TAMPA- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be coming off a bye week when they hit the road in Week 10 to face the Washington Football Team, who is also coming off a bye week. With the Buccaneers still stinging from a 36-27 loss to division rival New Orleans Saints, they look to bounce back when they face a struggling Washington club.
Tampa Bay is sitting at 6-2 on the 2021 season and its next two games come against Washington and New York Giants, both teams in the NFC East division. Each team’s record is below the .500 mark, but the Buccaneers have been able to have some major success in many offensive categories.
Leading the way is 44-year old quarterback Tom Brady, who is having one of the best statistical seasons of his career. Brady has thrown for 2,650 yards and 25 touchdowns, which both lead the NFL. Wide receiver Chris Godwin is sixth in the NFL with 660 yards and Mike Evans is 18th in the league with 544. Brady could be getting some reinforcements coming in soon, with tight end Rob Gronkowski possibly returning from an injury and Antonio Brown nearing his return as well.
The worrisome unit for Tampa Bay has been on the defensive side, as the Buccaneers have had trouble defending the pass as of late. Multiple defensive backs have been remaining on injured reserve, with Sean Murphy-Bunting and Richard Sherman both still sidelined. If the Buccaneers are hoping to compete for another Super Bowl championship, they will need to be fully healthy heading into the main stretch.
Tampa Bay leads in plenty of team statistics when it comes to the offensive side of the ball, including No. 1 in passing yards, No. 2 in total yards and points. That does not bode well for Washington, who is 30th versus the pass (allowing 286.8 yards per game). The Buccaneers on the defensive side has been more stingy with the yards and at No. 7, but passing yards is No. 19 in the league allowing 257.8 yards a game.
Facing a struggling Washington club might be the right antidote when going into the second half of the season, as the Football Team’s strength has been running the ball this campaign at 118.1 yards per clip. Washington’s strength goes up against Tampa Bay’s No. 1 defense against the run (78.0 yards per game). Sunday, Nov. 14, the game kicks off at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and will be aired on FOX.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
