This week, we all accept that we’re at that point of the season where wins and losses – they don’t matter all that much anymore. Sure, we all want to see the Bucs beat the Giants this week. But in the end, does it really matter? Nope. So now we just watch for the love of football and in hope our beloved Buccaneers surprise us.
Tale of the Tape
| Ranking | Buccaneers | NY Giants |
| Total Offense | 452.8 (1) | 344.8 (24) |
| Points Scored | 25.8 (12) | 19.7 (26) |
| Passing Off | 361.2 (1) | 264.8 (15) |
| Rushing Off | 91.6 (29) | 80.0 (31) |
| Total Defense | 400.0 (28) | 367.2 (22) |
| Opp Scoring | 32.3 (32) | 25.3 (20) |
| Opp Passing | 291.9 (29) | 244.7 (18) |
| Opp Rushing | 108.1 (15) | 122.6 (25) |
| Turnover Ratio | -19 (32) | -2 (22) |
Buccaneers Offense vs. Giants Defense
It’s the same thing every week for the Bucs offense. The only team that can stop the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs have one of the most potent offenses in the NFL – when they don’t turn the ball over. Unfortunately, they do it all the time, no matter who is playing quarterback. The Giants don’t really bring much to the table for Tampa Bay to worry about, as they’re not particularly very good at any aspect. Yet, if the Bucs self-destruct, they can be handled.
Giants Offense vs. Buccaneers Defense
The Bucs will face three playmakers in Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham, Jr., and Sterling Shepard. Eli Manning is having a subpar year and obviously is in the twilight of his career, and former Giant Jason Pierre-Paul will be hyped for this ballgame. If he can rush Eli, Manning will turn it over – something the Bucs defense hasn’t forced since week 2. At some point, the dam’s gotta burst, right? Surprisingly, despite having the phenom Barkley, the Giants are one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL. They average less than 20 points a game as well and for a defense that has given up an average of 40 ppg on the road, that’s something that should be encouraging.
Special Teams
The Bucs finally jettisoned the latest kicking failure in Chandler Catanzaro. Enter Cairo Santos. Before injuring his groin, Santos was one of the most accurate kickers in the league. Here’s hoping he can return to form in Tampa Bay, who has been starved for quality kicking since the Gramatica days. Aldrich Rojas and Riley Dixon are two young specialists for the G-Men. Both are performing well this season. Corey Coleman made an impact as a returner in his first game with New York, returning 3 kicks for 92 yds, including a 51 yarder.
Interesting Notes
- Giants lead the all-time series 13-7
- Giants have won 4 of the past 5 meetings
- Giants have scored more than 24 points just 3 times all season, Tampa Bay has done it in 7 of their 9 games.
Prediction
Okay, I’ll admit it. I have no faith in the Bucs anymore. Especially without Lavonte David, I don’t see how they slow down the Giants – even as pitiful as their offense is. With weapons like Odell and Barkley, it’s a recipe for disaster for Tampa Bay’s putrid defense. On the flipside, with Dirk calling plays again, you can’t really count on the offense scoring points in bunches. The Bucs should blow out the Giants. They won’t. In fact, they’re probably going to lose this game as I have a sinking feeling that players have already cashed in their chips for 2018.
Prediction: Giants 38, Buccaneers 24
J.C. De La Torre
Want to give JC a piece of your mind? E-mail him at JC@whatthebuc.net JC De La Torre is formerly a columnist/blogger for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blog site BucsNation.com where in 2016, he was nominated as best sportswriter in Tampa Bay by Creative Loafing. Previously, he served as a featured columnist for Bleacher Report on Tampa Bay sports, an editor and featured columnist for SB Nation Tampa Bay covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Gators, wrote for NFL.com’s Blog Blitz and contributed to Pewter Report, one of the top magazines on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. JC is also a filmmaker, comic writer and rabid Whovian.
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