The NFL season will wrap up week nine on Monday Night with a 2020 Super Bowl rematch in Arrowhead Stadium. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are currently sitting undefeated with a 7-0 record, looking to stay that way against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who find themselves coming into play with a two-game losing streak.
It’s an enormous opportunity for these Buccaneers who seemingly can beat anyone, but also lose to anyone any given Sunday. Coming into this game following a tough divisional loss, Tampa Bay has a chance to show the entire nation what they’re capable of on national television. Todd Bowles and his defense will have a lot to prove against one of the best to ever do it, Patrick Mahomes.
It won’t only be up to the defense and stopping the high-powered Chiefs’ offense, but Baker Mayfield and the Bucs will have a lot to deal with, as Kansas City’s defense continues to be one of the league’s most dominant. They currently rank second in rushing yards allowed and fifth in points allowed. It’ll be interesting to see how Mayfield performs, as he leads the league in passing touchdowns by a four touchdown margin. But both Mayfield and Mahomes have thrown nine interceptions, which also leads all NFL quarterbacks so far through the 2024 season.
So what will these Buccaneers have to improve on moving into this huge Super Bowl rematch? Let’s dive into it.
Defense As A Whole
There’s no reason to single out a certain position group or area of this team. Yes, the secondary is missing Jamel Dean, but it continues to feel as if there are holes in the zone and open receivers all throughout these last couple of games. Tyrek Funderburk drew a lot of hope from fans after his preseason performance and the amount of praise he’s gained from coaches so far, but in his first two starts following Dean’s injury he’s shown to give up a few key plays.
It isn’t just the secondary’s fault for the big plays and consistent first downs, the pass rush has been subpar also. Although they rank tenth with 21 sacks, it’s too consistent that opposing quarterbacks have time in the pocket to comfortably deliver passes. We know Todd Bowles is going to blitz a fair amount, but when the four-man pass rush is sent in, they haven’t been able to deliver and we should expect to see a focus on it moving forward.
Clearly the injury to SirVocea Dennis that will keep him out for the remainder of the season is tough, but the linebacker play from K.J. Britt will have to improve. Todd Bowles has been asked about how he feels about Britt in coverage, and he says that Britt is the best option for the job right now. It was during his presser Monday that Bowles mentioned linebacker Vi Jones, who was very active this preseason for the Bucs, as a potential guy who could step in if any changes were to be made. Regardless of who it is, it will be a tall task this week in Kansas City.
Reduction Of Turnovers
It’s just the recipe for success. It wasn’t until week six at New Orleans that Baker Mayfield had a multi-interception game, but now he’s coming into this match up with three multi-interception games in a row. A rise in interceptions should be expected when you lose receiving targets like Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, surely Liam Coen is adjusting this offense with the weapons they do have that will not put Mayfield in harm’s way and turn the ball over.
But throwing less interceptions has to be a key focus point for Mayfield moving forward and it should continue to be drilled into his head. Although a select few of his turnovers were tipped or dropped passes, a majority have been forced balls or plain bad reads by the Bucs’ signal caller. I must reiterate, it isn’t completely shocking that Mayfield leads the league in this category as he’s been throwing a staggering amount of passes each game, as well as plenty of touchdowns so far in 2024.
The running backs fumbling the ball hasn’t been an enormous issue, but we’ve now seen both Rachaad White and Bucky Irving lose the ball, and their role is only going to grow in this offense as Godwin and Evans are out. It will be huge as this Bucs’ offense should have a run-first mentality, minimizing the opportunity of Mayfield throwing picks.
The Flow Of Offensive Play Calling
We all saw it in week eight against Atlanta. Bucs RB Bucky Irving was zigging and zagging around Falcons’ defenders, looking great in that first half of the game. But the Bucs at some point in the third quarter completely abandoned the run when they didn’t have to.
It’s the first season for the Bucs’ offensive coordinator and he has this offense rolling early, often and consistently so far this year. The success we’re seeing is astounding, the Bucs have a decision to make regarding Coen and if they promise higher duties for him moving forward, so he doesn’t leave like Dave Canales. But in this match up with the Falcons specifically, it was eye-raising to see how he adjusted his offense given the circumstances in that third and fourth quarter.
So as far as this season as a whole, I’m completely blown away with how Liam Coen has taken this offense and brought them into record-breaking territory through eight weeks. But entering this game against Kansas City and their stout run defense, it’s an area of attack this Bucs’ offense cannot abandon. Bucky Irving, Rachaad White and Sean Tucker will have a tall task as the Chiefs have shut down big-name backs so far this season.
There are a plethora of things these Tampa Bay Buccaneers can do to improve in order to beat the Kansas City Chiefs. But will they be able to complete a task so tall?
