Even with the skid that the Buccaneers are currently going on, they should be capable of beating the Arizona Cardinals. They are 3-8 and don’t have a ton of talent on either side of the ball. With that said, you can’t look past any opponent, and they still present some challenges.
I usually start with the defense, but with how many pieces are returning, let’s start with the offense. We should see the return of Bucky. And, most intriguingly, Baker Mayfield. I say intriguing instead of good because I have no idea how he will look. All week we have heard from him and Bowles about how him starting was more about pain management than anything else. More importantly, Baker specified this was a completely different injury than the one that nearly ended his career in 2021.
Regardless of if it’s Baker or Teddy, the way this offense should operate shouldn’t change too much. We should have thirty carries spread out between our three running backs. Obviously Bucky should not receive the bulk of the carries, but he should still get some at RB. I do not want to see Baker have more than twenty attempts in this game. The Cardinals run defense is ranked in the bottom half of the league anyway, and they’ll be missing Walter Nolan in the middle.
On defense, the biggest challenge will be covering Marvin Harrison Jr. The good news is that it seems like Jamel Dean is trending to pay. Which, thank God, because if I have to see McCollum covering a No1 WR again, I might stop watching. He is easily their biggest threat on offense and Jacoby Brissett has done a better job getting him the football than Kyler.
To keep the good news rolling, Haason Reddick seems likely to be coming back. People have been down on him, but he has been a help to the Bucs defense. He is very versatile and the pressures he gets has a ripple effect for the rest of our guys. To give a simple example, Vita Vea has been double teamed a lot these past few weeks for the simple reason that he is the biggest threat to move the pocket. With Reddick back, the Cardinals have to devote more resources to keeping him away. That’s my hope anyway.
The Bucs offense and defense has not shown much in recent weeks to inspire much hope. With guys coming back from injury though, they should be looking better than they have. They still are in control of their own destiny, and if they win today, put even more distance between them and the Panthers. The Cardinals have played tough all season, just ask the Jaguars, so we can’t just expect a pushover. If the offense stays consistent (if you drink everytime I have written this sentence this season, you would die), that will go a long way to getting victory. Oh, and if the defense shows up for the whole game.
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