As discussed in another thread, the Week 1 game against the Commanders is booked by most fans as a "W." Vegas not as confident, but Bucs are favored:
"The Buccaneers are a 3-point favorite over the Commanders in NFL Week 1 odds for the game, courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook.
Tampa Bay is -165 on the moneyline, while Washington is +140.
The over/under (point total) is set at 41.5 points"
Will the Bucs:
1) come out of the gate strong and dominate the game early and throughout?
2) WIN, but a close call with either a 4th Qtr come back or stopping the Commanders on a last drive?
3) Lose a close one because of a key big play (eg bad turnover, receiver getting deep) or call?
4) Lose a game where they were always off-center, not in-sync.
I hope there are enough players around from 2021 who remember the playoff game where Taylor Heineke almost derailed the Superbowl run. The only chance Washington has is to get Daniels loose on the ground. He'll be scrambling around for first downs the first sign that his receivers are covered. The Bucs have to keep him from ripping off long yardage running plays.
I hope there are enough players around from 2021 who remember the playoff game where Taylor Heineke almost derailed the Superbowl run. The only chance Washington has is to get Daniels loose on the ground. He'll be scrambling around for first downs the first sign that his receivers are covered. The Bucs have to keep him from ripping off long yardage running plays.
This is why I suspect Bowles will stick to using a lot of zones on defense, and less m2m to avoid Daniels gaining big yards from scrambles IMO. The problem is that N. Brown, McLaurin or D. Brown can really hurt the Bucs zone with simple go routes up the seem or skinny posts.
It all comes down to the edge players to keep things contained and kicked to the inside for LVD and the rest to clean up.
On offense, the new look Bucs OL will be tested by one of the toughest NFL defensive interiors. But I think the Bucs WR, TE and RB groups can take advantage of a WASH pass defense that has not really found its footing yet early on and it is still in a state of flux.
Wagner is going to make it tough to run but if the Bucs rookie Barton can climb and isolate him the Bucs may have a run game and are cooking. Also, Wagner is the weak link in that front seven as Otton can abuse him as well as White/Irving out of the backfield in passing situations.
I think if the Bucs offense can score early and the Bucs defense shut down WASH from moving the ball too much they have a chance at a win.
The only chance Washington has is to get Daniels loose on the ground.
Similar sentiments were shared about CJ last year.
Well because it's Game 1 for Daniels I think you have to make him beat you by the pass. He won't have the familiarity with receivers nor will he be able to read defenses. But he will be able to use his legs if given the chance, and that's what he'll be looking to do to bail himself out. Over time he'll probably become a very good quarterback, but this is his first game ever. Make him pass the ball.The only chance Washington has is to get Daniels loose on the ground.
Similar sentiments were shared about CJ last year.
Daniel’s did have a good preseason but surprising spread -3 was expecting more in the-5 -6. I think we gameplan for Daniel’s the same we gameplan for hurts keep the pressure linear hold gaps don’t get caught lacking on rpos, qb power. Make the throws uncomfortable by pushing the pocket. Don’t give easy throws where he can recognize the hot. Unless Daniel’s is the second coming I expect a pretty win
If Lovie was HC Daniels would be 13/15 with 4 TDs #TennesseeReady
34-20, TB
WAS secondary is not going to be good. Kingsbury often struggles in the RZ. Quinn is overrated. Should be a fast start for TB's offense, while the WAS offense struggles until garbage time.
Interested to see: Will this offense be as good as we think? We know Bowles defense struggles with mobile QB’s - but looking forward to seeing if the zone scheme improves that, and can cover the field with more depth.
TBH, it’s hard to suppress my excitement at this point!
We may be able to do that right now, but to think you can shut him down by making him run …ignores the fact that he has an arm, and with McLauren, an outlet. That is a problem - McLauren can take the top off of a defense.Well because it's Game 1 for Daniels I think you have to make him beat you by the pass. He won't have the familiarity with receivers nor will he be able to read defenses. But he will be able to use his legs if given the chance, and that's what he'll be looking to do to bail himself out. Over time he'll probably become a very good quarterback, but this is his first game ever. Make him pass the ball.The only chance Washington has is to get Daniels loose on the ground.
Similar sentiments were shared about CJ last year.
I think the bigger key for us is that Washington’s pass rush doesn’t look to be NFL-ready - so our offense may be the key for victory.
We’ll soon see!
in the latest Pewter Pulse. SR says the Bucs are NOT looking past this first game
"The Bucs have a big-time rematch against the Lions in Detroit in Week 2 and Tampa Bay is out for revenge. But first the team has its season opener against Washington. Is there a chance that the Bucs could be looking past the Commanders and ahead to Week 2"
Kancey questionable
