Game Preview and Prediction

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Full Tampa Bay Game PreviewBy Luke Easterling  Oct 8, 2015Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to avoid dropping their 12th straight home game this week as they host the in-state rival Jacksonville Jaguars.Both teams enter the Week 5 matchup with a 1-3 record.Tampa Bay is coming off a sloppy 37-23 home loss to the Carolina Panthers marred by five turnovers and continued problems in the kicking game. The Jags lost a heartbreaker in Week 4, falling in overtime to the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 16-13.Neither head coach—Tampa Bay's Lovie Smith and Jacksonville's Gus Bradley—can afford a loss to a fellow 1-3 team, as both teams are slowly losing the confidence of their fanbases. Which team will rise to the challenge and take home the victory this week?Bucs fans, here's everything you need to know about this week's game.Viewing InfoDate: Sunday, October 11Time: 1 p.m. ETLocation: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FloridaTV: CBSWeek 4 Results and RecapJonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports Team                               W L T PCT       PF PA StreakCarolina Panthers               4 0 0 1.000       108 71 W4Atlanta Falcons                   4 0 0 1.000       137 93 W4Tampa Bay Buccaneers       1 3 0 .250         72 117    L2New Orleans Saints             1 3 0 .250            86 104  W1After getting blown out at home in Week 1 but showing improvement over the following two games, the Bucs were rudely welcomed back to Raymond James Stadium last week by the Carolina Panthers to the tune of a 37-23 loss.Jameis Winston threw four interceptions, including a pick-six to Carolina's Josh Norman on Tampa Bay's second possession, while Kyle Brindza missed three more kicks after missing four the week before.The Bucs outgained Carolina 411-244 on offense, but Tampa Bay's turnovers gave the Panthers too many opportunities to score easy points with a short field. The Bucs also failed to capitalize on their own chances, such as a dropped interception in the end zone and coming away with no points after forcing a turnover in Carolina territory on the first drive of the second half.The real backbreaker came when Bucs safety Chris Conte forced a fumble in the second half, but the ball popped right into the hands of Carolina tight end Ed Dickson, who raced 57 yards for a touchdown. Instead of getting the ball down just seven points, the Bucs saw Carolina's lead stretch to 14 points.Tampa Bay did have a couple of bright spots, both on offense. Doug Martin rushed for a season-high 106 yards on 20 carries, scoring a touchdown and catching five passes for 37 yards. Vincent Jackson led the team with 147 yards on 10 catches, finding the end zone himself late in the game.News and NotesJamie Squire/Getty Images Close CallsSince they're not in the same conference, the Bucs and Jags have met sparingly since Jacksonville's team entered the NFL in 1995.But as Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com points out, there's often plenty of late-game drama when these two teams do get together:Jacksonville was on the winning side of that most recent meeting, a 41-14 decision in 2011 that came during a 10-game losing streak for the Buccaneers. Prior to that, however, the two teams had met four times, with all four games decided by one score, and each team recording a one-point victory. All four were decided in the fourth quarter, usually in the closing minutes.The Bucs have already endured enough blowout losses under head coach Lovie Smith, so they'll be hoping to send the Jags home empty-handed this time around, even if it's one of their customary nail-biters."Barth Vader" ReturnsAfter newcomer Kyle Brindza missed seven kicks over the past two games, the Bucs released the Notre Dame product and brought back a familiar face in Connor Barth to take over the kicking duties.Barth is excited to rejoin his former team but understands the business aspect of the NFL, per the Associated Press (via FoxSports.com):It's a business. I'm just looking forward to coming in here and helping this team win some games.I think it's pretty normal for a kicker [to move from team to team]. It's very rare these days you're going to stick with one team. You've got to look at as a business, and you're kind of a consultant. There are 32 jobs (in the NFL). It's just a blessing to play and be one of 32 guys.Brindza's range on both kickoffs and field goals was attractive, but Barth offers the consistency the Bucs need from their kicker. The veteran's strong suit is accuracy, which should be a breath of fresh air for Tampa Bay fans after the last two games.Winston's Rookie Mistakes Unacceptable, But Not SurprisingAfter a four-interception performance last week, Jameis Winston took plenty of the blame for the Bucs' 37-23 loss to the Carolina Panthers, and rightfully so.But offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter knows his quarterback has what it takes to succeed and that it's no surprise he's having early struggles, per Zach Shapiro of PewterReport.com:We have a rookie quarterback and he’s playing inconsistent. What’s the next news flash? When you draft a guy and you start playing him from Day 1, is it acceptable? No. Does anyone have to tell Jameis? No. Jameis does see the field well; that’s one of his strengths. He just has to get off to a better