This is one of the biggest games of the year for the Buccaneers. Win, and they will have clinched the division for the third straight year. This would lock them into the 4th seed where they will likely face the Cowboys or Eagles. Not only that, but the Bucs could eliminate the Saints from playoff contention. I know Christmas was last week, but that would be a great gift.
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The Saints offense has been strange to say the least. They have sparks where they look competent, but that was usually against bad teams. But then they came back against the Rams, a team that actually has a defense. And arguably a better defense than the Bucs. So, the Bucs need to prevent that team from showing up. Antoine Winfield Jr had himself a game last time these two played. They’ll need that again. Derek Carr hasn’t had a great season and really struggled at times. He has thrown a pick in four out of the five last games. The Bucs defense has been a little streaky with turnovers, and those will play a key role here. It will be difficult considering Carlton Davis and Shaq Barrett will be out, but the defense still has plenty of playmakers.
I know that sounds obvious, but last time Baker Mayfield had a pretty bad pick that could’ve really set the Bucs back. Those kinds of plays haven’t been there thankfully (apart from the strip sack in Green Bay) for a while, but this Saints defense is nothing to scoff at. Even without enemy No.1 in Marshon Lattimore and a bunch of geriatrics on their d-line, it can still be nasty. Their defense has of course given the Buccaneers pains in the past. Baker needs to keep the ball safe and find Mike Evans or Chris Godwin to celebrate the anniversary of his first TD.
There is one final x-factor to consider in this game. That is Dennis Allen. He has proven to be a pretty terrible head coach. We’ve bitched about Todd Bowles for a while, but he looks like Bill Belichick compared to that Bozo. Thankfully, he’ll likely be back for another year. This man has been the greatest saboteur. Mark my words, he will do something, or several somethings, so baffling that will be detrimental to his team.
This game is honestly pretty simple in my eyes. The defense just needs to force mistakes so that Carr doesn’t get into gear like he has in other games. On offense, don’t make dumb mistakes. The Saints offense is still bad. there is no need to help them by giving them a short field. Do all that, and we win the honor of a home playoff game.
Make sure you check out Devin’s blog at cannoncrunch.wordpress.com.
Cannon Crunch with Devin Sanguinett
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