An NFC Central showdown between two teams at the top of their respective divisions, the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is something of an interesting benchmark for the Bucs. Is Tampa Bay a legit player in the NFC scene after a resounding loss to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this season, or a football team in limbo following Tom Brady’s second retirement (so far!)?
As always, we would not miss the opportunity to obtain information from the enemy’s perspective. We called ahead of the Week 6 game between Detroit and Tampa Bay Evan Wanish from BucsNation.com to give us some insight into this Bucs team that is currently in pole position in the NFC South.
Generally, a bye week this early in the season isn’t ideal for a grueling 18-week schedule, but how do you think the Buccaneers will benefit from their early break in their game against the Lions in Week 6? Which players needed this time off to get their bodies in shape?
I agree that being so early in the bye week can be a disadvantage, but it came at the right time for the Bucs. Starting safety Ryan Neal and wide receiver Mike Evans both opted out of the game against New Orleans, and if there had been a game in Week 5, neither would have been able to play.
That being said, this bye week provides much-needed rest for several Bucs defenders who have been playing banged up. Devin White, Carlton Davis, Vita Vea and Jamel Dean are all dealing with injuries. Hopefully with the week off they can be healthy for the rest of the season.
The Bucs share the largest turnover differential in the NFL with the Bucs San Francisco 49ers (+7) and have the second highest turnovers per game (2.5) due to their defense.
Which players have been instrumental in helping the Buccaneers force turnovers this season?
That’s a good question and a big reason why they’re currently 3-1. Todd Bowles’ defense is off to a strong start and players like Antoine Winfield Jr. have really stepped up. The Bucs may also have found a gem in undrafted free agent Christian Izien, who already has two interceptions.
If the defense is able to maintain this pace of turnovers, the Bucs could be tough to beat no matter who the opponent is.
Vita Vea is one of the most underrated players in the NFL – the guy is an absolute unit. Give us a sense of how Vea fundamentally impacts an NFL game and where/how do the Bucs best utilize him?
Vita Vea is off to an impressive start, especially in the pass rush department. His career high in sacks was 6.5 sacks last year, but he has already reached 3.5 sacks in four games. He impacts the game in more ways than one, and that factor is even more important as he has developed more into a pass rusher. Good luck with the running game, because it probably won’t end well. Even when he’s not applying pressure or running, he’s facing double teams and creating mismatches for the other pass rushers.
He has developed into a true three-down player for the Buccaneers and has been huge for the defense.
Not many people expected a game like this from Baker Mayfield, who many thought was on his way to becoming a veteran quarterback in the league.
What’s going right for the veteran quarterback, where do you see him improving as he adjusts to this offense, and what areas have you seen him struggle in four games?
Pretty much everything is going well for Baker Mayfield right now. Part of that is new offensive coordinator Dave Canales playing to Mayfield’s strengths, but it’s also the strong support staff around him. The offensive line was better than expected and the Buccaneers’ weapons are still among the best in the NFL.
This is no small feat for Mayfield, however, as his play was exactly what the doctor ordered for Tampa Bay. His pocket awareness and decision making so far has really helped the Bucs offense. The sample size is small, but so far it’s been good for Baker and the Bucs.
What information about the Buccaneers might a Lions fan playing this weekend find useful for their betting slip?
Even though Mike Evans is there this weekend, I still like the matchup Chris Godwin could get. With all the attention Evans is bringing, Godwin could find plenty of options in this case. Give me Chris Godwin with over 5.5 receptions as the Buccaneers try to keep feeding him the football.
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