Atlanta Falcons Ready for Playoff Adversity After Win vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Following the Atlanta Falcons tough road win against a division rival in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is the team ready for the playoffs?

The Atlanta Falcons are a young and upcoming team, but veteran Calais Campbell saw the team develop a playoff mentality by overcoming during their latest win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Superstar rookie Bijan Robinson had been the focal point of Atlanta’s offense entering the game but, due to a severe headache, was limited to just one carry, forcing the players to step up with varying degrees of success offensively.

“It’s character building,” Campbell said of the Falcons' adversity against the Bucs. “Winning tough, hard, ball games – that’s what going to be in the playoffs. We earn the right to be there, so this is good experience. This is a playoff type of game, and no matter what, you just keep fighting, keep swinging. We’re going to have to play a lot of games at this level to be able to go where we want to go. I feel good about the way we fought, you know, with everything against us, adversity, we just kept swinging, kept sawing wood, kept believing in each other, and found a way to win the ballgame.”

Atlanta Falcons veteran Calais Campbell liked what he saw from the team during its win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, / USA Today Sports

If the expression ‘Defense wins championships’ is true, then Atlanta proved it has a good chance of at least winning the NFC South. Despite the offense turning the ball over three times, Campbell’s unit allowed just 13 points to Tampa Bay’s offense, which featured seasoned stars such as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Although national media outlets may not be quick to list the Falcons as a Super Bowl contender, the team doesn’t seem to care about the outside perceptions of them. 

Entering the season, there was chatter that Atlanta was the worst team in the NFC South; now it’s the No. 1 spot in the NFC South. While the rest of the league continues to sleep on the Falcons, the young team is awake and quietly developing the mental fortitude necessary for a playoff run.