Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers FREE LIVE STREAM (10/3/24) Time, TV channel for NFL Week 5 Thursday Night Football
The Atlanta Falcons, led by quarterback Kirk Cousins, face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by quarterback Kirk Cousins in Week 4 of the NFL season on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024 (10/3/24) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
How to watch: Fans can watch the game for free via a trial of Amazon Prime
Here’s what you need to know:
What: NFL, Week 4
Who: Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
When: Oct. 3, 2024
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: N/A
LIVE STREAM: Amazon Prime
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons had big plans for their offense when they decided to invest heavily in quarterback Kirk Cousins and add new coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
The widespread belief was they only needed an established quarterback and a fresh game plan to utilize the playmakers added in the first rounds of recent drafts — tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson.
Entering Thursday night’s visit from NFC South leader Tampa Bay (3-1), the Atlanta offense has yet to find its momentum. The Falcons (2-2) have shown flashes of promise as Cousins has led two game-winning drives, but the veteran hasn’t matched the production of Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield that has led the Buccaneers to the top of the division.
The most recent evidence of mixed results came Sunday in the Falcons’ 26-24 win over New Orleans. Atlanta won despite not scoring an offensive touchdown, while Pitts was held without a catch and Bijan Robinson ran for only 28 yards.
Morris said he’ll take the win and let others fret about the numbers.
“Really for me, stats are for losers,” Morris said after the game.
Morris and Robinson acknowledge improvement must come and the offense can’t always rely on the defense and special teams to produce the points.
“Have we reached our peak of what you want to play and how you can be best?” Morris asked on Monday. “No. But I think that’s a part of what the season is. I think that’s a part of steady improvement, steady growth, and I love that about our football team. I think we know that, I think they know that, and I think we’re really comfortable being able to go out there and win football games however we can.”
Mayfield threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score in Sunday’s 33-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mayfield has passed for eight touchdowns with two interceptions. Cousins, who signed a four-year, $180 million deal as a free agent, has four touchdowns and four interceptions.
Wide receiver Mike Evans became the Buccaneers’ career scoring leader last week. Evans is only one part in a passing game that also features wide receiver Chris Godwin and then promoted Sterling Shepard from the practice squad as another option for Mayfield.
“I think that it really makes it difficult for the defense,” Godwin said. “It’s one thing when a guy is going off because you feed the hot hand, right? But if we’re able to spread the ball around that much, everybody gets involved. … You can mix in your quick game, your deep passing game, play actions, screens.”
Success in the South
The Bucs have won the past three NFC South titles. This is their fourth 3-1 start in the past five years. They’ve also been successful against Atlanta lately, winning six of the past eight meetings between the division rivals, outscoring the Falcons by 51 points in those games.
Yellow flags
The Falcons committed nine penalties for 76 yards on Sunday and already have 30 penalties for the season.
“We can’t have those,” Zac Robinson said Tuesday. “There’s certain situations we’re trying to avoid, and obviously it’s at the discretion of the refs to call those. And you got to just keep playing, and so those have been tough.”
Cooking with Baker
Mayfield is off to a solid start after resurrecting a stalled career in 2023 and signing a three-year, $100 million contract to remain in Tampa Bay.
The No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 draft is coming off throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in last Sunday’s 33-16 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles. He also ran for a TD.
He enters Thursday night with a 106.9 passer rating that ranks fourth in the NFL. He’s second in TD passes (eight) and fourth in passing yards (984).
Falcons offense is coming
Zac Robinson says more offensive consistency is close because “there’s been games where we’ve executed really well.”
“We’re trying to find that mix to where we know we’re close to getting over the hump with some things, and guys are just — they’re eager,” Robinson said. “They want to be the most explosive offense and the best offense in the NFL.”
Comfort zone in Tampa
Godwin attributes some of Mayfield’s success to the comfort level that comes with being with the same team for a second season.
“And yes, 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 that we faced when we all stuck together — I think (that) really helps this year,” Godwin added. “I think it’s just a natural maturation process, just for him as a player.”
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The Atlanta Braves and their offense kept rolling last night as they defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates. They will attempt to do it again as Spencer Strider takes on Braxton Ashcraft. The one area that was concerning is that Michael Harris was removed near the end of the game last night with it being in question if he will play today.
It looked like he was slated to play today, but we did not know until the lineup was officially announced.
The last two days Walt Weiss had a lineup that was almost the same but just flipped a few spots, so today it was interesting to see if he would take the same approach, or possibly have Harris DH to give him a little extra rest to be safe. In the case of Harris DHing or not starting at all, we could assume that Eli White would possibly get the nod for CF. In a bit of sad news, Harris was not getting the start today after all.
One thing is for certain, Mauricio Dubón needed to stay in the lineup with his clutch hitting. So far this season he is hitting .358/.414/.623 with runners in scoring position. Prior to seeing the lineup card we could assume that if Harris was the DH or not in the lineup at all, where Dubón plays would be in the air. CF was on the table with White struggling, and that is the route that Weiss went to allow Yastrzemski to get the start.
Austin Wynns will be making his first start as a Brave today which makes sense since Kim is getting the start at SS and Harris is out. The Braves will need the offensive boost.
The Pirates and their offense have been surprising to say the least. They have scored the fourth most runs in MLB. To put that in perspective, they have scored ten more runs than the fifth best Yankees. The offense has been heavily aided by offseason pickups Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn. Lowe has fifteen HRs and an OPS of .864 while O’Hearn has nine HRs and an OPS of .852.
Oneil Cruz is also having his best year offensively as well with fourteen HRs and an OPS of .818.
It was great to see the standing ovation for Marcell Ozuna yesterday, but he will not get the start this afternoon.
First pitch is at 4:10 EDT
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A suspect is wanted in connection to a Friday night shooting on a MARTA train, according to the MARTA Police Department.
The shooting happened at the Midtown MARTA station on 10th Street. MARTA police said shots were fired on a stopped train on the southbound platform.
“Hid between the cars in case the guy wanted to come back,” shared a witness, Devonte Render. “Just heard three shots, and we all got down on the train car I was on. And then we didn’t hear anything after that.”
“We’re about to move up and then all of the sudden we heard pop, pop, pop, and then we hit the ground,” mentioned another witness, Chelsea Mensah.
A man was found with gunshot wounds to his arm and leg. He was taken to a nearby hospital and is in stable condition.
Police have not provided a description of the suspect but said they believe it was a targeted incident.
The seconds after the shooting dragged on like hours for passengers in the railcar next to it, leaving many traumatized.
“I’m like god, I can’t die here, I literally started shaking,” said Mensah.
“For this to happen on the train, I’ve never seen that in my life,” said Render.
The shooting comes just a day after the federal government launched an investigation into the public transit agency after two stabbings, one of which was deadly.
The recent violent acts have heightened fears among MARTA riders like Mensah, prompting calls for action beyond the new entry-point upgrades at Midtown Station.
“Definitely needs to be more invested into security, not even cops, just to make it better and more secure,” said Mensah.
MARTA under federal investigation over system’s security and safety
It also comes as Atlanta prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of people to the city for the World Cup, which the city is set to host a number of matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Most fans are expected to take public transportation to get there.
This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.
The FIFA World Cup is set to kick off in Atlanta in 10 days.
Nine teams will play group-stage matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but the U.S. men’s national team is not one of them. The USMNT’s group stage takes place in Los Angeles and Seattle, but that doesn’t mean Atlanta has no chance of seeing the national team in person.
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Paths that could see the Stars and Stripes in Atlanta
Round of 16
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Semifinals
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