The struggling Bucs want to stay hot in the divisional meet

ATLANTA – The Buccaneers are in Atlanta tonight to take on the Falcons on Thursday Night Football.

The Bucs will be without five players for the game.

Defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, safety Antoine Winfield Jr., tackle Luke Goedeke, wide receiver Jalen McMillan and wide receiver Trey Palmer are out.

The Bucs will have a lot of work to do because of the lack of personnel, but coach Todd Bowles said he expects a next-man-up mentality.

“We’re going to keep going with what we’ve got,” Bowles said this week. “We have guys who have stepped up and they are going to have to step up again.”

The Falcons were widely considered favorites to win the division after bringing in quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​in the offseason.

The Falcons (2-2) showed promise as Cousins ​​led two game-winning drives, but the veteran couldn't match the performance of Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield, who led the Buccaneers to the top of the division.

The most recent evidence of mixed results was the Falcons' 26-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Atlanta won despite failing to score an offensive touchdown, while Kyle Pitts was held without a catch and Bijan Robinson ran for just 28 yards.

Atlanta coach Raheem Morris said he would get the win and let others fret about the numbers.

“For me, stats are really for losers,” Morris said after the game.

Tampa Bay is currently 3-1 and in first place in the NFC South, ahead of Atlanta and New Orleans, both 2-2. The Bucs hope to build on their success at the start of the season. After Atlanta, the Bucs play at the Saints, host the Baltimore Ravens and Falcons and then play at the Kansas City Chiefs and host the San Francisco 49ers.

Mayfield said they knew what was at stake against a prime-time divisional opponent.

Wide receiver Mike Evans became the Buccaneers' career leading scorer last week. Evans is just one part of a passing game that also includes wide receiver Chris Godwin. The team also promoted Sterling Shepard from the practice squad as another option for Mayfield.

“I think that makes it really difficult for the defense,” Godwin said. “It's one thing when a guy goes off because you're feeding the hot hand, right? But if we manage to distribute the ball so widely, everyone is involved. … You can mix in your quick play, your deep passing game, play actions and screens.”

The Bucs have won the last three NFC South titles. This is their fourth 3-1 start in the last five years. They've also had success against Atlanta of late, winning six of the last eight meetings between the division rivals and outscoring the Falcons by 51 points in those games.

Godwin attributes some of Mayfield's success to the comfort level that comes with spending a second season on the same team.

“And yeah, this is our first year in this offensive system, but it's his second year with this group of guys, and I think the camaraderie that we built last year really helped,” Godwin said.

“I think the adversity we faced with all of us sticking together – I think that really helps this year. I think it’s just a natural maturation process just for him as a player.”

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.