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There are actually only two NFC South games taking place this Sunday, as the Panthers are also on a bye. The undefeated Falcons are in the comfort of the Georgia Dome as they take on the Oakland Raiders, while the Buccaneers play host to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Unfortunately, both the Falcons and Bucs are playing weak opponents so the opportunity to get ahead in the NFC South standings is there for the taking. I'd be pleasantly shocked if the Raiders could manage to upset the Falcons in their own home but I highly doubt that happens. And while the Buccaneers are certainly no powerhouse, they should be able to defeat a weaker Kansas City Chiefs team who has only managed to beat the Saints.
Check out the official game capsules below for full details of each matchup. Then discuss how you think the NFC South landscape will look after Week 6 in the NFL.
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2012
OAKLAND RAIDERS (1-3) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (5-0)
SERIES
| RAIDERS | FALCONS | |
| SERIES LEADER | 7-5 | |
| STREAKS | 3 of past 5 | Past 2 |
| COACHES VS. OPP. | Allen: 0-0 | Smith: 1-0 |
| LAST WEEK | Bye (Wk. 4: L 37-6 at Broncos) | W 24-17 at Redskins |
| LAST GAME | 11/2/08: Falcons 24 at Raiders 0. Atlanta's defense holds Oakland to 77 total yards & forces 2 turnovers in shutout victory. Falcons WR Michael Jenkins adds 2 rec. TDs (37, 27). | |
| LAST GAME AT SITE | 12/12/04: Falcons 35, Raiders 10. Trailing 3-0 entering 2nd quarter, Atlanta scores 35 consecutive points, powered by RB T.J. Duckett's 3 rushing TDs (28, 2, 1). | |
| BROADCAST | CBS (1:00 PM ET): Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf. SIRIUS: 113 (Oak.), 93 (Atl.). XM: 226 (Atl.). | |
STATS
| PASSING | Palmer: 99-162-1,081-5-2-86.0 | Ryan: 136-199-1,507 (T3L)-13 (2L)-3-106.1 (2L) |
| RUSHING | McFadden: 57-201-3.5-1 | Turner: 73-324-4.4-3 |
| RECEIVING | McFadden (RB): 18-111-6.2-0 | Gonzalez (TE): 39 (1L)-388-9.9-4 (T3L) |
| OFFENSE | 318.8 | 376.4 |
| TAKE/GIVE | 0 | +10 (T1L) |
| DEFENSE | 411.5 | 345.8 |
| SACKS | Shaughnessy: 1.5 | Abraham, Weatherspoon: 3 |
| INTs | --- | DeCoud: 4 (T1L) |
| PUNTING | Lechler: 49.4 | Bosher: 45.9 |
| KICKING | Janikowski: 29 (5/5 PAT; 8/8 FG) | Bryant: 46 (16/16 PAT; 10/10 FG) |
NOTES
RAIDERS: Club has won 3 of past 5 at Atl...In 2 games vs. Atl., QB CARSON PALMER has completed 60 of 86 passes (69.8 pct.) for 678 yards with 5 TDs vs. 0 INTs & 112.5 rating. Had 412 pass yards, 3 TDs vs. 0 INTs, & 116.4 rating in last game vs. Atl...RB DARREN MC FADDEN aims for 4th consecutive game with 100+ rush yards vs. NFC (145, 105, 111). Raiders are 8-2 when he has 100+ rush yards. Will play in 50th career game...For career, WR DENARIUS MOORE avg. 17.8 yards per catch (45 receptions, 801 yards). In past 2 vs. NFC, WR DARRIUS HEYWARD-BEY had 13 catches for 233 yards (17.9 avg.) with TD...TE BRANDON MYERS has career-best 228 receiving yards in '12...LB PHILIP WHEELER leads team with 34 tackles...DE MATT SHAUGHNESSY has 3 sacks in past 3 against NFC...DT TOMMY KELLY has 6.5 sacks in past 6 vs. NFC...DT RICHARD SEYMOUR has 16.5 career sacks with Raiders...
FALCONS: Are 5-0 for 1st time in team history...QB MATT RYAN completed 17 of 22 (77.3 pct.) for 220 yards with 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 138.4 rating in last meeting. In career, Falcons are 27-0 when Ryan has 100+ rating (4-0 in 2012). When Ryan has 3+ TD passes, team is 14-0 (3-0 in 2012)...RB MICHAEL TURNER rushed for 139 yards in last meeting. When he has 23+ att., his teams are 21-1 (.955)...WR RODDY WHITE has 93 catches for 1,343 yards (111.9 per game) & 11 TDs in past 12 vs. AFC. In past 6 at home, has 47 catches for 742 yards (123.7 per game) & 6 TDs. Since 2007, has 502 rec., most in NFC. WRJULIO JONES has 6 TDs in 6 career games vs. AFC. TE TONY GONZALEZ had 8 catches for 110 yards in last meeting. Has 99 rec. TDs & needs 1 for 100. Aims for 4th in row vs. AFC with TD...DE JOHN ABRAHAM has 7 sacks, 3 FFs & FR in 4 career meetings & has sack in all 4 games. Had 3 sacks in last game vs. Oak. & 5 sacks in past 2 meetings. Has 115 sacks, most by active player. S THOMAS DE COUD has 3 INTs in past 2 vs. AFC.
