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 finally won an overtime game after losing their first two OT games earlier this season with a 26-23 triumph in Carolina. Tampa Bay is now 6-6 and is inching towards making the playoffs. After two victorious weeks on the road, the Bucs return home for a game against the 2-10 Raiders before another two-game road trip.

What’s At Stake For The Bucs

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

The 6-6 Bucs have pulled even with the 6-6 Falcons in the race for NFC South supremacy thanks to back-to-back wins over the Giants and Panthers and three straight losses by Atlanta. Yet the Falcons still lead the division due to the head-to-head tiebreaker courtesy of the season sweep of the Bucs. Since coming out of the bye three weeks ago with a disappointing 4-6 record, Tampa Bay has been in playoff mode with every game essentially a must-win affair.

The Bucs have an easier schedule on paper down the stretch with only one game against a team with a winning record left this season, which is at Los Angeles next week versus an 8-4 Chargers squad. Meanwhile, the Falcons have two games left against teams with winning records in the Vikings (10-2) and the Commanders (8-5).

Tampa Bay needs to finish one game ahead of Atlanta to not only win the division, but likely make the playoffs. The Bucs are two games behind the Commanders right now for the final Wild Card playoff spot in the NFC, and three games behind the Packers (9-3).

Making things more difficult for Tampa Bay are the injuries that keep sidelining starters on a weekly basis. The Bucs have lost starting safeties Jordan Whitehead and Mike Edwards in back to back weeks and are still waiting for rookie nickelback Tykee Smith to return to action. Tampa Bay’s depth is being tested down the stretch, especially on defense. Will the Bucs have enough healthy bodies at certain positions to finish the season strong?

What’s At Stake For The Raiders

Raiders HC Antonio Pierce – Photo by: USA Today

The Raiders made the mistake that typically happens when teams hire interim head coaches. After linebackers coach Antonio Pierce took over as the interim head coach last year, Las Vegas finished 5-4 as Pierce won over the locker room. But this year has been a disaster for the Raiders, who are 2-10 and have lost eight straight games after a 2-2 start.

Las Vegas failed to land a quarterback in free agency or in the draft and Gardner Minshew has gone 2-7 in his nine starts and is now on injured reserve. Minshew threw nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. Coming off injured reserve is second-year QB Aidan O’Connell, who will start in Tampa Bay on Sunday. He’s 0-3 as a starter this year, but has thrown four touchdowns and only two interceptions while completing 64% of his passes prior to getting injured.

The Raiders simply don’t have a lot of talent outside of defensive end Maxx Crosby, who is one of the league’s best pass rushers, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and run-stuffing linebacker linebacker Robert Spillane on defense. On offense, it’s just linemen Kolton Miller, Dylan Parham and Jordan Meredith, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, and rookie tight end Brock Bowers. Eight players aren’t enough to win with on a regular basis, and the Raiders also traded away their best player, wide receiver Davante Adams, to the Jets earlier in the season.

The Bucs Win If…

Panthers QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

Tampa Bay has some momentum thanks to two straight wins and should be highly motivated to return home and play well in an attempt to get three straight victories, which is something the team has yet to be able to do all season. The Bucs need to continue to run the ball well, as that has become the identity on offense with rookie running back Bucky Irving leading the way. Irving, who suffered a hip injury against the Panthers, is coming off his first 100-yard rushing day and had a monster outing in Carolina.

He’s got a legit shot at a 1,000-yard season, which hasn’t happened since Doug Martin did it in 2015. Another 100-yard day from the Bucs backfield would go a long way towards another victory.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a pair of interceptions in Carolina and needs to get back to playing turnover-free football. Wide receiver Mike Evans stepped up and had his first 100-yard game of the season in the win over the Panthers along with his seventh touchdown of the year. Yet offensive coordinator Liam Coen needs someone else to step up opposite Evans in the passing game. After a hot stretch in the middle of the season, tight end Cade Otton has faded and dropped too many passes.

Defensively, the Bucs finally got a stop when it counted, but it took the overtime period for that to happen. Outside linebacker Anthony Nelson stripped the ball from running back Chuba Hubbard, which allowed Tampa Bay’s offense to drive down the field and win it in overtime. The Bucs defense must get after quarterback Aidan O’Connell and slow down tight end Brock Bowers, who is dangerous down the seam.

