With another week in the books, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have put the NFL on notice. In Week seven, the Buccaneers continued to be a dominant run defense and the offense continues to look great. Tom Brady has moved himself into the MVP conversation. Last week he threw four touchdowns and had 369 yards passing and now led the league in touchdowns since Week Three.
The run game did not provide the spark that has been seen over the last few weeks, but the Bucs were able to run the ball when they needed to. The offensive line did not allow a sack and the team only had four penalties all game.
Devin White had a monster game with three sacks, a forced fumble, and 11 total tackles. Antoine Winfield Jr. got his first career interception and played like a seasoned veteran. The front seven harassed Derek Carr all day. Tampa Bays defense has a few things to clean up, but have placed themselves into the conversation as one of the top defenses in the league. The Bucs will be making their first of two appearances on Monday Night football this week as they travel to New York to face the Giants.
Breaking Down the Giants
After a coaching change this off season, the Giants are in a bit of a rebuilding. They come into this week’s matchup with a 1-6 record and look to get things going. The Giants lost one of the best players in the league in week two when running back Saquon Barkley tore his ACL and was placed on injured reserve. Daniel Jones has tried to take the next step and become a top tier quarterback, but has struggled often. To combat the loss of Barkley, the team signed a former Pro Bowl player in Devonta Freeman.
In five games, Freeman has gained 172 yards rushing and 58 yards receiving. Darius Slayton and Evan Engram have been the go-to receivers for the offense. This offense will attempt to create matchup issues against the Buccaneers’ top defense.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Giants have two lockdown cornerbacks in James Bradberry and Logan Ryan. Both will attempt to stop Tom Brady from getting the big play that he has been connecting on the last few weeks. Jabrill Peppers will line up all over the field and his primary job will be to control the middle of the field. The Giants will have to move Brady in the pocket and make him uncomfortable.
How the Game Will Play Out
This week the game will be won in the trenches. Which team can control the line of scrimmage? The Bucs offensive line comes in not having allowed a sack in two weeks. On the other side, the Giants have allowed 20 sacks on the season and will be playing without left guard Will Hernandez. Tampa Bay should have the advantage in offensive line play. The defensive line for the Giants has played well but has not put-up eye-popping numbers. After the loss of Vita Vea two weeks ago, the Buccaneers have not missed a step. Rakeem Nunez-Roches has stepped up and played lights out. I give the advantage to the Bucs here.
Prediction
With Tom Brady starting to really look like a 30-year-old version of himself, I see the Buccaneers winning easily. The running game will get back on track and Tampa Bay will have over 150 rushing yards. The defense will continue to dominate and will create three turnovers. Look for the Buccaneers to score at will moving to 6-2 on the season.
Final Score Prediction: Buccaneers 42, Giants 17