start and I have to help him get off to a better start.Winston has shown flashes of potential but has also struggled with his decision-making and ball placement, leading to costly turnovers. Even so, he's only four games into his NFL career and has shown plenty of encouraging signs, and he should only continue to improve as the season wears on.Latest Injury NewsChris O'Meara/Associated Press Player                       Position InjuryGerald McCoy              DT ShoulderJohnthan Banks           CB KneeAustin Seferian-Jenkins TE ShoulderMajor Wright                 S AbdomenEvan Smith                   C AnkleRussell Shepard          WR HamstringLuke Stocker                 TE Hip*All injury information courtesy of Buccaneers.comTampa Bay's injured list isn't terribly long this week, but some key players could be limited or unavailable altogether for Sunday's game.While McCoy's limited participation in Wednesday's practice is a good sign regarding his status for Sunday, Banks was unable to practice and is in danger of missing yet another game. The Bucs aren't terribly deep at corner, and Banks is their best cover man, so his absence would be a huge blow to the secondary again this week.Seferian-Jenkins isn't likely to be back this week, while Smith was also unable to practice on Wednesday. Tampa Bay's passing game has definitely missed the presence of their second-year tight end, while veteran Joe Hawley has played fairly well at center while starting for the injured Smith.It looks like the secondary could get a boost this week with the return of Wright, who was a full participant in Wednesday's practice and looks to be on track to play Sunday.Shepard is the team's best special teamer, so being without him would leave a noticeable hole, while Stocker's limited participation in Wednesday's practice is encouraging considering the team's lack of depth at tight end.Top MatchupsMichael Hickey/Getty Images Bucs corners vs. Jaguars WR Allen RobinsonTampa Bay might be missing its best cover man again this week, as Johnthan Banks is still dealing with an injury and wasn't able to practice on Wednesday. The secondary will need all the help it can get as it faces one of the league's more underrated young receivers in Robinson.A second-round pick out of Penn State in 2014, Robinson struggled with injuries as a rookie but has been a big-play magnet so far this year, averaging 22 yards per catch. If Banks is out of the lineup—he's the team's biggest corner at 6'2"—Tampa Bay could have a lot of trouble containing the 6'3", 215-pound Robinson.Bucs offensive line vs. Jaguars defensive lineSuccess starts up front for the Bucs, and though their offensive line has taken plenty of grief in the early going this year, the unit has slowly improved over the first four games. This week, the line will face a Jags defense that is tied for ninth in the NFL in sacks with nine, so protecting Jameis Winston could be quite a challenge.If the Bucs are up to the task, they could take advantage of a Jacksonville defense that hasn't been able to force many takeaways. So far, the Jags have only registered one interception and two fumble recoveries, which bodes well for Winston, who is coming off a four-interception performance last week.X-FactorKim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Bucs' X-Factor of the Week: WR Mike EvansAfter a record-setting rookie campaign in 2014, expectations were high for Evans coming into this season. But a preseason hamstring injury kept the former top-10 pick from playing in Week 1 or tallying a reception in Week 2, and he's still trying to shake off the rust as the early part of the season moves along.Evans has struggled with drops, but he's still flashing the rare talent that made him the seventh overall pick in last year's draft. Even with the focus troubles, Evans still put up over 100 yards receiving in Tampa Bay's Week 3 win over the New Orleans Saints.Through four weeks of regular-season play, Evans has caught just 10 passes for 133 yards and has yet to find the end zone after posting a franchise-record 12 scores a year ago. With his rookie quarterback coming off a rough outing last week, it's time for Evans to reclaim his role as the team's top target and big-play threat in a must-win game for the Bucs this week.PredictionDon Juan Moore/Getty Images It may only be Week 5, but if there's such a thing as a must-win game, this is it for Bucs head coach Lovie Smith.Tampa Bay is just 3-17 during Smith's tenure so far, and it has yet to win a game at home. With a struggling Jaguars team paying a visit to Raymond James Stadium this week, the Bucs simply can't afford another embarrassing defeat in front of their home crowd.This game should tell us a lot about the heart and soul of the Bucs. Are they the kind of team that will understand the importance of taking care of business against a beatable opponent, knowing their head coach needs a win badly? This game will prove what kind of leadership is present in the Tampa Bay locker room under the likes of Gerald McCoy, Vincent Jackson and Lavonte David.The Bucs will take care of business this week, getting after Blake Bortles and forcing multiple takeaways while riding Doug Martin and a strong running game to keep Winston out of 3rd-and-long situations. If he can minimize his mistakes and keep the defense fresh with long drives, the Bucs should get Smith that elusive home win.Final Prediction: Bucs 24, Jaguars 13link