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 improved to 4-2 on the season with an impressive road win at New Orleans over the Saints, 51-27. Tampa Bay takes a break from divisional play with a home game on Monday Night Football versus the 4-2 Baltimore Ravens before hosting Atlanta in Week 8.

What’s At Stake For The Bucs

Bucs OLB YaYa Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay had an amazing bounce-back win in New Orleans last week, dominating the second half, 27-0, en route to the team’s first NFC South win of the year. Now the Bucs will face their biggest test of the year against the 4-2 Ravens, one of the league’s top teams and a legit Super Bowl contender. The Bucs passed such a test in Week 2, going against another elite team with the 20-16 win at Detroit. Because they dominate the line of scrimmage offensively and defensively, Baltimore will prove to be an even bigger challenge for Tampa Bay on both sides of the ball.

This is another measuring stick game for the Bucs to gauge their progress this year as the team strives to become a Super Bowl contender sooner rather than later. If the Bucs can measure up in the trenches and win this game they will certainly level up in the eyes of the national media, but more importantly, gain some confidence going into a rematch against the Falcons the following week and versus NFL heavyweights like the Chiefs and 49ers after that.

This game is on national television – an arena the Bucs haven’t always shined in lately. Can this young Bucs team handle the success that came from a dominant win over the Saints and stack wins together? Or will Tampa Bay continue a recent trend of win-loss, win-loss, win-loss that the team has had over the past five weeks? Good teams finish above .500. Great teams learn how to go on runs and finish way above .500. The outcome of this game will play a role in determining whether Todd Bowles’ troops are a good team or possibly a great team.

What’s At Stake For The Ravens

Ex-Bucs ILB Devin White and Ravens QB Lamar Jackson – Photo by: USA Today

After a shaky 0-2 start, Baltimore has found its footing, winning four straight games. Yet it should be noted that the Ravens lost their first two games by a total of 10 points, and came a foot away from possibly tying or beating the Chiefs in Kansas City in the season opener. After a close win at Dallas, Baltimore drubbed Buffalo and then won two gritty games at Cincinnati and against Washington. The Ravens are now on a roll and are looking to continue their momentum and remain one of the most feared teams in the NFL.

Baltimore is a well-balanced team that can dominate defensively, as it did in holding Buffalo to 10 points – or offensively, by scoring 30 points or more in its last three games. The Ravens are well coached by John Harbaugh, who has plenty of experience and is an excellent game manager from the sidelines. Baltimore is currently atop the AFC North with 4-2 Pittsburgh and needs to win to prevent the Steelers from getting an early edge in the division race.

This game will be a challenge for the Ravens in that Tampa Bay is the second-best running team over the last three weeks – behind only Baltimore itself. And the Bucs run defense has gotten stingier by the week as well. Tampa Bay aspires to become a team like Baltimore that can both run it and throw it at will, as well as being a team that can shut down the run and then unleash a dangerous pass rush. It’s up to the Ravens to prevent that from happening on Monday Night Football.

The Bucs Win If…

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

This game will come down to trench warfare and tackling for the Bucs. Offensively, can Tampa Bay get its ground game going against the league’s top run defense? Can the Bucs running backs remain as elusive as they were in New Orleans and slip tackles, force missed tackles and outrun defenders? Can Tampa Bay’s offensive line hold up in run blocking as well as pass protection? If the Bucs can establish some semblance of a ground game and provide some balance in Liam’s offensive attack it will keep the Ravens defense guessing and open things up for Baker Mayfield with play-action passes.

Defensively, the Bucs have lost two games this year and the common denominator in both the losses to the Broncos and the Falcons has been poor tackling. The elusiveness of Lamar Jackson, the best scrambling quarterback in a generation, and hard-charging running style of running back Derrick Henry present equal and different challenges for Todd Bowles defense. Getting both down the minute a defender gets a hand on either will be huge. Maintaining gap discipline and gang tackling will be huge for Tampa Bay’s defense.

Todd Bowles needs to either out-coach John Harbaugh or at least coach as well as Harbaugh in this game from a game management standpoint. That means proper adjustments, timeout usages and clock management. These are areas that Bowles has struggled with at times in the past – even this season in getting out-coached by Sean Payton in a Week 3 loss to Denver. But Bowles has made some strides in certain areas, and that was on display last week against Dennis Allen in New Orleans, against Dan Campbell in Detroit and versus Dan Quinn against Washington in the season opener.

