FAB 4. Bucs at Raiders – 4 Match-ups To Watch

Each week you can find 4 Match-ups to Watch in the Fab 4 section of my SR’s Fab 5 columns. Here is an advanced look at Tampa Bay’s game at Las Vegas where the 4-2 Bucs will battle the Raiders (3-2) in a pirate clash for the ages on Sunday Night Football. Tampa Bay is coming off a big, 38-10 win over Green Bay and Las Vegas had a bye week after scoring a big, 40-32 win at Kansas City two weeks ago.

Bucs SS Jordan Whitehead vs. Raiders TE Darren Waller

The Raiders’ passing attack starts with Waller, who leads the team with 46 targets and 34 receptions for 295 yards and two touchdowns. Waller is only averaging a pedestrian 8.7 yards per catch, but he’s got good hands and at 6-foot-6, 255 pounds he has the size to break tackles and get yards after the catch. While being a chain-mover for Jon Gruden’s offense, where Waller excels is in the red zone, as he has two touchdowns on the year.

Bucs S Jordan Whitehead – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Whitehead won’t exclusively be matched up with Waller as safety Antoine Winfield, Jr., nickel cornerback Sean Murphy Bunting and even big cornerback Jamel Dean could see some action against him on Sunday night. But defensive coordinator Todd Bowles likes to match up Whitehead against tight ends because of his physicality and decent coverage ability. Whitehead is short at 5-foot-10, and that’s a concern for Tampa Bay as it’s a size mismatch that favors the Raiders. But Whitehead is a pretty solid defender within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, and that’s where Waller does most of his work. Don’t be surprised to see the Raiders try to mix it up and send Waller on some vertical routes Sunday night.
ADVANTAGE: Waller

Bucs CB Jamel Dean vs. Raiders WR Henry Ruggs III

Ruggs was drafted in the first round to be Las Vegas’ deep vertical threat and so far he’s delivered, averaging a ridiculous 29.5 yards per catch with six receptions for 177 yards and a touchdown. While veteran Nelson Agholor is the more experienced and productive receiver with three touchdowns this season, Ruggs is capable of making a game-changing big play downfield at any time. His vertical presence opens things up underneath for Waller to operate and move the chains.

Bucs CB Jamel Dean – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Dean, who is Tampa Bay’s fastest cornerback, will have his hands full Sunday night, and needs to play like he’s working for the secret service. What that means is that Dean can’t give up a single shot from Ruggs in Las Vegas because it could be deadly. Dean had a game-changing pick-six in last week’s 38-10 win over Green Bay after recording two interceptions last year as a rookie, and he has six passes defensed in the first six games of the season. The Raiders will try to get Ruggs matched up on the slower Carlton Davis III, but Bowles can’t let that happen and must have Dean travel with Ruggs wherever he lines up on the field.
Advantage: Dean

Bucs RT Tristan Wirfs vs. Raiders DE Maxx Crosby

The Raiders struggle getting to the quarterback and have just seven sacks through five games. The biggest pass rushing threat Las Vegas has is Maxx Crosby, who leads the team with four sacks in 2020 after notching 10 last year as a rookie. No other Raider has more than one sack so far. Crosby has had at least one sack in each of the last three games this season and will have to get to Tom Brady if Las Vegas stands a chance of winning.

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

Keeping Crosby away from Brady will be Wirfs’ job. He bounced back in a big way last week against Green Bay after a rough outing in Chicago where he had a holding penalty and gave up the first sack of his NFL career to All-Pro Khalil Mack. Crosby doesn’t have elite quickness like Mack does, and he’s not as strong or as experienced as New Orleans Pro Bowler Cameron Jordan, whom Wirfs faced in Week 1 in his rookie debut. Crosby is relentless and has good length, but Wirfs should be able to handle him. If that happens, the Raiders will struggle to get to Brady.
ADAVANTAGE: Wirfs

Bucs RB Ronald Jones II vs. Raiders’ Front Seven

Las Vegas has really struggled in run defense this year, and is ranked 22nd in the league, allowing 126.8 yards per game. The Raiders defense has also surrendered 11 rushing touchdowns, which is the most in the league. Safeties Johnathan Abram and Erik Harris lead the team in tackles with 28 and 26, respectively, and that’s never a good thing. That means that teams that run the ball often get to third level before they are stopped. It’s never a good thing for safeties to lead the team in tackles. It should be linebackers, and Corey Littleton and Nicholas Morrow are average at best. Las Vegas gets Nick Kwiatoski back from injury this week and he’s been the team’s best lineabcker. The Raiders have just 15 tackles for a loss this year, or an average of three per game. By comparison, the Bucs have 37 tackles for loss, an average of six per game, and that’s a big reason why Tampa Bay has the league’s top rushing defense.

Bucs RB Ronald Jones II – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Jones enters the game as the league’s fifth-leading rusher with 472 yards and a healthy 4.9 average. He should have his fourth straight 100-yard game on Sunday night against a very poor tackling team in Las Vegas. The Raiders have 56 missed tackles in five games, which is the second-highest number in the NFL behind the New York Jets’ 66. By comparison, Tampa Bay is tied for the sixth-fewest missed tackles with just 29 in six games. Jones has taken his game to another level this year and incorporated a wicked stiff-arm and a nice spin move to his repertoire. Look for RoJo to make the Raiders miss some more tackles on Sunday night.