The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in a heated battle last week against a lowly Carolina Panthers team. Fortunately, the Bucs were able to escape with a victory and move into a tie for the division lead. However, they will have to shape up quickly if they want to achieve their goals this year.
Now they will return home and host a Las Vegas Raiders team who is only 2-10 this season. Just like with the Panthers, there are a lot of areas where the Bucs will have an advantage. But when you consider the records and expectations of these two teams, the Bucs might not have as many advantages as you might expect.
In fact, there are aspects where the Raiders actually have a significant advantage. One of which is so large that it could spell disaster for the Buccaneers if they aren’t careful. In a game where so many things are in your favor, Todd Bowles can’t let this specific matchup derail this game. That’s why I’m highlighting it in this week’s X marks the spot X-Factor matchup.
Brock Bowers vs Buccaneers Linebackers and Safeties.
It’s no secret that the Bucs have been vulnerable defending the middle of the field this year. To be more specific, they have been awful in covering the middle of the field. They have given up completion after completion for massive yardage this season.
There have been many reasons for this, most of them are a reflection of the Bucs. Strong safety Jordan Whitehead has been underwhelming in his return to Tampa. Antoine Winfield Jr. has been dealing with injuries this season. Super star linebacker Lavonte David has begun to show his age at 34 years old and his counterpart KJ Britt has been downright dreadful in coverage.
Of course, injuries have also been a factor. SirVocea Dennis, the team’s best coverage linebacker, has missed most of the season. Safety Tykee Smith has been out in recent weeks with a knee injury, which has prevented the team from going with more defensive back heavy personnel packages.
Whether it has been injuries or shortcoming in the players they have, the results have been bad. This has been the biggest weakness in an otherwise good Bucs defense that has led to them plummeting in statistical categories such as points allowed and passing yards allowed.
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This week, the Bucs will have to be better in this aspect of their defense as they are playing perhaps the most dynamic weapon in the NFL who thrives in this area of the field. That would be Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers. He is without a doubt the Raiders best weapon and he will be getting looks early and often.
Bowers is on pace to shatter rookie records for tight ends. Among all players, he currently ranks 1st in the NFL in receptions and 4th in receiving yards. Even though he has only played 12 games, we can already start looking at Bowers as a once in a generation type of talent and acknowledge that he is writing a Hall of Fame resume.
Even if the Bucs defense was firing on all cylinders, stopping Bowers would be a huge challenge. As they are now, this could be the type of mismatch that tilts the game from a dominating Buccaneers victory to a potential upset. Bowles needs to find an answer quickly to address this problem.
This is a task that I do not envy. Just looking at the depth chart and who the Bucs have healthy, it’s hard to find good solution. The team is just banged up at this spot and it makes for a clear disadvantage.
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My best bet would be putting your stars one on one with Bowers and just let them be stars. Maybe that’s some work from the veteran in the middle with David or your all world safety in Winfield. Sometimes you just have to throw scheme and strategy out the window and let your best players make life difficult for the opponent.
Whatever plan Bowles and the coaching staff go with, they will need their guys to step up. Linebackers and safeties will play a critical role in this game. And if the Bucs do stumble this Sunday, this matchup will likely be the reason as to why.
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