- The Buccaneers look to widen their gap as the top team in NFC South.
- Jameis Winston needs a big offensive showing against a lackluster Giants defense.
- Saquon Barkley will be crucial for the New York Giants for any chance to win on the road.
TAMPA, Fla. – Only two weeks into the regular season in the NFL and already the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are turning heads. Not only did the Buccaneers travel to Charlotte and defeated the Carolina Panthers on their own turf last week, but they are also tied for first place in the NFC South.
Buccaneers? First place? If it doesn’t make sense then you’re not alone, but the train is rolling in Tampa Bay and the Bucs plan to stay the course this week when the New York Giants come to Raymond James Stadium Sunday.
Last week, it was the defense of Tampa Bay that put on an absolute clinic, keeping Cam Newton under 50% completion percentage and Christian McCafferty to 53 yards in total offense. The Panthers simply looked outplayed and unprepared. It’s the same defense that has essentially shortened Tampa Bay’s odds win the NFC South in half from +1200 before Week 1 to +650.
People around the league are starting the take notice, and the Giants will have their hands full Sunday.
Game Information:
- Where: Raymond James Stadium
- When: September 22, 2019, at 1 p.m. EST
- Spread: Tampa Bay (-6)
- Over/Under: 47.5 points
- Moneyline: NYG (+225) vs. TB (-275)
New York Giants Outlook
For New York, it was probably not the best news to have a newly declared starter, Daniel Jones, find out his first NFL game will come against the 8th ranked defense in the league. But considering the porous play of the aging Eli Manning, the move was expected.
The plan on offense will be fairly simple for the rookie – hand the ball off to Saquon Barkley and find your comfort zone in the passing game. Unfortunately, for the Giants, the Buccaneers are probably well aware of this now given the limited number of playmakers on the offense.
As far as the defense goes, the Giants have struggled early in the season just as they did last year, giving up over 400 yards passing in Week 1. The key for the G-Men is to generate pressure upfront and hope that turnover-prone, Jameis Winston, throws an errant pass or two that the Giants corners can take advantage of.
If the defense can somehow manage to stall the Bucs offense long enough to put up points, there’s a chance to take this one on the road.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Outlook
On the offensive side of the ball, the Buccaneers have no lack of weapons across the board. Yet, the offense has failed to put up many points in the first two games in the season.
Jameis and Company can’t afford to ride on the backs of the defense all year, and many will be expecting a much-improved offense in the coming weeks, starting this Sunday against New York. Expect Jameis to use big targets like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and O.J. Howard to his advantage. When all said and done, Winston should make some fantasy owners very happy this week.
Defensively, Tampa Bay will be eager to get after Daniel Jones and the Giants’ offense all game. Just as the Bucs did last week to McCaffrey, the gameplan will be to completely neutralize Saquon Barkley as an offensive threat, forcing Jones to make plays on his own.
Tampa was able to do it to perfection last week against a considerably better team, both offensively and defensively so this week should be no different. Stop Saquon. Force Daniel Jones into uncomfortable throws. Win the game. Simple.
Prediction: Tampa Bay 27-17
Overall, the Buccaneers are coming into this game as the more complete team. Beyond the slow start, the Giants will still have a tough time handling the talent on Tampa Bay’s offense.
Even though the Giants are 6-1 SU in their last seven games against Tampa Bay, the buck stops here. This is a completely different Buccaneers team from last year, and the numbers prove it. Given the situation now at quarterback for the Giants, expect a much conservatively played game here and shoot for the Under at US online sports betting sites.
Joshua has been a die-hard Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan since 2007, joining the sports betting world not long after. If he’s not talking or writing about the Bucs, you’ll likely find him in a park somewhere hiking.
