Monday Night Football is set to feature the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs. When the NFL schedule was released, earlier this year, this was a matchup few predicted would fall in favor of Tampa. Now, that the game has arrived, that sentiment has been reinforced. Tampa Bay is an injured, struggling football team. The Chiefs, while playing beneath their lofty standards, are the undefeated defending Super Bowl champions. Everybody loves an underdog right?
How can the Buccaneers win this game?
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Tampa Bay must run their offense through their backs. For the first time since Leonard Fournette’s ‘Playoff Lenny’ extravaganza, the Buccaneers have a running game. Liam Coen’s offense has revitalized Tampa Bay’s backfield, pulling it from its Leftwich-Canales doldrums. Despite being below league average in rush attempts, the Buccaneers are top-10 in rushing yards. The Bucs are one of only 10 offenses to accumulate a 1,000 yards rushing this season— Even more impressive, Tampa is doing so at 5.1 yards per carry (third highest in the league).
With their receivers shelved like knick-knacks, the Buccaneers need production out of their backfield. So far, they’ve been able to get it, however, the true test for a run game comes when teams know the offense must run the ball to win. Tampa’s backs will not be able to hide behind the vertical threat of Mike Evans or the consistency of Chris Godwin. Starting last week, a game in which the Buccaneers’ backfield performed well, defenses will be scheming to stop the run against Tampa Bay.
Monday’s matchup will be strength on strength as the Chiefs’ defense, often overlooked due to the nature of their star-driven offense, is quite a unit— Currently ranked second in NFL this season against the run, allowing just over 80 yards per game.
How can the Buccaneers lose this game?
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Easily. There are an incalculable number of ways the Buccaneers can lose this game. Kansas City has the edge at the quarterback position, wide receiver, on defense, and at head coach. For the Buccaneers, the key is not getting outplayed in the trenches. The Buccaneers’ defense has had a putrid pass-rush this season. Without blitzing, the team’s pressure rate feels equivalent to the likelihood of seeing snow in Jamaica.
Not only is Tampa Bay’s defense at risk of being beaten up at the line of scrimmage but, their offense is too. Tampa’s rookie center Graham Barton will draw the short straw this week, having to deal with Kansas City’s $158 million dollar man. Chris Jones has tallied three sacks this year and 25 over the last three— Giving Patrick Mahomes an infinite amount of time in the pocket and Baker Mayfield a very finite quantity, is quick recipe for a miserable evening in Missouri.
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