The PewterReport.com staff shares its thoughts on the upcoming Bucs game and pick who we think we win, including a score prediction and a pick-to-click – a Tampa Bay player we think will play really well. Let us know you thoughts and add your prediction in the comment section.

PewterReport.com Publisher/Bucs Beat Writer Scott Reynolds

I don’t want to keep picking against the Bucs, but until they can show me they can actually win a game they don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. This will be an interesting game because the Bucs got a sneak peek at a better, more experienced version of Cardinals QB Kyler Murray last week when Tampa Bay played against Seattle Pro Bowler Russell Wilson. I think that will benefit the Bucs defense, especially the younger players like middle linebacker Devin White, who had a breakout game with 12 tackles, two fumble recoveries and a half a sack. I expect defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to continue to use White as a spy, this time on the ultra-quick Murray, who can beat opponents with his arm or legs.

Bucs ILB Devin White and Seahawks QB Russell Wilson – Photo by: Getty Images

While rookie cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting has played well over the last three games, fellow rookie cornerback Jamel Dean looked lost in his first extensive action on defense last week in Seattle. Dean broke up four passes, but was targeted often and allowed nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns between covering D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Look for Arizona to try to line up future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald and rookie speedster Andy Isabella on Dean to test how much he has improved from his first game to his second game.

The Bucs will need to get some pressure on Murray to force quick throws and generate sacks. Another big game is needed from outside rushers Shaq Barrett (10.5 sacks) and Jason Pierre-Paul (1.5 sacks), in addition to the inside push from nose tackle Vita Vea.

On offense, Jameis Winston needs to stay away from turnovers and play smart football, scrambling when the opportunity presents itself and throwing the ball way when the play isn’t there. Ronald Jones II must continue to play well as the team’s starting running back to provide balance to the offense and take some of the pressure off Winston. The Cardinals won’t be able to take away both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, so one of them will need to produce a 100-yard game, in addition to tight end O.J. Howard, who returns from his hamstring injury. Arizona has struggled to cover the tight end, so there could be an opportunity for Howard to make some plays.

Reynolds’ Score Prediction: Cardinals 34, Bucs 31
Reynolds’ Pick To Click: MLB Devin White
Reynolds’ Season Record: 2-6

PewterReport.com Editor/Bucs Beat Writer Mark Cook

Come on guys. Picking the Cardinals to win this game? Every staff member picked Arizona to win on our podcast this week and their reasoning was, until the Bucs win again they aren’t picking them. That’s just being over emotional and not looking at things objectively. Next thing you are going to try and tell me is you believe in voodoo, black clouds and kicking curses. Eh, well, about the kicking curse, you might have been onto something there.

But I digress.

The Bucs are the better team. The Bucs are the most experienced team. The Bucs have a better coaching staff. The Bucs weren’t the worst team in the NFL last year. The Bucs aren’t starting a rookie quarterback coached by a rookie coach.

The Bucs will beat the Cardinals and it shouldn’t even be close. It will probably be closer than it should be, but the Bucs will win.

Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

You can point to Daniel Jones perforce in his first start and make a case that Arizona QB Kyler Murray is better. But the Bucs secondary is also better. No, that wasn’t a typo. They are better, at least in terms of experience, and despite their woeful rankings and dismal performance last week in Seattle they are learning and getting a little better each snap. , Plus, Murray is no Russell Wilson.

The Bucs will miss Carl Nassib and Anthony Nelson but this is a game where Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre Paul could have big games. The Cardinals offensive line is not among the best in the league, and can be exploited. Add Devin White coming into his own with his 12 tackles and two forced fumble performance last week and there is enough juice left in Tampa Bay’s front seven to get home and help out a young secondary.

Offensively the Bucs have been getting better, and if Jameis Winston plays a clean game as he did last week, this one might not even be close. Ronald Jones will come close to 100 yards rushing and pick you poison when deciding which receiver to shut down. Double Mike Evans? Great, here you go Chris Godwin, 150 yards and two touchdowns. Double Godwin and Evans might get 200 yards this week. And the wild card in this is tight end O.J. Howard who is focused on having a bounce back second half of the year.

The Bucs win and do so convincingly. I think.

Cook’s Score Prediction: Bucs 31, Cardinals 20
Cook’s Pick To Click: TE O.J. Howard
Cook’s Season Record: 0-8

PewterReport.com Bucs Beat Reporter Trevor Sikkema

The Cardinals wins have come against some crappy teams. The combined win percentage of the three teams they have beaten is pretty dang low. But the Cardinals beat bad teams, and you know what the Buccaneers are?

You guessed it.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This team has talent – I used to use the words “a lot” in front of the word talent when describing the Buccaneers, but I can’t anymore – however, they can’t figure it out. I don’t blame the secondary. They’re young. They’re supposed to be bad. I blame the team building philosophy for putting them in a place to have to start four rookies on the back end. But blame, right now, is neither here nor there. Whatever it is, I don’t think it’s enough.

