The Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Baltimore Ravens Monday night at Raymond James Stadium.
Lamar Jackson vs. Baker Mayfield. Mike Evans (although he’s questionable) vs. Marlon Humphrey. Derrick Henry vs. Lavonte David and Vita Vea.
There’s intrigue galore surrounding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Monday night matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, as two of the league’s best offenses square off on ESPN while Payton and Eli Manning have some fun (and Joe Buck and Troy Aikman bore us all to death).
Regardless of the outcome, Bucs fans should take solace in the fact that this will be an absolute joy of a game to witness.
Buccaneers Defense vs Lamar JacksonÂ
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is the most electrifying player in football, and the addition of superstar running back Derrick Henry has turned what was already a really good offense into an elite group, with the potential to make some serious noise in the AFC.
The Ravens rank second in “total estimated points added per play” on offense, and come in with an NFL-best 1,232 yards on the ground for the year.
Mayfield & co. are pretty darn good, too; the Bucs have put up 30 and 51 points in consecutive weeks, and are poised to play a defense that’s ranked dead last in “explosive pass percentage allowed.”
Not that the Bucs are any better, coming in at a cool 26th in that category with their own defensive struggles, but there’s plenty of reason for optimism with some youngsters playing some solid football through the first five games of this young NFL season.
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Zyon McCollum continues to be one of the best corners in football, recording an acrobatic interception last Sunday on a throw to speedster Rashid Shaheed. Plus, rookie safety/nickel Tykee Smith, out of Georgia, turned in his best performance to date against the Saints, with his first career pick and his second straight week with a forced fumble.
Tampa Bay’s interior defensive line has experienced a boon from Logan Hall finally coming around to being a productive NFL player and Calijah Kancey getting healthy. Not to mention superstar safety Antoine Winfield, Jr. is back on the field after missing a few games with a right ankle/foot injury.
Add in second year man Yaya Diaby doing some wonderful things in his under-the-hood process numbers as a pass rusher, with 22 pressures through their first four games, and you have a young defense poised for some positive regression towards the middle of the pack, as opposed to where they’ve ended up through the first quarter of the season.
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Tampa Bay’s rank in “success rate allowed” is 25th, with a 45.5% mark in that category, and they come in at that same spot in “estimated points added per rush allowed” with a -.01 in that measure.
The Buccaneers aren’t likely to continue to perform poorly against the run, especially with Vea and Kancey getting healthy.
So sure, the Bucs might struggle against this filthy Ravens offense, and they might even lose this game, but 4-3 to start the season is a heck of a way to begin.
The Bucs will be in great position to win the NFC South for a third straight year regardless of the result Monday night, and there are plenty of reasons for optimism moving forward.
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This article originally appeared on CLTAMPA.COM and is used with permission.
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