Scouting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading into Monday night’s matchup
After a tough loss against the Kansas City Chiefs last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers have another tough opponent awaiting them on Monday night. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers come into this one undefeated with two very impressive wins over the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles. They are one of the hottest teams in football right now, led by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. If Pittsburgh plays like they have the past two weeks, they could be in for a long night against the Bucs.
Injury Report
Although the Buccaneers come into this game as one of the hottest teams in football, they have some key players that could miss this game or be limited due to injury. On the offensive side of the ball, they have two tackles that are listed as questionable. Demar Dotson and Donovan Smith have both been limited in practice this week due to knee injuries. Wide receiver Chris Godwin is also listed as questionable and was limited in practice with a toe injury.
They also have some key injuries on the defensive side of the ball. On the defensive line, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and defensive tackle Vita Vea are both listed as questionable. Pierre-Paul did not practice Thursday due to a knee injury. Vea has been limited in practice due to a calf injury. They also may be very limited in the secondary. Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves is already on the IR due to a labrum injury. On top of that corner Marcus Williams did not practice Thursday with a hamstring injury. Free safety Chris Conte was limited in practice due to a knee injury.
“FitzMagic” Is In Full Effect
The biggest key to the early success of the Buccaneers has been their outstanding offense, led by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Many people, including myself, thought that they would struggle with the absence of Jameis Winston. Luckily for them, newly acquired Fitzpatrick has stepped up and succeeded expectations. Through two weeks, he leads the NFL in passing yards with 819 and has thrown for eight touchdowns and only one interception. His biggest target has been veteran wide receiver, DeSean Jackson. Jackson is second in the NFL in receiving yards with 275 and has scored three touchdowns.
As much success as they have had throwing the ball, the Bucs haven’t done much on the ground. Their leading rusher is Peyton Barber who has only rushed for 91 yards and zero touchdowns.
The Bucs Defense Is Not As Impressive
With all of the offensive success that Tampa Bay has had this season, their defense has not done the same. They have allowed the second most yards per game in the league with 443.5. The Bucs have also allowed 30.5 points per game. However, they still have some stars on their defense that can show up at any moment. Their front seven is stacked with Pierre-Paul, Gerald McCoy, Beau Allen, and Vinny Curry on the defensive line. Behind them, the linebacker core is solid with Kwon Alexander, Lavonte David, and Adarius Taylor.
The secondary of the Buccaneers has struggled this season. They have given up the second most passing yards per game in the NFL, with 376.5. They have also given up four passing touchdowns. Their secondary is led by former all-pro corner Brent Grimes, who is joined by Ryan Smith on the outside. At safety, they have Justin Evans at strong safety, along with Chris Conte at the free safety.
Final Thoughts
I believe that this game will be a true offensive shootout. It features the top two quarterbacks in passing yards in Fitzpatrick and Roethlisberger against two struggling secondaries. I have the Steelers winning this one because I just think they have the better weapons in the passing game. However, this is going to be an extremely close game and could come down to whoever has the ball last.