This Bucs offense should absolutely be able to have their way with Arizona. But I’ve thought that plenty of times over the years. This should be a game where tight end O.J. Howard gets back to form, where wide receiver Chris Godwin gets involved like he did during the first quarter of the season, and you know what, I’ll say running back Ronald Jones busts open his first long touchdown run of his career this week.

But will it be enough? Somehow, someway, I’ll say no.

Outside of Chandler Jones, this Cardinals teams doesn’t have much on defense. They have Patrick Peterson, but one piece in the secondary doesn’t do much — or should I say it shouldn’t. On the flip side, the Bucs did a nice job of containing Russell Wilson and I think they can do the same with quarterback Kyler Murray. But I do think the blitzing by the Bucs will open up the pass for the Cardinals.

Ultimately, Tampa Bay should win this game. But I say that a lot.

Prove it.

Sikkema’s Score Prediction: Cardinals 27, Bucs 26
Sikkema’s Pick To Click: RB Ronald Jones
Sikkema’s Season Record: 2-6

PewterReport.com Bucs Beat Writer Taylor Jenkins

The Bucs will finally return home on Sunday to face the Arizona Cardinals after seven weeks of world travel.

Tampa Bay has the more talented roster in this matchup but between the Bucs’ penchant for ill-timed turnovers and a defensive backfield that’s allowing the most passing yards and second-most points per game in the league it’s always going to be tough to win games.

I think that Arizona will try to establish the run early with their duo of David Johnson and Kenyan Drake but game flow will eventually lead to a high-scoring game where the Bucs continue their trend of shutting down a talented backfield and forcing rookie Kyler Murray to beat them through the air. That would be a great strategy if teams weren’t consistently shredding Tampa Bay’s young secondary.

In a back and forth battle the end result will likely come down to turnovers and that’s really where a line can be drawn. While Winston is tied for the league lead with 12 interceptions, also fumbling nine times and losing four of them, Murray has been extremely safe with the ball as a first-year passer. Murray has turned the ball over just four times this season via four interceptions.

Murray is also another extremely mobile quarterback that Tampa Bay’s defense will have to plan around, arguably providing more speed at the position than Russell Wilson, and like I said last week the Bucs will have to get after Murray, convert pressures to sacks and not let him get comfortable or improvise outside of their contain. With the necessity to run man coverage with an inexperienced secondary it will be interesting to see how the Bucs attempt to balance leaving one of their inside linebackers home to spy Murray while still sending extra pressure to assist a hobbled pass rush that will be without outside linebackers Carl Nassib and Anthony Nelson.

I think that Tampa Bay is the better team in this game but the Bucs have also shown me that they’re more adept at finding ways to lose games than winning them. With that said, I can’t pick them to win until I’ve seen that they even remember how to.

Jenkins’ Score Prediction: Cardinals 34, Bucs 24
Jenkins’ Pick-to-Click: QB Jameis Winston
Jenkins’ Season Record: 1-7

PewterReport.com Bucs Beat Writer Matt Matera

Everything on paper says that the Bucs should defeat the Cardinals handily on Sunday, but everything the Bucs have done this season leads you to believe there will be another letdown. The Bucs have always had the potential of defeating any team in this league if they put it together. Time and time again, though, the Bucs do something wrong that ends up in a loss, whether self inflicted or not. The Bucs don’t get any benefit of the doubt that they’ll defeat at team that they should beat.

Jameis Winston and the Bucs offense played one of their best games last week against Seattle and yet they still lost. Now, they get to face a secondary that is actually just as bad as their own. Arizona allows an average 280.7 passing yards per game, while the Bucs come in at 293.5, but the Cardinals do have Patrick Peterson back, which should bring down those numbers. Peterson is still one of the best in the game and he’ll see a lot of Mike Evans, but he can’t account for the whole defense, so I expect to see a big game from Jameis Winston and Chris Godwin. Look for a heavy dose of Ronald Jones as well.

Bucs corner Carlton Davis is out this week, which means that Jamel Dean will get another crack at starting corner. I think Dean’s experience last week actually benefits him on Sunday now that he gets a full week to prepare. Is it going to save the Bucs defense? No. The defense has such a tough time getting off the field even with a good front seven, so why should it be any different this week. The Cardinals have strong running game with David Johnson and Kenyan Drake, and the offense only has four turnovers with rookie quarterback Kyler Murray. The Bucs defense had to deal with the quickness of Russell Wilson a week ago, and now they have an even faster quarterback this week. Murray might be a rookie, but that doesn’t matter when the Bucs already lost to a rookie at home this season.

This has the makings of another game where the Bucs have a lead in the fourth quarter, but once again they can’t hold on late. For every part of their game that goes right for the Bucs, something else goes wrong, and the bad has outweighed the good this season, which is why they’ve lost four straight. Arizona wins in another close game.

Matera’s Score Prediction: Cardinals 33, Bucs 30
Matera’s Pick-To-Click: WR Chris Godwin 
Matera’s Season Record: 3-5