It’s gameday, baby! Whether you’re up early getting ready to roll out to the Winghouse to watch the game or still drunk from last night and wandering around the French Quarter, now’s the time to look at what we can expect today in the Superdome against the Saints.
Offensive Outlook: Pound the Rock
Jameis Winston struggled in week one, and we can only hope that he will be able to learn quickly and move forward. The fans filling the Superdome will do their best to rattle the rookie, but Winston should improve with a little time under his belt now. Mike Evans is still questionable to play, and look for another impressive showing by Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
While he never got the rhythm or carries needed due to a massive deficit in a minuscule amount of time, Doug Martin showed he can still run last week. If the Buccaneers want to have any chance in chipping away at the Saints, the need to use Doug to control the time of possession and pound the rock all the way down the field.
Defensive Outlook: Do Your Damn Job
There are a lot of words that can describe the defense last week, some of which might be a little much even for WTB?. The most accurate still seems to be undisciplined. Time after time, members of the Buccaneers defense were incurring penalties or simply not doing what they were supposed to be.
Missed assignments allowed a rookie to carve us up in a matter of seconds. If Mariota can do that, just imagine what Brees will do. The offense can be perfect, but none of it will matter if the defense walks around like chickens with their heads cut off as Brees drops three touchdowns in the first quarter. It’s simple. Do your fucking job.
Dealin’ With Tha’ X-Factor (Oh, I know you hate the X-Factor, but you ain’t gotta look at me like that)
Lovie has spoken of the coveted “plus three turnover ratio” and what that means in your likelihood of winning the game. Ball security will be paramount in this game. Winston will be hard pressed to walk out of this game without mistakes, but he can make a difference if he keeps from throwing a costly pick six early on.
Meanwhile, the defense needs to create takeaways when the game still matters. If they at least keep things in a competitive range and start to press Brees, an interception or a fumble recovery could quickly turn the tide on a game that can go either way. While it’s hard to be optimistic after last week, the flawed Saints make it possible.
Predictive MVPs: Doug Martin, Gerald McCoy
Score Prediction: Buccaneers win, 31-28
