The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons have a surprisingly potent Week 8 matchup after the once-winless Bucs destroyed the Carolina Panthers in Week 7 and the Falcons beat the previously unbeaten San Francisco 49ers.
The Falcons might be facing an uphill battle, however, after Friday’s injury report seemed to touch every part of their roster, with 18 players dealing with a variety of issues.
“Final injury report for Bucs and Falcons,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account on Friday. “Long list of questionable players for Atlanta but only one ruled out.”
Both teams have ruled out only one player so far — Falcons running back Brian Robinson Jr. and Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
For the Falcons, outside of Robinson, only star guard Chris Lindstrom was a DNP (personal) at Friday’s practice. For the Bucs, only Egbuka was a DNP on Friday.
Bucs, Falcons Split Season Series in 2025
The Buccaneers and Falcons split their season series in 2025 — although neither came away with the NFC South Division title. That went to the Panthers.
The Buccaneers won the first meeting, 23-20, in the regular-season opener in Atlanta.
The Falcons won when they met again in Week 15, 29-28, in perhaps the most disheartening loss of the year for the Buccaneers — a game in which they blew a 28-14 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
One Problem for Bucs: Kyle Pitts is Playing
One player on the Falcons’ roster has absolutely torched the Buccaneers in the past and, unfortunately for them, he’s not on the injury report — veteran tight end Kyle Pitts.
Pitts signed a 4-year, $56 million contract extension with the Falcons in June that guarantees he’ll be around to torment them for years. In their last meeting, in the Falcons’ Week 15 victory, Pitts lit the Buccaneers up for 11 receptions for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“The Atlanta Falcons are staying in the Kyle Pitts business,” The Athletic’s Josh Kendall wrote on June 25. “Five years after making Pitts the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history, the Falcons on Tuesday re-signed the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder to a three-year, $54 million contract extension, according to his agency. Pitts is now the third-highest-paid tight end in the NFL in terms of average annual value at $18 million, behind the San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle ($19.1 million) and the Arizona Cardinals’ Trey McBride ($19 million).”
Falcons Face Serious Injury Issues Before Buccaneers Game