Last week, the Buccaneers pulled off a close 19-17 win during Tom Brady’s return to New England. This week, they will have a slightly easier matchup against the 1-3 Miami Dolphins, currently being led by backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Let’s take a look at how Tampa Bay can advance to 4-1 in their home stadium.
Keeping Sherman Up To Speed
Veteran cornerback Richard Sherman is one of the latest additions to the Buccaneers defense, and was brought in after the secondary suffered multiple injuries. Against the Patriots, Sherman led the team with 7 tackles. While this may seem like a good thing, New England was clearly making him a target due to his older age and inexperience with the new system. In order for Sherman to have less of a workload, the team needs to have consistent conversations with him, making sure that he understands specific concepts and schemes. It’s all about proving his worth, even though some odds are stacked against him.
Force Turnovers From Brissett
Jacoby Brissett is filling in for the injured Tua Tagovailoa, who won’t be returning for another couple of weeks. Brissett’s play has been less than desirable, and although some speculated he could be better than Tua due to his previous experience, that simply hasn’t come true yet. Tampa Bay needs to capitalize on his mistakes if they want to build a lead. While pressure and coverage are two major factors for turnovers, it’s not something that the Buccaneers need to overthink. Brissett is already facing a challenge going up against the Super Bowl champions, and if the defense sticks to what they’ve been doing so far, they’ll get the job done.
Continue To Use Fournette
Despite going up against a strong New England defense in a nationally televised matchup, running back Leonard Fournette was unfazed by the challenge. He finished the game with 20 carries for 92 yards on the ground (4.6 yard average), and an additional 3 catches for 47 yards through the air. Although he didn’t find the endzone, this performance was one of Fournette’s best since signing with the team last year (at least in the regular season). It was a sigh of relief, as it showed fans that the passing game isn’t the only effective piece of this offense. Even if the team wants to get things going quickly on Sunday, they shouldn’t hesitate handing the ball off to the fifth-year man out of LSU.
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