Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds previews the upcoming Bucs game with six quick-hitting topics. What’s at stake for the Bucs and their opponent, what will lead to a Tampa Bay victory or loss and a couple of key matchups to watch each week.

The Bucs are 4-6 coming out of the bye week and are 2.5 games behind the Falcons in the NFC South. Tampa Bay is currently four spots out of the NFC Wild Card race and needs to start racking up some wins.  The 2-8 Giants also are coming off a bye and made a significant change at quarterback, benching $40 million-per-year starting quarterback Daniel Jones for third-stringer Tommy DeVito.

What’s At Stake For The Bucs

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay needs to snap its four-game losing streak and try to make up ground in the NFC playoff race. With seven games left and six of them featuring teams with losing records, the Bucs can still make the postseason by claiming a Wild Card spot if they can get hot. That starts in New York against a two-win Giants team that is also coming off a bye week.

Todd Bowles is on the hot seat and not just for the team’s 4-6 record for a second straight season. Bowles’ defense has become one of the worst in the league this year, and injuries haven’t helped. The secondary has suffered without the likes of safety Antoine Winfield Jr. for four games and went 2-2 from Weeks 2-5, and went 0-4 without cornerback Jamel Dean over the last four games. Tampa Bay’s defense is still reeling from the season-ending shoulder injury to inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis as K.J. Britt is the worst coverage defender on the field. Bowles’ defense needs a “get well” game on Sunday against a Giants offense that is averaging just under 16 points per game.

Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen has managed to get by without Chris Godwin and Mike Evans for the past four games, but should get Evans back on Sunday in New York. With the defense playing so poorly, surrendering 31 points per game during the team’s four-game losing streak, Coen’s offense has had to do much of the heavy lifting. The Giants defense is the strength of the team in New York and the Bucs offense may have to score at least 24 points again to have a chance at winning.

What’s At Stake For The Giants

Giants RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

Since Brian Daboll took over three years and got New York into the playoffs with a 9-7-1 record, the Giants have gone 6-11 and are now 2-8. The offensive-minded Daboll is on the hot seat as his offense is one of the worst in the league, including being dead last in scoring at 15.6 points per game. The team gave former first-round quarterback Daniel Jones a massive four-year, $160 million in 2023 and the Giants have officially moved on from him, benching Jones for third-stringer Tommy DeVito.

In six starts last year, DeVito went 3-3 and threw eight touchdowns and just three interceptions. If DeVito can’t spark the offense and show that he could be a viable option at quarterback moving forward, then Daboll is likely to get fired. DeVito will have to rely heavily on two promising rookies – first-round wide receiver Malik Nabers and fifth-round running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. Nabers leads the Giants with 61 catches for 607 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while Tracy leads the Giants – and all rookies – with 545 yards, three touchdowns and an impressive 5.1-yard average.

The Giants defense is tied for 16th in scoring defense, allowing just 22.2 points per game this season. New York ranks second in the NFL with 36 sacks, but dead last in interceptions with just one. The Giants’ pass rush must continue to lead the way for the defense, but the secondary needs to come alive and start generating some takeaways – especially in enemy territory, giving the struggling offense some short fields to work with.

The Bucs Win If…

Bucs WRs Mike Evans and Sterling Shepard – Photo by: USA Today

Tampa Bay got healthier after the bye week and is on schedule to have wide receiver Mike Evans and cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Tykee Smith back in action. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs appears to be the only significant starter to miss Week 12. Now the Bucs must stay healthy in New York and come out of the game unscathed along with a victory.

Todd Bowles’ defense needs to really show improvement against one of the worst offenses in the league in New York. Tampa Bay can’t let Tommy DeVito get on track and feel comfortable in his first start of the season. The Bucs need to register multiple sacks and QB hits and force DeVito into some errant throws. The Bucs haven’t recorded an interception in the team’s four-game losing streak and that needs to happen on Sunday. Tampa Bay has been plus-one in the turnover margin in each of the last two games, but that hasn’t been enough to secure a win. The Bucs may need to finish plus-two against the Giants in New York.

