TAMPA, Fla. —
The high-flying Atlanta Falcons and surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers understand the success of their seasons will be determined by where they finish, so they insist they're not bothered by anything people outside their locker rooms say about what they've accomplished so far.
The Falcons (9-1) opened with eight consecutive victories and own the NFC's best record, yet coach Mike Smith and his players constantly are being reminded of past playoff failures and the harsh reality that another strong regular season won't mean much without a deep postseason run.
"We don't concern ourselves with the noise outside of our building. We try to stay focused only on the things we have control of. That's going out and trying to play the best football that we can," Smith said.
"We live in one-week cycles in the National Football League. ... Our focus is we've got mission one through 16. We take them one at a time, learn from them and move on."
Smith just as well could be speaking for the Bucs, who host the NFC South leaders Sunday with a chance to tighten the division standings.
Tampa Bay (6-4) has won four straight to climb back into playoff contention and has already surpassed its win total from all of last season.
Still, there are skeptics who question the turnabout under first-year coach Greg Schiano by pointing out they've only won one game against a team with a winning record.
"That's to be expected. That's just what people do," Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. "It's like, well they did win four in a row, but they beat who they beat, let's see what they do against the No. 1 team in the NFL. You know what? We're not worried about that. If we do what we do, go in there and play the best Buc football we can, we have a pretty good chance."
The Falcons overcame six turnovers, including Matt Ryan's five interceptions, to come from behind to beat the Arizona Cardinals. The Bucs pulled off an improbable comeback themselves, wiping out an 11-point deficit in the final six minutes of regulation before taking down the Carolina Panthers in overtime.
Atlanta has won six of the past seven meetings between the division rivals, but most of the games have been close, low-scoring affairs.
This one could be just as tight, though a lot more points figure to be scored with the usually accurate Ryan facing the NFL's lowest-ranked pass defense and Josh Freeman leading a Bucs offense that's scored a league-high 205 points over the past six weeks
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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) reacts after a Falcons scored a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012, in Atlanta. The Falcons won 23-19. (AP Photo/Rich Addicks) AP Photo/Rich Addicks
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