002, with each team battling for division titles. The two franchises have combined to win nine division championships since the formation of the NFC South in 2002.

Who are the Atlanta Falcons’ Biggest Rivals?

The Falcons’ biggest rivalry is with the New Orleans Saints, dating back to 1967 when the Saints joined the NFL.

The Falcons-Buccaneers rivalry began in 1977. The two teams weren’t in the same division, but would play on a near annual basis. Both joined the NFC South in 2002 and the teams have played twice a year ever since.

Who are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Biggest Rivals?

The Buccaneers’ biggest rivalries are with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints. All three teams are NFC South foes. This division is one of the most competitive in the NFL most years.

Game Results Between the Falcons & Buccaneers

The Buccaneers and Falcons have played each other more than 60 times since the 1977 season. As of the 2024 NFL season, the Falcons lead the all-time series, 32-31. The two teams have never played in the postseason.

Notable games include a 1986 overtime win for Atlanta, where kicker Mick Luckhurst made a 34-yard field goal as time expired to send the game to overtime, and another 34-yard field goal to pull ahead for a 23-20 win.

In 2015, after trailing 20-3 in the third quarter, the Falcons scored 17 unanswered points capped off by a Matt Ryan touchdown pass to Julio Jones with 17 seconds remaining to force overtime. In overtime, Connor Barth hit a 31-yard field goal to win 23-20.

In the final game of the 2022 regular season, the Falcons beat the Buccaneers 30-17. It was the final regular season game of Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s career.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers History

Because of the close proximity of the two teams, they have played fairly regularly since 1977, despite being in different divisions in the NFC for much of their history. In 2002, the NFL realigned many of the divisions in the league and created the NFC South, which both the Falcons and Buccaneers became members of. Since then, the two teams have played twice annually.

The early rivalry was fairly competitive, with neither team gaining a significant edge in the all-time series through the ’70s and ’80s. In the late ’90s, the tide turned for the Buccaneers, who won six straight games from 1997 to 2003.

Once the two teams joined the NFC South, the rivalry saw major swings both ways, with the Falcons having two five-game winning streaks from 2008 to 2010 and 2016 to 2018. The Buccaneers reemerged as the dominant team in recent years with the signing of veteran quarterback Tom Brady, and the team won five straight games in the rivalry from 2020 to 2022.

Through the 2022 season, the Buccaneers and Falcons won the NFC South a combined nine times. The heated division races in the NFC South have led to a very intense rivalry between the two franchises.

Where Do the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Play?

The Buccaneers play their home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, while the Falcons play their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, which can hold 71,000 football fans on gameday.

Other NFL Rivalries