FAB 4. Bucs at Broncos – 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 the Bucs’ game at Denver where the team takes on the 0-2 Broncos as Tampa Bay (1-1) tries to get its first road win of the season.

OLB Shaquil Barrett vs. RT Elijah Wilkinson

We featured Barrett last week against Taylor Moton and he fared okay, but more is expected out of the league’s leading sacker from a year ago. Playing the left side of the line has not gone well for Barrett this year as he’s been held sackless through the first two games of the season going up against right tackles and facing more double teams as opposed to going against left tackles on an island as he did for most of last year. Barrett has had five hurries in each of the last two games, according to Pro Football Focus, but hasn’t even registered a hit on a quarterback yet. That should change when he returns home to Denver where he played for five years, and takes on a Broncos offensive line that surrendered seven sacks last week at Pittsburgh. He should have an advantage over Wilkinson.

Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Against the Steelers, Wilkinson earned an awful 37.7 overall grade, according to PFF, including a 23.5 pass block grade as he allowed two hurries, one ht and one sack while struggling to block Pro Bowl outside linebacker T.J. Watt. Wilkinson has never earned a season pass block grade higher than 62 since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2017. There has even been some talk in Denver of starting newly signed Demar Dotson, who spent the last decade in Tampa Bay as the Bucs’ starting right tackle, especially since he has experience going up against Barrett in practice. The problem is that Dotson is about to turn 35 and his skills are deteriorating.
Advantage: Barrett

DT Vita Vea vs. Lloyd Cushenberry III

As bad as Wilkinson played at Pittsburgh, Cushenberry, Denver’s third-round pick, played even worse, earning a 37 overall grade by PFF and a woeful 24.2 pass block grade. Cushenberry, who played at LSU, was drafted for his run-blocking prowess, but he even struggled in that department last week with a 42.6 grade from PFF after posting a 64.3 run-blocking grade in Week 1 against Tennessee. Cushenberry has good size (6-4, 315) and strength, but struggles with his footwork. He had a hard time handling the Steelers’ interior defensive line, which consists of nose tackle Tyson Alualu, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and defensive end Stephon Tuitt – all of whom play around 300 pounds – giving up one sack, two hits and three hurries. The 335-pound Vea presents an entirely different challenge for Cushenberry.

Bucs DT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Vea saw limited pass rush snaps (23) last week as he rotated with Rakeem Nunez-Roches, but came through with two pressures to earn a 78.6 pass rush grade from PFF, which admittedly seems a bit odd. Vea has just four pressures on the season through two games and no sacks, but the third-year pro might have his best chance to change his stats sheet on Sunday against the rookie. The key for Vea will be to play well early against both the run and the pass so that he won’t be taken out of the game on pass rush downs. The Bucs used Ndamukong Suh and Will Gholston as the two defensive tackles inside in nickel rush situations and they combined for three sacks. If Vea wants to see more snaps on third downs he’ll need to show he can get to the quarterback and this could be the week to do it.
Advantage: Vea

OLB Bradley Chubb vs. LT Donovan Smith

Chubb provided immediate dividends in Denver as the fifth overall pick, recording 12 sacks and two forced fumbles as a rookie playing opposite Pro Bowler Von Miller. Chubb tore his ACL in his fourth game last season and had just one sack and one forced fumble before succumbing to the knee injury. Chubb is trying to return to form, but has yet to record a sack in 2020 and has just three hurries and two hits in 57 pass rush attempts, earning a 58 grade from PFF so far this year. That could change this week against Smith, who has struggled protecting Tom Brady’s blind side.

Bucs LT Donovan Smith – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Smith rebounded from an awful performance against New Orleans in Week 1 where he gave up two hurries, a sack and a QB hit to surrendering just one hurry last week against Carolina. Smith’s technique is inconsistent and sloppy and that’s reflected in his 56.4 PFF pass-blocking grade through two games. Smith has also been penalized once in each of this year’s games, and he’s on pace to record 16 penalties for the year at this rate. Smith made some strides last week against the likes of Brian Burns and Efe Obada, but Chubb is more talented and was a Top 5 pick for a reason. Smith will have his hands full in Denver and must play his best game of the year this week.
Advantage: Push

Bucs WR Mike Evans vs. Broncos CB Michael Ojemudia

Ojemudia really struggled in his first NFL start last week against Pittsburgh. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder didn’t play up to his size and got pushed around by Pittsburgh’s receivers, especially rookie Chase Claypool, who hauled in an 84-yard touchdown against Denver’s third-round pick. At the end of the day, Ojemudia was targeted 10 times and surrendered six catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns, earning a 42.4 coverage grade from PFF. To make matters worse, Ojemudia dropped an interception in the end zone.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After being held to just one catch for a 2-yard touchdown in New Orleans, Evans came roaring back against Carolina with seven catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, which was the 50th score of his seven-year NFL career. Evans is on the mend from a hamstring that limited his effectiveness in Week 1, and he could have another big day against a rookie cornerback that struggled mightily last week against the Steelers’ big, physical wide receivers. Pencil in another 100-yard day for Evans in Denver on Sunday.
Advantage: Evans