The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to face off with NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons this weekend. A rematch of the thrilling week five Thursday Night showdown. The last time these two teams faced each other, Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins made franchise history throwing for 509 yards and four touchdowns to give the Falcons an overtime victory 36-30.
Although not much time has passed since these teams last saw each other, a lot has certainly changed. Just this last Monday night game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Buccaneers lost their top two offensive playmakers. Receiver Mike Evans left early on with a hamstring injury and is now expected to miss at least three weeks. The more heartbreaking blow came when wide-out Chris Godwin suffered a gruesome ankle injury in the final minute of the fourth quarter, ending his season.
The week prior, Tampa Bay Buccaneers top corner Jamel Dean suffered a significant hamstring injury landing him on injured reserve. The injuries are mounting in key spots for the Bucs, they’ll have to work hard to overcome such key losses. The Buccaneers will be wearing their vintage Creamsicle uniforms when they face off against the Falcons this weekend. The winner of this game will hold sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Secondary Needs to be More Aggressive
The Buccaneers’ secondary has been statistically one of the worst in the NFL thus far. Ranking near the bottom in average yards and scores allowed per game. Injuries have played a role in that, Antoine Winfield Jr missed multiple games dealing with a foot injury. Winfield may be back, but now the Bucs have lost Jamel Dean and possibly rookie safety Tykee Smith. Don’t take the loss of Tykee Smith lightly, he has been playing exceptionally well under the radar.
For the Buccaneers not to repeat and allow Kirk Cousins to throw for another 509 yards, things need to change. The Tampa Bay secondary has been playing a lot of softer zones trying to keep everything in front of them. This kind of scheme works if you have the playmakers to make the tackles and not allow yards after catch. The issue is the Bucs’ secondary lacks depth and injuries keep piling up, forcing players like Tyrek Funderburk an undrafted rookie, into the starting line-up.
The corners need to jam their receivers and try to give the pass rush more time to get home. The Buccaneers can’t continue to allow opposing quarterbacks to just pick them apart with easy throws and run after catch. Falcons’ wide-out Drake London will be difficult to cover one-on-one, but impossible to stop if they allow him to get free in the open field.
Pass Rush Needs to hit Home
This season the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rush has truly been feast or famine. This inconsistent pressure has not helped their struggling secondary. The quickest way to get Kirk Cousins off his game is to force him out of the pocket. Cousins is not a mobile quarterback, if Tampa can rush him from the middle with stars such as Vita Vea or Lavonte David they can create mistakes.
Second-year pass rusher Yaya Diaby and Alabama rookie Chris Braswell looked to be an intriguing combination coming into the season. But combined Diaby and Braswell only have 2.5 sacks between them on the season. In fact, not a single player on this Bucs defense has more than three sacks. This needs to change if they want to stop Cousins and the Falcons. The pass rush and secondary struggles go hand in hand, one stepping it up will greatly help the other.
Run The Ball
This is the first year in recent memory the Buccaneers’ running game doesn’t rank last in the NFL. The Bucs all of a sudden have a three-headed monster in the backfield between incumbent starter Rachaad White, rookie Bucky Irving, and second-year back Sean Tucker. Bucky Irving, the rookie out of Oregon has provided the run game with a much-needed spark. Irving has become the Bucs leading rusher and has proven to be an incredibly elusive back.
Sean Tucker broke onto the scene when given the opportunity due to White going down with an injury. Tucker would rack up 136 rushing yards and a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6. Making a claim that he should get more touches going forward.
With the Buccaneers missing their top two weapons on offense in Evans and Godwin. The Bucs need to lean on their rushing attack and give these young backs a chance to take over the game. The good part of having three capable running backs is Tampa can wear down the Falcons’ defense while rotating these dynamic backs in and out.
Use the Running Backs in the Passing Game
To make up for the losses of Evans and Godwin, which was nearly 50% of the Buccaneers receiving yards between those two. The Bucs should rely on Raschaad White and Bucky Irving more in the passing game. Both backs have proven to be skilled receivers out of the backfield and can make defenders miss.
Focusing on the short quick passes or screens could go a long way in slowing down the Falcons pass rush. The Buccaneers have a better chance of creating a mismatch if White or Irving are being covered by a linebacker, which they most likely would be coming out of the backfield. These consistent shorter passes should open up the field for the Bucs remaining receivers in, Sterling Shepard, Trey Palmer, and Jalen McMillan. If Offensive Coordinator Liam Cohen can find ways to get any of the three backs the ball more in the passing game, it could greatly help this offense succeed until Mike Evans can return.
Baker Mayfield Needs to Protect the Ball
Baker Mayfield has put together an incredible season for the most part. He leads the league in passing touchdowns and is second in passing yards. Mayfield has been extremely accurate with the ball at times, but as of late has struggled with turnovers. Over the last two games, Mayfield has thrown five interceptions. The Buccaneers were able to overcome a three-interception game against the Saints, but the two interceptions thrown against the Ravens proved to be too much.
If Baker Mayfield can limit the turnovers and costly mistakes, he still has playmakers around him. Mayfield and Sterling Shepard have chemistry dating all the way back to their days at Oklahoma together. Trey Palmer has shown he can be a game-changer, he just needs to be more consistent and limit the drops. This could be the time we finally get to see the full potential of rookie Jalen McMillan. Not that he has underproduced, it’s just hard to get targets with Pro Bowl wideouts like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin out there.
If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can manage to improve in these areas, they definitely have a good chance of capturing the victory on Sunday. The Bucs will be an underdog at home, not many giving them a chance with so many key players out with injuries. As long as one of the defensive keys steps up, it will help the other. If Mayfield can limit the mistakes and lean into the run game some more. This team could still be a contender.