It’s GAME DAY at Glory Days Grill – Come watch football all season long!

Bucs game day is approaching, and it’s time for the PewterReport.com staff to offer up its weekly game predictions.
Let us know what you think in the article comments section and add your prediction, too.

BUCCANEERS vs. GIANTS

WHEN: Monday, November 22, 2021 | WHERE: Raymond James Stadium | KICKOFF: 8:20 p.m. ET | TV: ESPN

PLAY-BY-PLAY: Steve Levy |ANALYST: Brian Griese and Louis Riddick | SIDELINE: Lisa Salters

RADIO: 98 ROCK 97.9 FM | PLAY-BY-PLAY: Gene Deckerhoff | ANALYST: Dave Moore | SIDELINE: T.J. Rives

SPANISH RADIO: 96.1 FM | PLAY-BY-PLAY: Carlos Bohorquez | ANALYST: Martin Gramatica

Join Pewter Report’s Matt Matera on PewterReport.com’s Red Board to talk Bucs football for a
live game day chat, starting at noon ET on Sunday all the way through to the final whistle.
Click the link below to access the Game Day Thread on the Red Board.

JOIN THE GAME DAY THREAD BY CLICKING HERE AND JOIN THE DISCUSSION!

– Game Days At Glory Days Grill –

BACK THE BRAVE IN EVERY BITE! Glory Days Grill has created a new HERO burger in support of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Feed your appetite and do some good for our heroes.The HERO burger is made with two hand-crafted house blend burgers, topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and shaved onion on a King’s Hawaiian roll.  For every HERO burger sold, Glory Days Grill is donating $1 back to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Glory Days Grill guests will also have the opportunity to round up their check or made a donation.

Glory Days Grill

Brandon | Brooksville | Carrollwood | Fort Myers | Lakeland | New Tampa | Odessa/Lutz | Palm Harbor | Riverview | Sarasota |
St. Petersburg | Tallahassee | Tyrone | Wesley Chapel

Not only did the Bucs lose two in a row, so did I because I picked Tampa Bay to beat both New Orleans and Washington. I don’t see the Bucs losing three straight games, especially with Tom Brady at the helm. The only time Brady has lost three games in a row was in 2002, which was his first full season as the Patriots starter. New England lost four games that season and finished 9-7 without a playoff berth. If Tampa Bay loses to New York at home where the team is undefeated (4-0) then sound the alarm bells.

Bucs S Antoine Winfield, Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

Last Sunday, Tampa Bay scored just 19 points in a road game for the second time this year. But the Bucs are much more prolific at Raymond James Stadium where the team is scoring 40.5 points per game. Yet it’s foolish to think the Bucs will automatically show up and score 40. I expect a much closer game against the Giants with the Bucs barely scoring 30. Remember, Daniel Jones came down to Tampa Bay and beat Todd Bowles defense, 32-31, in his first game as a rookie starter in 2019. Last year it took a broken up two-point conversion by Antoine Winfield, Jr. to allow the Bucs to escape from New York with a 25-23 victory.

Outside linebackers Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul have just about been invisible the last two games and need to come through with some sacks and takeaways. I think Brady rebounds from an uneven performance in the nation’s capital and gets the Bucs over 30 points, which should be enough to win. Bowles’ defense had been playing well at home, but the Giants have some speed at receiver that the Bucs need to account for and the secondary might struggle with, in addition to Jones’ scrambling ability.

Reynolds’ Score Prediction: Buccaneers 31, Giants 26
Reynolds’ Season Record: 6-3

Jon Ledyard: Bucs Aren’t Fully Right Yet, But Emerge Victorious

If you were hoping for a frustration-free evening on Monday, I’m sorry to disappoint. Tampa Bay’s offense should get Rob Gronkowski and Scotty Miller back, which could help. But the Giants defense has plenty of talent and is playing much better in recent weeks. Their secondary is strong and deep, with improved play over the past month from top cornerback James Bradberry and safety Xavier McKinney. Their 4-man rush isn’t elite, but the Bucs will need to be ready for blitzes and games up front.

The game will be a challenge for the Bucs offense, especially without Antonio Brown. Can they make more plays down the field than they did against Washington? Will Evans get the best of Bradberry again? The Bucs offense will do enough to win and get some confidence back, but I’m not expecting the 40+ points they’ve been averaging at home. One thing that would help the Bucs immensely is an increase in play-action. The Giants linebackers are weak, and play-action could seriously boost the Tampa Bay passing game. But the Bucs remain near the bottom of the league in play-action percentage.

However, I think the Bucs pass rush will rise up. Shaq Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka will combine for several sacks, and Daniel Jones will make a costly error or two. The Bucs defense is in serious gut-check mode. They’ve been embarrassed for two straight weeks with the game on the line. This time, with Jones and the Giants driving for the game-winning score, Tampa Bay’s defense rises up.

