Bucs vs. Falcons: 3 key matchups

Falcons DE John Abraham vs. Buccaneers LT Donald Penn: It’s usually a good battle when these two Pro Bowlers meet. Abraham, 33, is a 12-year veteran who racked up 13 sacks last season. He had two in this season’s opener against the Bears. Penn, a former undrafted free agent, is a self-made player who has started 62 consecutive games — the fifth longest streak among active tackles in the NFL. Penn, who has held his ground against Abraham, has respect for Abraham’s ability to power through blocks as a change of pace to his speed rushes.

Falcons WR Roddy White vs. Buccaneers CB Aqib Talib: In Week 1, Talib returned an interception for a touchdown against Detroit. White, who led the NFL with a franchise-record 115 receptions last season, is off to a slow start. Defenses have bracketed White and left the middle of the field open. White, who has 11 catches for 84 yards and one touchdown, is well off his pace of last season.

Falcons LT Sam Baker vs. Buccaneers DE Adrian Clayborn: After facing Chicago’s Julius Peppers and Philadelphia’s Trent Cole, Baker will face the Bucs’ highly touted rookie, the 20th pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Against Baker, Cole had one sack, three quarterback hits and one tipped pass a week after Peppers had a big game. The tenacious Baker kept fighting before settling down on the Falcons’ two 80-yard drives late in the game against the Eagles.

SERIES HISTORY

 36th regular-season meeting. Buccaneers lead series, 18-17. Falcons coach Mike Smith has won five straight games against the Buccaneers after dropping his initial meeting with them in Tampa.

TALE OF THE TAPE

A look at how the teams match up in the latest NFL rankings:

Category                  Tampa Bay                Atlanta

Total Offense                               20th (325.0 ypg)                       17th (352.0 ypg)

Rushing Offense                          25th (80.5 ypg)                          9th (124.0 ypg)

Passing Offense                         t14th (244.5 ypg)                        21st (228.0 ypg)

Total Defense                            28th (414.5 ypg)                          27th (412.0 ypg)

Rushing Defense                        31st (156.0 ypg)                          18th (110.5 ypg)

Passing Defense                           19th (258.5 ypg)                         27th (301.5 ypg)

Points Scored                               t18th (22.0 ppg)                            16th (23.5 ppg)

Points Allowed                              18th (23.5 ppg)                            t29th (30.5 ppg)

Sacks                                                   t28th (2)                                           t14th (5)

Sacks Allowed                                     t9th (4)                                             t30th (9)

Turnover Margin                            t10th (-1)                                               t9th (-1)

Team Leaders      Tampa Bay                   Atlanta

Rushing Yards                        LeGarrette Blount (86)                  Michael Turner (214)

Passer Rating                           Josh Freeman (84.4)                          Matt Ryan (85.1)

Receptions                                  Earnest Graham (13)                    Tony Gonzalez (12)

Receiving Yards                          Preston Parker (142)                    Tony Gonzalez (155)

Sacks                            Mason Foster, Sean Jones (1.0)                   John Abraham (2.0)

Interceptions                              Aqib Talib (1)            K. Biermann, Kelvin Hayden (1)

–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog

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