have a lot of great - not good, great - ahead of us for this team, th

TAMPA, Fla. - Standing in a winning locker room for the first time in nearly two months, Matt Ryan stopped short of saying the Atlanta Falcons are back on track after ending a five-game losing streak.Theres still a lot of winning to do to get back into the NFC South race, but beating the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the second time was a start Sunday.The 27-17 victory was the first for the Falcons (3-6) since they embarrassed their NFC South rivals 56-14 on Sept. 18, a game in which the Bucs (1-8) lost quarterback Josh McCown to a thumb injury.And as strange as it might sound, it kept the teams hopes of creeping back into the division race alive.Its been too long since we won a game. Its always better when you come out on the right end, so well enjoy it, Ryan said after throwing for 219 yards and one touchdown without an interception. But we also know with the way the division is shaking out, were right in the mix.New Orleans (4-5) leads the NFC South with a losing record. Second-place Carolina (3-5-1) plays Philadelphia on Monday night.We feel good. Weve just got to keep winning, receiver Julio Jones said. Everything else will take care of itself.Thats the same thing the Bucs (1-8) have been saying during a five-game skid of their own. Sundays loss dropped them to 0-5 at home, and coach Lovie Smith conceded hes running out of explanations for the teams lack of success.We realize what our record is, Smith said. Its a broken record, really, with me talking to you and telling you how much better were getting and were making progress to find a way to get a win.McCown returned to Tampa Bays lineup for first time since the earlier meeting at Georgia Dome, throwing for 301 yards and two TDs. His 1-yard scoring pass to Austin Seferian-Jenkins put the Bucs ahead 17-16 early in the fourth quarter. But Ryan drove the Falcons right down the field, throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White and a two-point conversion to Harry Douglas.Steven Jackson scored on a 1-yard run and Matt Bryant kicked four field goals for the Falcons, one of them after a wide-open Devin Hester dropped what would have been a touchdown in the second quarter.Ryan finished 20 of 31 with no interceptions. Jackson rushed for 81 yards on 16 carries, Julio Jones had eight receptions for 119 yards and White had six catches for 72 yards.We know, obviously, where we stand and whats in front of us. We still have three division games and four other games, and a lot of things can happen during that time frame, Ryan said. We cant worry about all the other stuff thats going on. Weve got to focus on ourselves and try to be 1-0 next week.McCown completed 27 of 43 passes, threw a pair of interceptions in the final two minutes and was sacked four times. Rookie Mike Evans had a big game for the second straight week with seven receptions for 125 yards, including a 22-yard TD catch that gives him five in his past five games.Dwight Lowerys end-zone interception stopped a Tampa Bay drive that reached the Atlanta 4 with 1:49 remaining. Josh Wilson picked McCowns final pass of the day.You stand in moments like this in your life where things dont go the way you said that you wanted them to go, and thats the reality of where we are, McCown said.You have two choices. You can curl up in a ball and hide and hope that it goes away and its over or you can do something about it, the 35-year-old quarterback added. I believe that the men in our locker room, and the leadership that we have, and it starts with Lovie, will do that. Its a hard thing to do. But with our actions, not our words, with the way that we work, that will be the measure of us.The Bucs went 1-4 with Mike Glennon at quarterback in McCowns absence, but an anemic offence hasnt been the only reason theyve struggled.A leaky defence, which was expected to be the teams strength in their first season under Lovie Smith, has had problems getting off the field on third down and also has a knack for allowing opponents to put together long scoring drives at critical points of games.It happened again Sunday in both halves.McCowns TD pass to Evans made it 10-10 with 46 seconds remaining in the second quarter. But Ryan encountered little resistance in moving the Falcons downfield to kick a 43-yard field goal for a three-point lead at the half. The Atlanta quarterback led a 10-play, 65-yard drive after McCowns TD pass to Seferian-Jenkins put Tampa Bay ahead less than a minute into the fourth quarter.Evans was the seventh pick in the draft after being Johnny Manziels favourite target at Texas A&M. Hes caught at least four passes in each of the eight games hes played. Vincent Jackson had eight receptions for 75 yards for Tampa Bay.NOTES: McCown was Tampa Bays leading rusher with 39 yards on five carries. ... Ryan improved to 10-4 against Tampa Bay. ... 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Thaddeus Young Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla.(SportsNetwork.com) - Midwesterners heading to Florida at this time of year arent unique. Whats a trifle more rare, however, is a Sunshine State football team thatd rather be elsewhere. