It is no secret that the Bucs suffered an embarrassing, 35-7 loss at the hands of the 49ers this past Sunday. They were defenseless (and offenseless), letting Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy shine in his first NFL start at quarterback while struggling to match points with the 49ers on the scoreboard.

Tampa Bay will have a far more established starter to face this week in Joe Burrow of the Bengals, who is a man of many nicknames. Whether it’s ‘Joe Brrr,’ ‘Joe Shiesty,’ or ‘Joey Franchise,’ he has quickly established himself as one of the most elite signal-callers in the league. 

Bucs Facing Elite QB-WR Tandem in Burrow, Chase

The dynamic shift to facing the 2021 AFC Champions led by Burrow was not lost on Bucs head coach Todd Bowles in his Wednesday press conference. Speaking on what he brings to their offense, Bowles heaped nothing but praise.

“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,” Bowles said.

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

“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.”

Following Burrow out of college at LSU was wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who burst on the scene as a rookie last year, picking up right where they left off as college teammates. Of Burrow’s 34 touchdown passes in 2021, 38.2%, or 13, went to Chase alone. In just nine games this year, he has put 821 yards and seven scores. Chase is right in the argument with another LSU product, Justin Jefferson, as the best receiver in the league. Bowles spoke on Chase’s talent as well. 

“[He has] outstanding hands, outstanding size, very good at getting off the ball, his catch radius is enormous’, Bowles said. He added that “it’s rare to see somebody get up-field that quick with that size. He has a natural knack for the game and looks great doing it.”

Bucs Are “On To Cincinnati”

Drawing such a tough matchup as the one the Bucs have against the 9-4 Bengals means quickly putting last week’s blowout behind them. Consider Bucs safety Logan Ryan one of the biggest proponents of this message. 

He was the leading tackler on Sunday with nine total tackles, often being the last line of defense to stop the 49ers from making big gains even bigger. He has already shifted his focus to guarding the Burrow-Chase tandem and using reps against quarterback Tom Brady as preparation.

“Forget it, last week was last week, we’ve got to get ready for Cincy,” Ryan said after practice. “Joe Burrow is not going to care about us last week, so we got to get ready to bring it this week.”

Bucs S Logan Ryan – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs need to bring it and get on a roll in the final four weeks of the regular season in an NFC South division that is still very much for the taking. A great boost to this sentiment would be by defeating a hot Bengals team, who have gone 7-1 in their past eight games. 

The Bucs have hung on for dear life on a roller coaster that’s taken them to the highs of a division lead and the lows, or steep drops, of losing winnable games. This is a ride the team needs to start getting back on track. “You can’t ride the roller coaster forever, right?” Ryan added. “We got to start going back up. We want to be the team that beats Cincy, and we’ll take it from there.”

As the team hosts Cincinnati, Ryan made a timely callback to a memorable Bill Belichick postgame press conference in 2014. That season, he was a second-year player on the Patriots, a team that would go on to beat the Bengals 43-17 while later winning the Super Bowl.

“I played for a famous coach who loves ‘Do your job’ and ‘On to Cincinnati.’ Those are my catchphrases for the day.”