The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers will carry the momentum of their 31-29 triumph over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 when they go up against quarterback Matt Ryan and the rest of the Falcons. Brady earlier said that the Falcons present a tough challenge despite their 32-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in their season opener. Brady, who has a 5-0 against the Falcons with Ryan as their quarterback, led the Buccaneers to two wins against Atlanta as part of their four-game winning streak to end the regular season, allowing them to clinch the NFC Wild Card in the postseason.

The rest was history as the Buccaneers won four more straight games, including a 31-9 win over the then-defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, to clinch their first Lombardi Trophy since 2002.

Pees practiced vs Brady for 6 years

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, for his part, refused to provide the 44-year-old Brady with a bulletin board material that could fuel him further during their Sunday’s clash, adding that “there’s a graveyard of guys who have popped off with arrogance about Tom Brady.” Falcons’ defensive coordinator Dean Pees followed the lead of his head coach when asked about Brady. Pees is familiar with Brady as he worked as New England Patriots’ linebackers coach from 2004 to 2005 and as defensive coordinator from 2006 to 2009.

“I’ve been around him a long time,” Pees said, adding he went against Brady in practice for six years and coached against him seven times during his stint as coordinator with Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and the Falcons.

Pees is aware of Brady’s ability to see the Falcons’ multiple looks and disguises on defense. “It’s better to assume that they know what we are doing, than to assume that they don’t,” said Pees, who told his players to be in the right position to get their job done, per D.

Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If you’re not where you’re supposed to be, he will take advantage of it,” said Pees, lauding Brady’s tremendous vision and a tremendous feel for the game. “If he’s not the greatest of all time, I don’t know who is,” he stressed.

Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting avoids surgery

After undergoing thorough examinations and a second opinion, the Buccaneers announced that cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting won’t have to undergo surgery to repair his injured elbow that he sustained in the first quarter of their game against the Cowboys. However, head coach Bruce Arians did not set a timetable for Murphy-Bunting’s return, but he’s hopeful that he can play this season. Based on the Buccaneers’ final injury report released on Friday, cornerback Carlton Davis was limited in practice due to a hamstring and is questionable to play against the Falcons.