Aj Terrell News Today

FALCONS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Bijan Robinson needs 87 yards to break William Andrews' team rookie record of 1,332 scrimmage yards in 1979. Robinson leads Atlanta with 873 rushing yards and has seven touchdowns, including four rushing. He often lines up as a wide receiver and set a career high with seven receptions last week.

BUCCANEERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (27), RUSH (10), PASS (28), SCORING (T-10). FALCONS OFFENSE: OVERALL (18), RUSH (6), PASS (22), SCORING (24). FALCONS DEFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (15), PASS (11), SCORING (7).

The Bucs are sitting just one game away from reclaiming the NFC South. A win over the Falcons on Sunday would put them back at the top of the leader board.

The Atlanta Falcons are back at .500 and have a bit of breathing room atop the NFC South. The first-place Falcons (6-6) continue to struggle with the ball in their hands, but the guys on the other side of the line bailed them out again in an ugly 13-8 win over the New York Jets on Sunday. It was Atlanta's fewest points in a victory since a 10-7 triumph at Tennessee in 2015.

The rain was falling, penalty flags were flying and the Atlanta Falcons kept slogging away. Desmond Ridder threw a 20-yard pass to MyCole Pruitt in the second quarter for the game's only touchdown and the Falcons took over sole possession of first place in the NFC South with an ugly 13-8 victory over the punchless New York Jets on a dreary Sunday. “You’re in a playoff chase, you’re trying to win a division,” coach Arthur Smith said.

VIKINGS OFFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (31), PASS (2), SCORING (T-14) VIKINGS DEFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (13), PASS (15), SCORING (11) FALCONS OFFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (10), PASS (18), SCORING (T-27). FALCONS DEFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (14), PASS (8), SCORING (14). TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Vikings minus-5; Falcons minus-7, VIKINGS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Jordan Addison.

Tennessee Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins is proving he has much more left in the tank than some of the team's previous veteran receiver signings.

There was some Clemson-on-Clemson crime during Sunday's NFL action. In the game between the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons in Nashville, DeAndre Hopkins hauled in a 47-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter from Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis for the latter's first career TD.

Desmond Ridder passed and ran for touchdowns, providing an answer to those who had called for him to be benched, Younghoe Koo kicked a go-ahead 37-yard field goal as time expired, and the Atlanta Falcons snapped a two-game skid by beating the Houston Texans 21-19 on Sunday. Ridder's 6-yard TD pass to rookie running back Bijan Robinson and 2-point pass to Tyler Allgeier gave the Falcons (3-2) a 15-12 lead early in the fourth quarter.

A fast start, and a home win, could take some heat off Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder. Back-to-back losses have dropped the Falcons (2-2) to .500 entering Sunday's game against rookie C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans (2-2). The Texans will be trying for their first three-game winning streak since 2018.