The Buccaneers took care of business on Thursday night, knocking off the Dallas Cowboys and getting themselves to 1-4 before settling into a mini-bye with a Tuesday return to work. That leaves Bucs fans with a full Sunday slate to monitor, and there are a few games worth keeping an eye on if you’re tracking the division and beyond.
The biggest one for Tampa Bay fans is Vikings-Saints. New Orleans opened the year 1-1 and notched an impressive win over the Baltimore Ravens, but the Saints have dropped their last two since then.
If they fall to Minnesota, they’ll be sitting at 1-4 right alongside the Bucs in the division, which makes this one a key rooting interest for Tampa Bay. The Vikings bring a strong defense, but their offense has been one of the worst in football, so New Orleans has a real chance here.
Still, from a divisional standpoint, Bucs fans should be pulling for the team that beat them a few weeks ago at Raymond James Stadium.
Then comes Sunday Night Football, where the Ravens head to Atlanta to face the Falcons in Atlanta’s third straight prime time game. The Falcons looked rough in their first two outings, but Michael Penix Jr.’s return has changed the feel around that team, and they’ve won their last two games to move to 2-2.
Even so, this is one Tampa Bay fans should be rooting against the Falcons in. The catch is that Lamar Jackson won’t be available for Baltimore, and Tyler Huntley will have to fill in, which makes it harder to see the Ravens getting the job done in Atlanta.
There’s also a quieter one worth having on the radar: Steelers-Colts. The Panthers, who are currently 2-2, don’t play this week, but for Bucs fans in the right TV market, or anyone with a bar setup or NFL Sunday Ticket, it’s a useful chance to take a look at Tampa Bay’s next opponent. Pittsburgh is 2-2 after a season full of trials through four games, and the Colts are also 2-2, so this AFC matchup should offer a decent preview of what’s coming next Sunday.
In Other News...
Bucs Face A Chase McLaughlin Decision Fans Can Already Debate
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It is not the flashiest issue on the board, but it is the kind of decision that can matter when a team is trying to keep its operation steady year after year. McLaughlins value is now part of the broader conversation around how Tampa Bay allocates money, and this episode gives fans a closer look at the thinking behind that process while leaving plenty of room for debate about where the kicking situation is headed next. [Read more 🡒]
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Against the Cowboys, that young group again showed why the Bucs feel better about this side of the ball than they did a year ago. Tampa Bay kept Dallas offense in check and leaned on the kind of coverage and tackling that can travel, with Trotter and Scott right in the middle of it. For Bowles, its turning into the kind of early-season foundation defenses usually need, even if there is still more for these rookies to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Have A Real Emeka Egbuka Problem After This Start
Emeka Egbuka arrived in Tampa Bay with the kind of early-career momentum that usually buys a receiver some room to work through a rough patch. Instead, the first five weeks of his second NFL season have put a spotlight on how sharply his production has fallen from the standard he set as a rookie, and it has left him looking like the least efficient pass catcher on a Buccaneers offense that has needed more dependable answers from him.
There have still been a few encouraging snaps and plays along the way, but the broader picture is hard to miss when compared with what he did a year ago. Egbuka has not matched the same burst, the same impact on chunk gains, or the same consistency that made him such a promising piece of Tampa Bays receiver group, and until that changes, his role in the offense will keep drawing attention for all the wrong reasons. [Read more 🡒]