The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Jaguars on the road in Jacksonville for their week 13 matchup. Both teams have a 4-7 record. The Jaguars are coming off a 42-20 away loss against the Tennessee Titans.
Key To Winning: Stopping Leonard Fournette
Jacksonville’s running back Leonard Fournette had a huge game last week in Tennessee. The former LSU Tiger rushed 24 times 97 yards and 2 touchdowns. Beyond that, he played a major role in the passing game, adding 9 receptions for 62 yards.
Fournette seems to be the most dangerous weapon on Jacksonville’s offense. It is essential for the Bucs to solidify their strong position as the second best defense in the NFL against the run.
Tampa Bay Must Run The Football Against A Weak Run Defense
While Tampa Bay’s defense is one of the best against the run, Jacksonville’s is currently ranked 29th in the league. The Buccaneers have to take advantage of that and run the football at least 25 times with Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber.
Look for Jones to rush for more than 100 yards for the first time in his career. Obviously, he has been getting better and better as the season progresses. Fortunately, he left his measly rookie season way behind him.
Another Very Important Game For Jameis Winston
With Winston playing for his future, every game counts now more than ever. Certainly, playing a turnover-free game would be an excellent scenario for the 25-year old quarterback. However, getting another win for his resume would definitely help tremendously as well.
Expect Winston to have a decent game due to the efficiency of Tampa’s running game against the Jaguars. The former Florida State Seminole will finish the afternoon with 2 scores and 1 turnover.
Conclusion: Bucs Win On The Road, Jones Shines
Tampa Bay’s strong run defense is a bit too much to handle for Fournette and the Jaguars. Consequently, Nick Foles is forced to do too much. Tampa’s defense takes the ball away twice and sacks Foles 4 times. The Buccaneers’ defense keeps playing impressively well.
Ronald Jones ends up having the best game of his young career. Matt Gay makes all of his two field goal tries and his three extra points as well.
Final score:
Jaguars: 17
Buccaneers: 27
Source: NFL.com
Photo credit: buccaneers.com
