This Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off, with the winner taking the #1 spot in the NFC South. The last time the two teams met with a chance to claim the division lead was Week 9 of 2010.

For many, it's a bit of a surprise seeing the Falcons at .500 and tied with the BUCS for the lead. Most thought it would be an all-year race between Tampa and New Orleans. But it's early in the season.

The Falcons are riding the wave of a 2-game winning streak while the BUCS are on a 2-game skid. The last time the Buccaneers lost three consecutive games was three years ago. Coming off two losses to Green Bay and Kansas City in front of a home crowd, the BUCS need to put on a good showing in Raymond James Stadium for the first time this season. The last time they lost three straight home games was three years ago too.

It'll be interesting to see if the Falcons try to test the Buccaneers' run defense after seeing what Kansas City did last week. The Chiefs ran away with 189 rushing yards against what had been one of the best rushing defenses in the League. That result may entice others to pound the rock. But it may not work that way for Atlanta.

On the one hand, Atlanta's coming into Sunday's game riding high on a winning streak. Conversely, they'll be limping in without their most productive player on offense.

Cordarelle Patterson, the wide receiver turned running back and kick return ace, was put on IR after last weekend's game due to a procedure on his right knee. Patterson had been the biggest X-factor on the Falcons’ roster. He led the team with 368 total yards from scrimmage. He was the 4th leading rusher in the NFL(340 yards) before stepping away.

With Patterson missing, the Falcons will have to lean on a combination of Caleb Huntley, fifth-round pick Tyler Allgier out of BYU, and Avery Williams. Allgeier has 26 carries for 139 yards, and Williams converted from cornerback this past offseason and has four carries for 37 yards.

The constant and often miraculous scrambling to keep pass plays going loosened up the BUCS' usually stout defense, which made them visibly play hesitant. The threat of the pass opened up the running game for Kansas City. Atlanta doesn't pose such a threat.

Currently, the Falcons' offense ranks amongst the NFL's worst in passing attempts(31st), passing yards(29th), and passing touchdowns(27th). However, they're a top 5 unit in rushing attempts, yards, and touchdowns.

The BUCS should welcome a weak passing game after last week's this week after facing the likes of Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers the past two. Neither one lit it up in regards to yards. But the threat of extending plays and then making accurate passes for first downs caused a few issues for both the secondary and the defensive line. The fatigue and frustration can easily mount in those situations. The defensive line struggled mightily last week after talks of them possibly having a big day. They could only get to Mahomes once on 37 attempts. And so did the secondary as missed chances to break up passes and slow down the Chiefs on 3rd downs. Opportunities should come against the Falcons. But, there should be no mistaking. This is a major bounce-back game for everyone on the defense.

EVERYONE.

While the BUCS are on offense, they should have an opportunity to run the ball. Something they've not been able to do in recent weeks. Atlanta has given up 100+ yards in three of their four matchups this season. Whether or not Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich actually looks to take advantage of this weakness is an entirely different issue to be addressed much sooner than later.

The passing game should also see a boost in productivity. At least, the opportunities should be there due to the number of favorable matchups. This is a game where the level of talent and potential of the offense could be the determining factor, much like what the Leftwich and his offense had faced over the past fewd seasons while facing lower-level competition for the vast majority of the schedules.

Still, there's a solid argument that the two losses in Tampa have come from the team's mistakes rather than the talent they've faced. The BUCS have turned the ball over twice in back-to-back weeks. They've also not taken advantage of the turnovers its defense has forced. Both are issues reminiscent of when the BUCS had the most uncertain offense in the League a few years ago with a far more unstable QB at the helm. Every week was a question of whether the team could stay out of its own way or not.

In Week 5, with a chance to take the early lead for the division, that question rears its ugly head once again in Tampa.