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter their Week 16 matchup with the visiting Green Bay Packers having lost seven consecutive games at Raymond James Stadium, including all six this season. The stretch of home futility is the franchises longest in exactly 37 years, when the expansion version lost its first 13 games on home turf before breaking through to beat the St. Louis Cardinals on Dec. 18, 1977. Weve come close quite a few times at home, Bucs coach Lovie Smith said. Once we get it going, instead of talking about getting that first win we should be talking about, Hey, we havent lost at home. We realize we have a couple of more opportunities, but what better week than (against Green Bay)? Tampa Bays wins this season came at Pittsburgh and Washington in weeks 4 and 11, respectively, but the 27-7 defeat of the Redskins has since been followed by four straight losses in which it has scored 13 points twice and 17 points twice. The Bucs have gotten past 17 points just three times in the other 10 games and are third from last in the NFL in total offense, with an average of 305.9 yards per week. Its the opposite for the Packers, who have posted 31.1 points and 383.6 yards per week, while Tampa Bay has been gashed for weekly averages of 26.2 points and 366.6 yards - both 25th in the league. Smith was zero for his last six against Green Bay while coaching the Chicago Bears, including a 21-14 loss in the NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field in January 2011. The Packers havent faced the Bucs since a 35-26 home win in Week 11 of the 2011 regular season. Hell have a slightly easier day this time around in the absence of Tampa Bay defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, whos lost for the remainder of the season with a sprained right knee. Of course you want to finish the games with your guys, but you have to look at the bigger picture, and thats my overall health, McCoy said. I think we have a lot of great - not good, great - ahead of us for this team, this organization. A big part of that will be my health. Considering the Bucs inability to win at home, something will have to give when it comes to Green Bay, which has gone just 3-4 in seven 2014 road games compared to a pristine 7-0 slate at Lambeau Field. The Packers dropped a surprising 21-13 verdict last week at Buffalo, a defeat that both ended a five-game win streak and dropped them into a tie with Detroit atop the NFC North. The Lions were 19-7 winners when the teams played at Ford Field in September and could clinch the division title this weekend with a win against Chicago coupled with a Green Bay loss to Tampa Bay. If both Detroit and the Packers win this weeek, the crown will be worn by the winner of their Week 17 game in Green Bay.dddddddddddd The Packers can stay in contention for the No. 1 overall seed in the conference if they beat the Bucs and Seattle wins at Arizona. Green Bay at least secures a playoff berth - its sixth straight - with a win, and a loss by either Dallas or Philadelphia. Everything is right in front of us, quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. We win out, we still win the North. Rodgers completed just 17-of-42 passes - the 25 incompletions were a career- high - against the Bills, who picked him off twice while holding him to 185 yards. It was the first game this season in which he hadnt thrown a touchdown pass, and put a dent in what had been a league-best 119.0 passer rating. It wasnt my best day by any stretch of the imagination, he said. Ive got to play better for us to win, and I expect more of myself. All five of Rodgers interceptions have come in road games, and hes failed to exceed 210 yards four times in those seven starts. He has 12 TD passes away from home, compared to 23 at Lambeau. The last four road games have resulted in losses to New Orleans and Buffalo and three-point victories over Miami and Minnesota. This is a road game we have to have, said Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who can pass Vince Lombardi on the all-time Green Bay wins list (including postseason). We clearly understand the importance of winning in December, and we need to take it up a notch as a football team. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Getting Rodgers Right As mentioned, Green Bays MVP candidate heads into the weekend after the worst statistical game of his accomplishment-rich career, the loss to the Bills in which he finished with an anemic 34.3 passer rating. Though the Bucs dont present much of a threat when it comes to wins and losses, its worth noticing that Rodgers has started twice in Tampa Bay (in 2008 and 2009) and lost both games. Remember When Another week, another chance for Tampa Bay fans to look back when they think about running back Doug Martin. The now third-year man took the league by storm as a rookie and scored 12 times while amassing 1,454 yards. But he played just six games in 2013 and has 369 rush yards this year while still battling injuries. A good sign: He comes in this week off of 2014s best game - 96 yards against Carolina. OVERALL ANALYSIS Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, and the fact that Rodgers hasnt ever won in Tampa Bay is worth mentioning. But thats about all. Outside of those wins in the Jon Gruden and Raheem Morris eras, the Bucs have precious little to bank on this time around. Regardless of venue, the Packers have more on the line, more to look forward to and are just better by every pertinent measure. 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