Falcons vs. Buccaneers: Three must-know storylines for Thursday's Week 15 prime-time game

The Buccaneers don't have much time to feel sorry for themselves. Sunday's home loss to the Saints dropped Tampa Bay to 7-6, nursing the slimmest of divisional advantages over the surging Carolina Panthers.

The Bucs enter Thursday's home game against the Falcons knowing they can still control their path for the NFC South crown, but they've also lost four of five games since the bye. The Bucs are only 3-3 at home, although the Falcons are 2-5 on the road, having lost five of six away from Atlanta.

The Falcons are in worse shape than Tampa Bay, ravaged by injuries. They've gone 1-3 since QB Kirk Cousins took over for Michael Penix Jr., but Cousins shredded the Bucs for 785 passing yards and eight TDs in two games last season.

Three must-know storylines

1) Battered Baker needs bounce-back game for Bucs

Baker Mayfield earned some MVP chatter earlier this season, leading stirring comebacks and racking up some impressive numbers, but both have escaped him the past four games. In that span, while Mayfield has endured knee, oblique and shoulder injuries, he's completed only 54.3% of his passes for 530 yards, four TDs and four INTs – after throwing only two picks in the nine prior games. Rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka has had some painful drops in recent games, leading to the passing-game limitations, and the offensive line remains in tough shape. Guard Ben Bredeson left Week 14 with injury and is on IR, weakening the interior offensive line. The Bucs could also be without tight end Cade Otton, but they might welcome back Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan. Both receivers have been limited in practice this week, and are questionable for Thursday. The Bucs could save them for the showdown at Carolina in Week 16, however, they also need the firepower badly with every game critical. Tampa Bay's offense has scored 59 points (while allowing 98) in the past 14 quarters, dating back to the Bills loss. They must find answers fast. Atlanta's defense has fallen hard in recent games, but rookie pass rusher James Pearce Jr. is still causing havoc up front.

2) Pitts could be a difference maker in the Falcons' upset bid

With Drake London (knee) ruled out, the Falcons remain perilously short of big-play weapons. Even tight end Kyle Pitts is dealing with a knee injury, limited in practice this week and officially questionable, but the Falcons had better hope plays on Thursday. In the three games London has missed, Pitts has a team-high 15 receptions and 197 yards; no other Falcon has more than nine catches or 96 receiving yards since then. Pitts, 25, will be an intriguing free agent this coming offseason, and he's moving around as well as he has in a few years. He's still not a TD producer (only two scores in his past 22 games), but Pitts can stretch the seam and be a consistent chain mover. Cousins has looked to Pitts more (26 targets) in his four starts than any other pass catcher and almost certainly needs his tight end healthy and available Thursday if the Falcons harbor any hopes of playing spoiler against a desperate Bucs team. Tampa Bay's defense has kept most tight ends in check this season, although Arizona's Trey McBride stung them for eight catches, 82 yards and a TD in Week 13. Pitts also had seven catches (and five first downs) on eight targets against the Bucs back in Week 1, when Penix was at QB.

3) Beat-up Bucs defense hopes to stop the bleeding

Tampa Bay is in rough shape defensively. They've seen slightly better results on that side of the ball the past two weeks, but they also lost Tykee Smith and Haason Reddick to injury Sunday, prompting the signing of 36-year-old Jason Pierre-Paul (who hasn't played since 2023) this week. Several other Bucs defenders are nursing injuries, including linebacker SirVocea Dennis and DBs Christian Izien, Benjamin Morrison and Rashad Wisdom, potentially leaving them thin on all three levels of the unit. The Falcons offense is also in bad physical shape now, but they still pose issues with star running back Bijan Robinson and a fruitful run game. It also hasn't helped that the kick-coverage units have consistently given opponents quality field position in recent games. What helps is that Kirk Cousins is by no means a scrambler. Sunday's loss to the Saints highlighted Tampa's Bay's issues with handling mobile quarterbacks as they allowed their fifth and sixth rushing TDs by opposing quarterbacks. So perhaps without that threat, the Bucs can find ways to rush the passer more effectively and key in on stopping Robinson. Otherwise, they might be on the outside looking in prior to the weekend's games being played.

Falcons' Week 15 injury report

Buccaneers' Week 15 injury report