Home NFL Skeleton Keys To Victory: Buccaneers vs Chargers

Skeleton Keys To Victory: Buccaneers vs Chargers

December 13, 2024

After winning a game against the Las Vegas Raiders where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers never trailed, we should all be feeling fairly good about the Bucs current three game winning streak. This is what we expected them to do at this point in the year and they are right on schedule to be back in the playoffs. However, to stay on that pace then the Bucs will have to beat their most difficult opponent left in the regular season.

This Sunday the pewter pirates will travel to Tinseltown to play the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers are 8-5 this season and in a playoff hunt of their own. This will be meaningful December football at its finest.

That’s what happens when you have two talented teams who both have a lot to play for. The Bucs can survive at most one more loss this season, but they control their own destiny if they win the remaining four games they have left. If they want to win this one then they better follow this week’s Skeleton Keys to Victory.

Set The Tone

Under the leadership of head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers have a reputation of being a mean, physical, punch you in the mouth type of football team. To a large degree they live up to that reputation. However, they have a secret that most big hitters don’t want you to know. They don’t like getting punched back.

Despite being the league’s number one scoring defense, the Chargers rank 23rd in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per carry. In reality, their success on defense comes from a great pass rush on the outside (5th in total sacks) and forcing interceptions (5th in interceptions). Despite their smashmouth style, this is a defense that is built to stop the pass more than the run.

This could play into the Buccaneers favor. Tampa Bay’s offense currently ranks 4th in rushing yards per attempt and is tied for 9th in rushing touchdowns this year. If you want to move the ball against this Chargers team then it will be jamming it right down their throat.

Make The Bolts Prove The Have The Juice

Offensively the Chargers are limited by their skill position players. They rank 25th in rushing yards per carry, 24th in passing yards and are tied for 29th in passing touchdowns. All this despite having one of the better quarterbacks in the game and quite a bit of talent of the offensive line.

This means that you want to force their playmakers to actually be playmakers. If you are going to lose one on one to the likes of Quentin Johnson, Joshua Palmer and Gus Edwards then you probably don’t deserve to win the game anyways. Even Ladd McConkey, the Chargers best wide receiver, is a rookie and is someone who shouldn’t single handedly destroy any given defense.

I would favor a lot of blitzes to stop the run and allow my corners to win in one on one coverage. Like I said before, this is a team that you want to punch in the mouth. Do that one offense and defense and you are set up to win this game.

Battle Of The Broken, The Beaten And The Damned

Both of these teams are currently hurting. They are in a playoff fight and it has left them both bloody and battered. We can talk about concepts and strategies in this game, but the truth is that it might just come down to who can get their players healthy by Sunday.

On the Wednesday injury report, the Chargers listed star quarterback Justin Herbert (knee/ankle) and pass rusher Joey Bosa (hip) as not participating in practice. These are two critical players for Los Angeles in their offense and their ability to rush the passer. If these two guys can’t go then it’s hard to see the Chargers winning. Even if they play and are limited, they will make this game an uphill climb.

On the other hand, the Bucs listed 10 players as not participating in Wednesday’s practice dealing with a variety of injuries. A few of the notable names included Tristian Wirfs, Antione Winfield Jr, Mike Evans, Bucky Irving and Christian Izien. The Bucs have been one of the most banged up teams all season long and we are likely to see a few newly added practice squad players suiting up on defense this week.

Overall

If both teams were at their best, I would favor the Bucs in this game. They run the ball well and their defense matches up well with this pedestrian Chargers offense. Even on the road against a good team, the Buccaneers are the better team here.

However, both teams aren’t at their best. In fact, neither one of these teams are. It will be up to the coaching staff to piece things together depending on who is available. Todd Bowles vs Jim Harbaugh. Liam Coen vs Jesse Minter. I can see this one going either way.