The Raiders Win If…

Raiders TE Brock Bowers – Photo by: USA Today

Las Vegas doesn’t have a lot to work with offensively, but if Aidan O’Connell has time to throw, he has a pair of quality targets in tight end Brock Bowers on the inside and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers on the outside. The Raiders have one of the worst running attacks in the entire league and don’t have any back with more than 320 yards rushing this year.

Alexander Mattison and Zamir White are both questionable for the game and the team just signed running back Sincere McCormick. Like always, the Raiders will have to try to win by throwing the ball.

Antonio Pierce’s team plays hard on defense. There have been some blowout losses this year due to a lack of talent and some poor coaching decisions, but the Raiders lost two games against the Chiefs, 27-20 at home, and 19-17 last week at Arrowhead Stadium. Las Vegas is more like the 3-9 Carolina team that Tampa Bay finally beat in overtime rather than the two-win Giants team that the Bucs easily dispatched in New York a few weeks ago. The Raiders need to get off to a fast start to gain some early game confidence on the road in Tampa Bay.

Las Vegas will need to find a way to come up with some takeaways on defense to help out. The Raiders have forced just one fumble and don’t have a fumble recovery this year, which is an absolutely crazy and pathetically poor statistic. Las Vegas has also only picked off five passes all season and are an NFL-worst minus-18 in terms of turnover differential. Somehow, someway the Raiders need to win the turnover battle to have a chance of upsetting a more talented Bucs team.

Bucs’ Key Matchup On Offense

Bucs RB Bucky Irving vs. Raiders MLB Robert Spillane

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

Bucs rookie running back Bucky Irving proved last week that he could carry the workload with 25 carries for a career-high 152 yards and a touchdown. Irving suffered a hip injury right before halftime, but went for over 100 yards in the second half, including a 43-yard dash, which shows just how tough he is. As long as he’s healthy, Irving will get the majority of carries the rest of the way due to his healthy 5.5-yard rushing average.

Irving has rushed for 732 yards and has five runs of 30 yards or more this season, which shows his big-play ability. He also has a nose for the end zone, evidenced by a team-high six rushing touchdowns. Rachaad White is a good complementary runner, but after last week, he’s best suited to be Tampa Bay’s third down back and let Irving handle the majority of carries because of his highly effective average. White is averaging 4.1 yards per carry by comparison.

Veteran linebacker Robert Spillane is a tackling machine and leads the Raiders with 116 tackles, which is 35 more than the next defender. He has seven double-digit tackle games, including five in a row over the last five games. At 6-foot-1, 229 pounds, Spillane isn’t an imposing monster in the middle nor is he even a good athlete. But he is tough and instinctive and does an exceptional job of filling his gap and not missing many tackles.

Bucs’ Key Matchup On Defense

Bucs ILBs vs. Raiders TE Brock Bowers

Raiders TE Brock Bowers – Photo by: USA Today

Good tight ends have killed the Bucs all season, and former Georgia star Brock Bowers is special. He’s a game-wrecker and on pace for a 1,000-yard season and a Pro Bowl berth as a rookie. Because of the lack of talent elsewhere, Las Vegas’ offense runs through Bowers, who has been targeted 113 times. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is next with 86 targets – 27 fewer than Bowers.

The Raiders’ first-round pick leads the team with 84 receptions for 884 yards and four touchdowns. He’s a steady chain-mover in addition to being a big-play threat down the seam, evidenced by a season-long 57-yard catch at Denver. Bowers also had a 33-yard reception last week at Kansas City.

The Bucs inside linebackers have struggled to stop – or even slow down – talented tight ends this year. The likes of Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts, Baltimore’s Mark Andrews, Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and San Francisco’s George Kittle have combined for 32 catches for 377 yards and five touchdowns against Tampa Bay’s defense this year.

Lavonte David is less than a month away from turning 35 and K.J. Britt is injured, so Bowers has an advantage here. J.J. Russell and Vi Jones are the options to replace Britt and neither is a good option.