After facing a star-studded 49ers team last week — and losing 35-7 — the Bucs don’t have it any easier in Week 15. The 9-4 Bengals come to Raymond James Stadium on Sunday afternoon, led by two of the NFL’s biggest young stars.

At the forefront of Cincinnati’s turnaround over the last couple of years has been third-year quarterback Joe Burrow. The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 after his Heisman season ended in a national championship for LSU. His NFL career has taken off quickly, too, despite him tearing his ACL as a rookie.

After coming back from his knee injury to start the 2021 season, Burrow led the Bengals to a 10-7 record. He then took them to victories over Las Vegas, Tennessee and Kansas City on the way to Cincinnati’s first Super Bowl appearance since the 1988 season. The Bengals ultimately fell to the Rams, who beat the Bucs in the NFC Divisional Round. But Burrow, the 2021 Comeback Player of the Year, has his team in the mix once again in 2022.

Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase and QB Joe Burrow – Photo by: USA Today

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles had plenty of praise for the 26-year-old quarterback on Wednesday, pointing out just about every part of his game.

“I don’t have all the adjectives that everybody said about him,” Bowles said. “He’s great, he’s poised in the pocket, he throws a great ball all over the field, he can throw at any angle, he can make any throw, he has some great receivers to throw to, he has a good understanding of the offense and the game, he can take advantage of what you’re trying to give him, he can run the ball when he has to run the ball, he can throw people open, he can use his feet.

“He has a knack for the game. Certain guys when they come out of college that young have a knack for the game already – he has it.”

Burrow will certainly present the Bucs defense with some problems on Sunday, especially if the secondary is without cornerback Jamel Dean. The statuses of Tampa Bay’s starting safeties — Antoine Winfield Jr. and Mike Edwards — are also in question.

Cincinnati’s signal caller, who finds himself in the MVP race with 3,685 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns to go along with his 234 yards and five scores on the ground, will look to exploit that weakened back end of the Bucs’ defense. And he’ll have plenty of help as he looks to do so.

Bucs Have More Than Just Burrow To Deal With

Burrow was perhaps the face of LSU’s 2019 National Championship team, but that team is considered as one of the best of all time for a reason. It has produced some of the game’s best young players and, aside from Burrow, Cincinnati has another one of those former Tigers who figures to give the Bucs some serious problems this Sunday.

Bucs CB Jamel Dean and Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase – Photo by: USA Today

That, of course, would be 2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase. Teammates at LSU and now teammates with the Bengals, Burrow and Chase are one of the best quarterback-receiver duos in the league right now.

Chase’s 2021 season was one full of broken records. He finished with 1,455 receiving yards, which was the most by a rookie in NFL history. He also set a new rookie records for receiving yards in a game (266 against the Chiefs) and receiving yards in a postseason (368). And this year, despite missing time with a hip injury, he has 64 catches for 821 yards and seven touchdowns.

“[He has] outstanding hands, outstanding size, [he is] very good at getting off the ball,” Bowles said. “His catch radius is enormous – him and Tee Higgins, actually – as soon as the ball touches his hands, he’s getting up-field right now. It’s rare to see somebody get up-field that quick with that size. He has a natural knack for the game and he looks great doing it.”

The Bucs’ pass defense ranks sixth in the NFL, allowing just 195.3 passing yards per game. But with the potential for some key absences in the secondary, Tampa Bay will have to get creative in trying to slow down the Bengals’ passing offense. Cincinnati is averaging 268.1 passing yards per game, ranking fourth in the league.

Sunday’s game is an important one for Tampa Bay as the team looks to reach 7-7 ahead of Christmas. Given the state of the Bucs’ offense right now, Bowles’ team can’t afford for this Week 15 game to turn into a shootout. And with Burrow and Chase spearheading Cincinnati’s offensive attack, the head coach’s defense will be facing a tall task.