The Ravens Win If…

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson – Photo by: USA Today

The Ravens are on a roll with a four-game winning streak and their running game and run defense have been leading the way. Baltimore is out-rushing its opponents by an average of 150 yards per game and is averaging 205.3 yards per game, which leads the NFL. The Ravens run defense is allowing an average of just 59 yards per game, which also leads the league. Most teams don’t even try to run against Baltimore, as throwing the ball has been much easier. Because the Ravens don’t blitz a lot on early downs they do surrender quite a bit of yardage, allowing an average of 275.7 yards per game through the air.

Lamar Jackson is having an NFL MVP-caliber season so far, completing 67% of his passes for 1,529 yards with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also has 403 rushing yards and two touchdowns while averaging 6.7 yards per carry. Derrick Henry is on pace for nearly 2,000 yards and is the league’ leading rusher with 704 yards on the ground along with eight touchdowns and nearly a six-yard average. That tandem has been tough to beat over the last four games, and if Jackson and Henry continue to go off on the ground on Monday Night Football then Baltimore could win its fifth straight game.

Getting off to a fast start is key for the Ravens. Jumping out to an early lead on the road will help keep Baltimore’s ground game at the forefront. Tampa Bay has started each of the last three games with a touchdown drive on its opening possession, and a 17-0 lead helped springboard the team to a 51-27 win in New Orleans last year. Getting an early lead on the Bucs seems like a key for the Ravens to win this game.

Bucs’ Key Matchup On Offense

Bucs O-Line vs. Ravens Front 7

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bucs right tackle Luke Goedeke returned to action last week after missing four games with a concussion he suffered in the season opener. He looked a bit rusty, but also played a role in helping the Bucs amass 594 yards of total offense, including 277 yards on the ground in a win at New Orleans. Goedeke and the Bucs offensive line don’t have to pave the way for 200 yards rushing against the top run defense in the league, but generating 100 yards on the ground against such a stingy unit could help make the team’s play-action passes more effective and provide some balance offensively.

The Ravens aren’t just good at stopping the run. They’re also good at getting after the quarterback and have 19 sacks this year, which is two more than the Bucs defense has generated. Baltimore is led by 33-year old edge rusher Kyle Van Noy, who has six this year and is coming off a nine-sack season a year ago. He and Odafe Oweh, who has 3.5 sacks, form an effective 1-2 punch on the outside, while Nndamdi Madubuike, who has a pair of sacks, pushes the pocket from the interior.

This might be a game where Robert Hainsey continues at center given his experience, as Madubuike can be hard to handle inside. Rookie center Graham Barton missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury, but even if he’s healthy enough to return, Hainsey might be better suited to take on Baltimore’s defensive front. Ravens inside linebackers Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson are fast and physical and will present a challenge as blitzers and run stuffers. If the Bucs can win the battle of trenches offensively they have a great shot at beating the Ravens.

Bucs’ Key Matchup On Defense

Bucs DT Vita Vea vs. Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum

Bucs NT Vita Vea and Ravens QB Lamar Jackson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There are a lot of intriguing potential matchups between the Bucs defense and the Ravens offense. But the heavyweight fight between Tampa Bay defensive tackle Vita Vea and Baltimore center Tyler Linderbaum is must-see TV. Vea has lost some weight this year but is in excellent shape and is still a powerful force to contend with. He has three sacks this year, including one in each of the last three games as he’s on his way to having a Pro Bowl-caliber season. Vea also had one of the Bucs’ sacks of Lamar Jackson the last time these two teams played back in 2022 on Thursday night in Tampa Bay.

Linderbaum is a former first-round pick who has quickly lived up to his draft billing in 2022. In his first encounter with Tampa Bay back in 2022 he embarrassed former Bucs inside linebacker Devin White on a couple of occasions, driving him way down field and out of the play. He had his hands full with Vea in their first matchup, surrendering a sack and a pair of pressures. But Linderbaum has become one of the league’s best centers since his rookie season and made his first Pro Bowl last year.

With an 89.5 overall grade, Linderbaum is the Ravens’ second-highest graded offensive player behind Derrick Henry (90.9), according to Pro Football Reference. His 89.9 run blocking grade is elite, as Linderbaum powers the Ravens’ run game between the tackles, as well as getting outside on pulling plays. Vea has a 68.8 overall grade, but is playing better than PFF suggests he is. The winner of this matchup could dictate which team wins the trenches on Monday night – Tampa Bay’s defense or Baltimore’s offense.