The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are facing a below average offense and defense Sunday when they take on the Giants in New York. The said below average offense is starting a man who was the third string QB and may be actively tanking.
So, how can the Bucs blow this game? I’m sure there are those of you who are thinking that. Because, this is not like Denver where it was bad at the time, but in retrospect, turned out that Denver is a quality team. We know the Giants aren’t going anywhere. They are one of the worst teams right now and have only gotten worse. Yet, there is this kind of doom in the Bucs fan base. Well, I am here to dispel it.
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Tommy DeVito is not a good NFL QB. I’m not sure he’s a top 50 option as of right now. Current day Ryan Fitzpatrick might be a better option. Hell, current day Josh Rosen might be able to outplay him. If the Buccaneers can apply pressure to the Giants and get to Tommy, that should be enough. However, the Bucs need to be able to contain his legs, something the Bucs defense even when they were healthy has struggled against. Devito does have the ability to make some plays with his legs. There is also the threat of Tyrone Tracy’s legs. The run defense needs to be sharp and we cannot allow lanes for Cutlets to run through. Vita Vea and Yaya Diaby need to show up and maul the trenches.
On offense, it is all about keeping Dexter Lawrence away from Baker Mayfield. The interior of the o-line has been mostly solid all throughout the year, but this will be one of their biggest tests (although they did face Chris Jones). Mike Evans being back should be a boon to this offense as the Giants have to account for a true receiving threat. The defense for the G-men is surprisingly good at defending TEs, so Mike might have to carry the load for the team. Thankfully, the Giants run defense is the worst in the league in ypc, so if Evans can’t do it all, Rachaad and Bucky should be able to help.
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At the end of the day, conventional wisdom says that the Buccaneers should be able to handle the Giants, and that’s what I will go with. While the Giants aren’t the worst NFL team to ever exist, they certainly are not a good one as of right now. They just have a deficient roster and the holes have been showing for two seasons now. If the Bucs can win this one, then their playoff chances are very much alive. However, if they lose, that’s in all likelihood the season.
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