Ledyard’s Score Prediction: Buccaneers 27, Giants 22
Ledyard’s Season Record: 8-1

Matt Matera: Bucs Still Don’t Look Like Themselves…But Win Anyway

There are a couple of teams that have given the Bucs a tough go of it in recent seasons. The Saints and Rams come to mind as they’ve beaten Tampa Bay in seven out of eight possible chances in the Bruce Arians era, but the Giants are another opponent that haven’t made things easy. New York defeated Tampa Bay in Daniel Jones’ first career start back in 2019. They were also a two-point conversion away from taking the Bucs to overtime last season. Will it be another close game this year? That’s the last thing the Bucs need right now.

Tom Brady hardly loses two games in a row, so the thought of him losing three in a row is unimaginable. If they can get Rob Gronkowksi and Scotty Miller back this week, that would pay off immensely with Antonio Brown still out. The Bucs don’t get much production from their tight ends outside of Gronk, and Miller’s insertion into the lineup can stretch the field to opening things up for others.

It’s very obvious that the Bucs are a better team at home, averaging over 40 points a game. The Giants are a really scrappy team, though, who usually keep it close regardless of their opponent. That defensive line is nothing to gloss over, and the offense has some good players when Jones is functioning. You also have to factor in for the Bucs that Mike Evans has dominated when these teams match up. We’re looking at another game that’s tight, but this time it’s Brady and the Bucs that score a touchdown late to put it out of reach.

Matera’s Score Prediction: Buccaneers 30, Giants 20
Matera’s Season Record: 6-3

Paul Atwal: Bucs Win, But It’s Closer Than It Should Be

Right now, this is a disjointed team with way too many question marks all around. Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich, putting first down runs and play action usage aside (though that’s admittedly a huge aside), have been serviceable, but not remarkable, play callers. The same goes for the players over the last few weeks. The offense had an overall strong game against the Saints, and they were outright dominant in the second half against the Football Team. They just hardly had the ball. However, the expectation, rightly so, for this offense is not to be pretty good or to play a great half. The expectation is to be dominant. End of story. New York’s defense has prioritized taking away big plays, and that’s reflected by their opponents’ low average depth of target. Explosive opportunities might be few and far between, but Tom Brady has to see them when they’re there. 

The defense is trickier. Todd Bowles is continuing to send the heat, and it’s not working. The problem is that the four-man rush isn’t working, either. For as banged up as the secondary is, they’ve done a commendable job. They just can’t be asked to cover all day. Bowles schematically makes it too easy for the opponents at times, too. I’d like to see more tight man coverage — like the Bucs did in last year’s playoffs (yes, even with the banged up secondary!). Challenge Daniel Jones to make accurate throws into tight windows. Don’t make it easy with soft, spot-dropping zones. The Bucs hardly used man coverage last week, but when they did, Tampa Bay made it harder on Washington. 

The Bucs had no business losing last week, and they have no business losing this week either. I would love to predict a blowout win, but, unfortunately, the Bucs have done a lot to lose that luster. I have confidence that the Bucs will win, but I don’t have confidence that they’ll string together a clean and dominant game like they should.

Atwal’s Score Prediction: Buccaneers 28, Giants 24
Atwal’s Season Record: 7-2

Kasey Hudson: Bucs Jump To 7-3 On Monday Night

This was probably one of the hardest losses to turn the page on, after Washington upset the Buccaneers on Sunday. Washington did just enough to beat the defending Super Bowl champions, and the Giants are capable of doing the same. When the Buccaneers faced off with the Giants last season, New York fell short of a win by 2 points. They controlled the first half of the game, forcing the Buccaneers to play catch-up. Daniel Jones has been inconsistent, but in his more shining moments has done quite well. With 352 receiving yards this season and two big games against the Cowboys and Saints, rookie Kadarius Toney and his speed can present an issue to the Buccaneers secondary.

The only thing standing in the way of the Giants potential win is the fact that Tom Brady losing three games in a row is a rare occurrence. The Buccaneers offense will have to control the game early. Dropped passes and predictable play calls can turn this game into a good one for the Giants’ defense. The Giants’ defense has allowed an average of 13 points over their last three games. Safety Xavier McKinney poses a threat to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers offense if they lack clean concise execution. McKinney has racked up 4 interceptions this season. What defensive player doesn’t want to pick off the GOAT?

Dramatics aside, the Bucs offense has the ability to perform even without Antonio Brown. More time on the field is a good start. As for the other side of the ball, if Devin White’s energy can be shared and the middle of the field doesn’t look like a tarmac to land plays, the Buccaneers can redeem themselves. Otherwise, it will become concerning if the boys cannot get the job done at home.

Hudson’s Score Prediction: Buccaneers 28, Giants 20
Hudson’s Season Record: 6-3