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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1-4) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (1-3)
SERIES
| CHIEFS | BUCCANEERS | |
| SERIES LEADER | Series tied, 5-5 | |
| STREAKS | Past 3 | |
| COACHES VS. OPP. | Crennel: 0-1 | Schiano: 0-0 |
| LAST WEEK | L 9-6 vs. Ravens | Bye (Wk. 4: L 24-22 vs. Redskins) |
| LAST GAME | 11/2/08: Buccaneers 30 at Chiefs 27 (OT). Tampa Bay WR Antonio Bryant catches 24-yard TD pass with :19 remaining to force OT, where K Matt Bryant converts decisive 34-yard FG. | |
| LAST GAME AT SITE | 11/7/04: Buccaneers 34, Chiefs 31. Tampa Bay RB Michael Pittman rushes for 128 yards & 2 TDs, including game-winning 3-yard score in 4th quarter. | |
| BROADCAST | CBS (1:00 PM ET): Marv Albert, Rich Gannon. SIRIUS: 136 (KC), 94 (TB). XM: 227 (TB). | |
STATS
| PASSING | Cassel: 103-176-1,150-5-9-66.2 OR Quinn: 3-3-32-0-0-111.1 | Freeman: 65-119-790-5-4-75.3 |
| RUSHING | Charles: 102-551 (1L)-5.4-2 | Martin (R): 71-247-3.5-1 |
| RECEIVING | Bowe: 31-402-13.0-3 | Jackson: 16-304-19.0-2 |
| OFFENSE | 402.4 (2C) | 276.0 |
| TAKE/GIVE | -15 | +3 |
| DEFENSE | 326.8 (3C) | 419.0 |
| SACKS | Houston: 6 (T3L) | Bennett: 4 |
| INTs | Flowers: 2 (T2C) | 6 tied: 1 |
| PUNTING | Colquitt: 45.9 | Koenen: 43.6 |
| KICKING | Succop: 38 (8/8 PAT; 10/11 FG) | Barth: 34 (7/7 PAT; 9/9 FG) |
NOTES
CHIEFS: Have won 6 of past 7 in Oct...In past 10 vs. NFC, QB MATT CASSEL is 7-3 with 85.7 rating. QB BRADY QUINN made 1st NFL appearance since 12/20/09 (w/Cle.) last wk...KC averages AFC-best 180.8 rush yards per game in '12...In past 3, RB JAMAAL CHARLES is averaging 153.6 rush yards/game (461 total). Averages NFL-best 133.8 scrim. yds/game in '12 (551 rush; 118 rec.). Since '10, avg. 118.7 rush yards/game vs. NFC (831 yds, 7 games)...WR DWAYNE BOWE had TD catch in only career mtg. vs. TB on 11/2/08. Bowe (39) needs TD rec. to become 5th player in club history with 40 career...Since Week 13 of '11 season, LB JUSTIN HOUSTON is tied for NFL-best with 11.5 sacks (JARED ALLEN). LB TAMBA HALI will play in 100th career game. Has 3 sacks in past 2 games...CB BRANDON FLOWERS aims for 3rd consec. game w/ INT...
BUCCANEERS: QB JOSH FREEMAN has won 4 of past 6 starts in Oct. Since 2010, is 1 of 2 QBs with 7,800+ pass (7,833) & 600+ rush (624) yds (AARON RODGERS). When Freeman has 95+ rating, Bucs are 10-4 (.714)...Rookie RB DOUG MARTIN is 3rd among NFL rookies with 247 rush yards...WR VINCENT JACKSON has 100+ yards & TD in 2 of past 3. Since 2008, Jackson avg. 18.1 yards per catch (217 rec., 3,923 yards), best in NFL (min. 200 catches). WR MIKE WILLIAMS had career-high 115 yards in Week 4, 2nd career 100-yd game. Has TD catch or 100+ yards in 3 of past 4. Williams (19.9) & Jackson (19.0) only teammates to each avg. 19+ yds per game (min. 10 rec). Since entering NFL in 2003, TE DALLAS CLARK has 50 TDs (incl. playoffs), 3rd most by NFL TE...Club's rushing defense is 4th in NFL (73.8 yds per game). Buccaneers tie for 2nd in NFL in red zone defense with 28.6 TD pct. (14 poss, 4 TDs allowed). TB has 6 different players with INT. DB RONDE BARBER is only player in NFL annals with 25+ sacks (28) & 40+ INTs (44). DE MICHAEL BENNETT has 3 sacks in past 2 & has 6 sacks in past 7 games. LB MASON FOSTER leads team with 36 tackles followed by 2 rookies: LB LAVONTE DAVID (33) & S MARK BARRON (27).