The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-0 as they come off their Monday night football win over the Houston Texans. However, it’s a short week and it’s already time for the home opener against the New York Jets. It’s a tough turn around, especially with all the injuries the Bucs have, but that’s the way it goes.
The Jets are a team that has yet to win this year, but I like the direction they are going under new head coach Aaron Glenn. They are an aggressive defensive minded team. This won’t be an easy game, even though the Bucs are a much more talented roster.
Even with injuries, I have high expectations for this Bucs team. They have the depth to beat an inferior opponent this week. Here’s how I see it unfolding in my week three Pewter Pirate Predictions.
Win Win Win Winfield
We have become very accustomed to Antoine Winfield Jr making game changing plays. Whether that be forced fumbles or timely pass breakups, he almost always seems to shine in the defining moments. I expect more of the same in this game.
No one would describe Winfield as a ball hawk. His total seven interceptions in his career are nothing to write home about. However, I believe we will see one in this game.
With a backup quarterback under center, it’s fair to say there will be some off target passes. Not something you want when someone as intelligent as Winfield lurking. Look for that splash interception this week.
Don’t Get Lost in the Sauce
Sauce Gardner is considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Now in his fourth season, he is already a two time pro bowler and two time All-Pro. His 6’3 size and ability to move like a gazelle make him a difficult matchup for anybody.
With that said, the Bucs have the type of receiver who can give Gardner problems. Mike Evans is even bigger than Gardner at 6’5 and 230 lbs. And while he might not be as agile, Evans is a polished route runner who will test Gardner’s limits.
It’s been a relatively quiet season for Evans so far. He has drawn a lot of double coverage, as you’d expect, but his 107 receiving yards and zero touchdowns leave something to be desired. I predict that Evans sees less double coverage as the Jets attack this beat up offensive line with the blitz and Evans goes off for 100+ yards and a touchdown.
Lavonte Legend
After playing in his 200th career game on Monday night, Lavonte David is finally starting to get some league wide recognition. He’s been one of the best linebackers in the league for over a decade and has put together a first ballot Hall of Fame resume. That will only continue to grow this weekend.
Currently, David sits at 9th all time on the NFL’s all time tackle for loss leader board. He is easily the highest ranked linebacker on the list, but he will have a chance to climb even higher this weekend. He is just one tackle for loss behind Von Miller and Hall of Famers DeMarcus Ware and Jared Allen.
Considering the Jets are playing a backup quarterback, I expect a lot of run plays and quick screens. This will give David opportunities to knife through the offensive line and make tackles for loss. I predict that after Sunday it will be David sitting all alone at 6th place on this leader board as he jumps these three all time greats.
Overall
It’s hard to predict a game that has as many injuries as this one. What will the Buccaneers offensive line look like? How will Tyrod Taylor respond? How do the coaches plan around these things? All questions that we can only speculate at.
In the end, all I can do is make my best guess with the information we have. When in donut, I’ll role with the better coaching staff and better quarterback.
Prediction
Jets – 13
Buccaneers – 23
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