Buccaneers Inactives vs New Orleans

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in New Orleans to take on the Saints. As typical of 2024, the Pewter Pirates will be missing key players due to injury.

Via the team’s communications department,

Buccaneers Players Inactive vs New Orleans 

RB Rachaad White
WR Trey Palmer
WR Kameron Johnson
DB Christian Izien
C Graham Barton
TE Devin Culp

Elevated:

RB DJ Williams
WR Ryan Miller

Saints Inactives 

QB Derek Carr
TE Taysom Hill
LB Pete Werner
RB Kendre Miller
C/G Cesar Ruiz
G Lucas Patrick
DT Khristian Boyd

X Marks The Spot – X Factor Matchup: Buccaneers At Saints

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are gearing up for a bounce back game against the division rival New Orleans Saints. This is always a hard fought game that could go either way regardless of record. As fate should have it, these two could be walking out of this game with the exact same record overall.

To prevent that and from digging themselves an early hole in the division race, the Bucs will have to play better than what they did last week. Allowing the opposing quarterback to pick apart the defense, key penalties and turnovers in critical moments and an overall lack of tackling have to be cleaned up this week. This is week six now and these kind of sloppy performances can’t happen.

If the Bucs can get a handle on these basic things, then I like their chances. However, there is one specific matchup that could swing the game in one way or the other. X marks the spot! Here is this week’s X-Factor matchup.

Buccaneers Linebackers vs Alvin Kamara

Alvin Kamara has been the driving force of this Saints offense for several years now. He is a well rounded back who can do damage on the ground and through the air. Once the ball is in his hands, Kamara is very elusive and can make defenders miss in space regularly.

This week, the Saints will likely look to lean on Kamara even more than they normally do. This is because starting quarterback Derek Carr will be sidelined with an injury. This means that rookie Spencer Rattler will be stepping in as the backup and making his first career NFL start.

This is a difficult task for any rookie, in any situation, going against any opponent. However, this spot might be more difficult for Rattler than most rookies making their first start. Both because of the offense he has around him and the Todd Bowles led defense on the other side of him.

To take some of the weight off of Rattler’s shoulders, it only makes sense to run the ball early and often. I would also expect a healthy dose of quick throws to get the ball out of his hands. Many of these will likely be going Kamara’s way.

Bowles and the Bucs defense are very familiar with this approach. It was the same plan in the later years of aging quarterback Drew Brees’ career when his arm wasn’t what it had been when he was younger. It’s something Tampa Bay should be prepared for and something they have handled well in the past.

In 13 career games against the Bucs, Kamara only has a high of 75 yards rushing in a game. He has eclipsed 50 rushing yards in less than half of these games. On top of that, in his last 9 games he hasn’t had more than 50 receiving yards either. In fact, he has had 15 receiving yards or less in the last 4 games against the Buccaneers.

Kamara has also struggled to find the endzone against the Bucs in recent history. He only has a total of two touchdowns over his last 9 games in this rivalry. For a guy who averages over 10 touchdowns a season, those are pretty good numbers to limit him to.

The key to stopping Kamara has been the Bucs linebacker play. Specifically Lavonte David who has been one of the most well rounded and talented linebackers in the NFL over the last decade. If Kamara had a Kryptonite to stop him on the ground and as a pass catcher, then it would be Lavonte David.

However, the Bucs may finally be vulnerable in this matchup. With David now at 34 years old he might have lost a step at this point in his career. If Kamara was ever going to get the better of David then it would be now.

Next to David is linebacker K.J. Britt who could pick up some of that slack in a perfect world. However, we are not living in such a world. Britt has looked sluggish, slow and like a huge weakness in pass coverage. Despite being nearly a decade younger than David, Britt is a bigger concern in this matchup.

I’m not sure if the Bucs will answer by taking linebackers off the field more often or just continue to have faith in their longtime leader on defense, but regardless this is the critical matchup in this game. Letting Kamara run wild is a recipe for disaster for the Buccaneers. If they can limit his effectiveness then this game should go just fine.

For more from J.T. click here, then make sure to follow him on Twitter.

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