The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head into Soldier Field this weekend to face the 5th-ranked defense in the NFL.
Bucs receivers DeSean Jackson, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin should have pretty good games. They are all on fire and have 3 TDs a piece. Jackson and Evans are the first pair of receivers in league history to have at least 300 yards receiving each and 3 TDs through the first 3 games. 3 is indeed a magic number!
Bears HC Matt Nagy admits that DeSean Jackson is an underrated route runner and insists that he is actually a phenomenal route runner. Nagy continued praising the Bucs Dynamic Duo by complementing Mike Evans’ size and ability to stretch the field. There’s no doubt that Mike Evans has amazing ball skills and is capable of some amazing catches.
Tampa’s rushing offense has been shoddy at best while the passing offense has been amazing. With the Bears’ pass rushing defense, Tampa cannot abandon the run too soon, or we can abandon all hope. Tampa will need to balance the offensive game plan on Sunday.
Chicago Bears Mitch Trubisky is not too much of a concern. However, the Buccaneers secondary are a cause for concern. Getting pressure on Trubisky early and consistently is going to be key in order for Tampa to break the old adage of allowing mediocre quarterbacks to look elite.
Stopping the rushing attack will be vital for Tampa, and while neither Jordan Howard nor Tarik Cohen has been able to break out, Tampa hasn’t really faced a grueling rushing team.
Howard is capable of snapping out big runs as he did against Tampa in 2016. But if you remember last season, the Bucs held both Cohen and Howard to 20 total rushing yards.
The Buccaneers should win this game, but it will not be an easy win by any means.
