Dissecting Best Individual Matchups to Watch in Bucs' Week 3 Action

An early-season showdown with a division rival is always an important mile marker for any NFL team, and this week's national-television matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons is no exception.

As the Bucs look to right the pirate ship after back-to-back home losses to start the Lovie Smith era, here are three key matchups fans will want to keep an eye on Thursday night.

Mike Evans vs. Robert Alford

Much ado was made this offseason about the size of Tampa Bay's receiving corps, after the team spent their first two draft picks on 6'5" targets to team up with veteran incumbent Vincent Jackson. 

Tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins is dealing with an injury and might not be available this week, but one matchup that should work in the Bucs' advantage is rookie first-rounder Mike Evans lined up on the outside against Atlanta's Robert Alford.

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Expect the 6'5", 230-pound Evans against the 5'10", 185-pound Alford to be a serious mismatch.  Evans' size should allow him to win on just about any route, whether he's able to create separation or not. 

Alford also proved last week against the Bengals that he's prone to taking costly gambles, as an attempt to intercept an Andy Dalton pass turned into a 76-yard touchdown for Cincinnati.

This is a matchup the Bucs simply must exploit, especially inside the red zone.  Evans is a jump-ball machine, and offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford needs to put him in position to use his strengths.

Leonard Johnson vs. Harry Douglas

Bucs fans are all too familiar with Douglas, who absolutely torched the team in two games last season.  The Louisville product caught seven passes for 149 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta's Week 7 home victory over the Bucs. He then came back with six receptions for 134 yards—including an 80-yard score—in a losing effort in Tampa four weeks later.

As the chart below shows, Douglas had more success against Tampa Bay than any other team last season.

Corners Alterraun Verner and Johnthan Banks will man the outside against the Falcons' starting receivers, but it's nickel corner Leonard Johnson who will be charged with keeping Douglas in check. 

In the Tampa 2, the Bucs will obviously be playing plenty of zone coverage, but Johnson will still have the important responsibility of jamming Douglas at the line and redirecting his routes.

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Bucs middle linebacker Mason Foster is dealing with a separated shoulder, and its looks like he'll be out for this week's game.  That means backup LB Dane Fletcher will be tasked with dropping into the deep middle of the Cover 2, an area Douglas is likely to frequent from his slot position.  This will make it all the more important for Johnson to impose his will on Douglas at the line of scrimmage, not allowing him a clean release and giving the Bucs pass rush an extra half-second to get after Matt Ryan.

Even if Tampa Bay's defense is able to keep Jones and White in check for the most part, it won't matter much if Johnson can't keep Douglas from having another field day.

Clinton McDonald vs. Jon Asamoah

Gerald McCoy broke his hand in last week's loss to St. Louis, and it looks like he'll be a game-time decision for Thursday's game.  Even if he starts, the Pro Bowl tackle is likely to get fewer snaps, which means McDonald should see plenty of action from McCoy's 3-technique spot rather than his normal position at nose tackle.

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McDonald was highly effective as a rotational player for the Seattle Seahawks last year, bagging 5.5 sacks despite his limited role.  Originally drafted by Cincinnati, McDonald was one of the first free agents the Bucs jumped to sign this offseason.

McDonald already proved his versatility and ability to handle the 3-technique job, replacing McCoy last week after his injury and tallying six tackles, including his first sack of the season.

Also a key free-agent signing this offseason, Asamoah was brought in by Atlanta to help shore up the interior of their offensive line.  The former third-round pick out of Illinois spent his first four seasons in Kansas City before coming to the Falcons.

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The key to any effective offense is being able to consistently win that initial push at the snap and control the line of scrimmage.  If Atlanta wants to be able to run the ball effectively, Asamoah will have to neutralize McDonald right off the snap.  As for McDonald, he'll look to use his explosiveness to penetrate and disrupt plays in the backfield.

Asamoah is likely hoping he won't have to face McCoy this week, but McDonald is no slouch.  Both Asamoah and McDonald are high-intensity players who play important roles in the trenches, which should make this an entertaining matchup to watch throughout the game.

Luke Easterling is a Featured Columnist covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Bleacher Report.  He is also a 15-year veteran of NFL draft scouting/writing, and is the Editor & Senior Writer of The Draft Report.  Follow him on Twitter @LukeEasterling.