Baker Mayfield hasn’t thrown an interception in the past two outings and that’s kept Tampa Bay in games at Kansas City and against San Francisco. Mayfield needs to continue to play turnover-free football to give his team the best chance to win. The return of Evans should help the offense be more productive and put more points on the board, but Mayfield must avoid the temptation to force the ball to Evans when he’s covered on Sunday.

The Giants Win If…

Giants QB Tommy DeVito – Photo by: USA Today

In order to snap a five-game losing streak, the Giants will need to not only sack Baker Mayfield, but pressure him into throwing an interception or two. New York is last in the league in interceptions with just one on the season, and that’s from linebacker Darrius Muasau. The Giants secondary has failed to come up with a single pick this season yet cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson and rookie Dru Phillips are playing well in coverage.

New York’s defensive front is one of the best in football, led by defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, who has nine sacks. Outside linebackers Azeez Ojulari and Brian Burns each have six sacks. With Justin Skule replacing the injured Tristan Wirfs, the Giants must attack the left tackle position, exploit it and get to Mayfield to disrupt the Bucs’ passing game.

Offensively, Tommy DeVito must provide a spark to the team early in the game. There are some Giants who aren’t happy with Daniel Jones’ benching and DeVito must win over the team early on with a touchdown drive and protecting the football. DeVito must avoid turnovers on Sunday and not be afraid to tuck the ball and run to pick up first downs. The Giants skill position players, in addition to the offensive line, need to rally around the young quarterback, too.

Bucs’ Key Matchup On Offense

Bucs LT Justin Skule vs. Giants OLB Brian Burns

Bucs OT Justin Skule – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Giants made a splash in the offseason trading for former Panthers first-round pick Brian Burns to help the team’s pass rush. So far Burns has been as good as advertised with six sacks playing opposite Azeez Ojulari, who also has six sacks. Burns consistently gets to the quarterback, evidenced by a team-high 39 pressures.

Because he lines up mostly on the right side of the line, Burns will be squaring off against swing tackle Justin Skule, who is subbing for the injured Tristan Wirfs at left tackle. The good news for Skule is that he has already seen plenty of playing time this year, filling in at right tackle for four games when Luke Goedeke was out with a concussion from Weeks 2-5.

Skule, who is probably a better left tackle than he is a right tackle, has given up 11 pressures and four sacks this year, but three of those came in Week 2 against Lions Pro Bowler Aidan Hutchinson. He’ll need to be on top of his game because he won’t get much help at left tackle like he did at right tackle with a tight end chipping. Skule is a good run blocker, so expect Liam Coen to call running plays behind Skule aimed at wearing Burns down in the running game to make him less effective as a pass rusher.

Bucs’ Key Matchup On Defense

Bucs CBs Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum vs. Giants WR Malik Nabers

Giants WR Malik Nabers – Photo by: USA Today

Don’t let his 10-yard receiving average fool you. Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabers is one of the fastest receivers in the league, blazing a 4.35 time in the 40-yard dash coming out of LSU. It’s odd that the longest catch that New York’s first-round pick has hauled in has been for only 39 yards. But look for Tommy DeVito to try to push the ball down the field more and target Nabers deep a few times.

Zyon McCollum is coming off a terrible game against San Francisco’s Jauan Jennings. McCollum seems to fare better against speedy finesse receivers, but struggles against bigger, more physical receivers. At 6-foot, 200 pounds, Nabers is somewhere in the middle. McCollum needs a bounce-back game and must shut down Nabers like he’s capable of doing.

Because Nabers splits his reps about 50-50 on each side of the field, he’ll get a chance to beat Jamel Dean, who returns to action after missing four games with a hamstring injury. Nabers will likely test Dean’s hamstring early on a deep route or two and see if the Bucs’ veteran cornerback has any rust to his game after being out of action for a month. Dean must come back with a vengeance and play well to make up for lost time.