We’ll find out on Monday Night.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)
Monday, November 4, 8:15 p.m. ET
Arrowhead Stadium (capacity: 76,416)
Kansas City, Missouri
Television: ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN2 (ManningCast)
TV Broadcast Team: Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter)
Radio: 98Rock (WXTB, 97.9 FM), Flagship Station
Radio Broadcast Team: Gene Deckerhoff (play-by-play), Dave Moore (analyst), T.J. Rives (reporter)
Spanish Radio: 96.1 Caliente
Spanish Radio Broadcast Team: Carlos Bohorquez (play-by-play), Martin Gramática (analyst)
The NFL season will wrap up week nine on Monday Night with a 2020 Super Bowl rematch in Arrowhead Stadium. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are currently sitting undefeated with a 7-0 record, looking to stay that way against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who find themselves coming into play with a two-game losing streak.
It’s an enormous opportunity for these Buccaneers who seemingly can beat anyone, but also lose to anyone any given Sunday. Coming into this game following a tough divisional loss, Tampa Bay has a chance to show the entire nation what they’re capable of on national television. Todd Bowles and his defense will have a lot to prove against one of the best to ever do it, Patrick Mahomes.
It won’t only be up to the defense and stopping the high-powered Chiefs’ offense, but Baker Mayfield and the Bucs will have a lot to deal with, as Kansas City’s defense continues to be one of the league’s most dominant. They currently rank second in rushing yards allowed and fifth in points allowed. It’ll be interesting to see how Mayfield performs, as he leads the league in passing touchdowns by a four touchdown margin. But both Mayfield and Mahomes have thrown nine interceptions, which also leads all NFL quarterbacks so far through the 2024 season.
So what will these Buccaneers have to improve on moving into this huge Super Bowl rematch? Let’s dive into it.
Defense As A Whole
There’s no reason to single out a certain position group or area of this team. Yes, the secondary is missing Jamel Dean, but it continues to feel as if there are holes in the zone and open receivers all throughout these last couple of games. Tyrek Funderburk drew a lot of hope from fans after his preseason performance and the amount of praise he’s gained from coaches so far, but in his first two starts following Dean’s injury he’s shown to give up a few key plays.
It isn’t just the secondary’s fault for the big plays and consistent first downs, the pass rush has been subpar also. Although they rank tenth with 21 sacks, it’s too consistent that opposing quarterbacks have time in the pocket to comfortably deliver passes. We know Todd Bowles is going to blitz a fair amount, but when the four-man pass rush is sent in, they haven’t been able to deliver and we should expect to see a focus on it moving forward.
Clearly the injury to SirVocea Dennis that will keep him out for the remainder of the season is tough, but the linebacker play from K.J. Britt will have to improve. Todd Bowles has been asked about how he feels about Britt in coverage, and he says that Britt is the best option for the job right now. It was during his presser Monday that Bowles mentioned linebacker Vi Jones, who was very active this preseason for the Bucs, as a potential guy who could step in if any changes were to be made. Regardless of who it is, it will be a tall task this week in Kansas City.
Reduction Of Turnovers
It’s just the recipe for success. It wasn’t until week six at New Orleans that Baker Mayfield had a multi-interception game, but now he’s coming into this match up with three multi-interception games in a row. A rise in interceptions should be expected when you lose receiving targets like Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, surely Liam Coen is adjusting this offense with the weapons they do have that will not put Mayfield in harm’s way and turn the ball over.
But throwing less interceptions has to be a key focus point for Mayfield moving forward and it should continue to be drilled into his head. Although a select few of his turnovers were tipped or dropped passes, a majority have been forced balls or plain bad reads by the Bucs’ signal caller. I must reiterate, it isn’t completely shocking that Mayfield leads the league in this category as he’s been throwing a staggering amount of passes each game, as well as plenty of touchdowns so far in 2024.
The running backs fumbling the ball hasn’t been an enormous issue, but we’ve now seen both Rachaad White and Bucky Irving lose the ball, and their role is only going to grow in this offense as Godwin and Evans are out. It will be huge as this Bucs’ offense should have a run-first mentality, minimizing the opportunity of Mayfield throwing picks.
The Flow Of Offensive Play Calling
We all saw it in week eight against Atlanta. Bucs RB Bucky Irving was zigging and zagging around Falcons’ defenders, looking great in that first half of the game. But the Bucs at some point in the third quarter completely abandoned the run when they didn’t have to.
It’s the first season for the Bucs’ offensive coordinator and he has this offense rolling early, often and consistently so far this year. The success we’re seeing is astounding, the Bucs have a decision to make regarding Coen and if they promise higher duties for him moving forward, so he doesn’t leave like Dave Canales. But in this match up with the Falcons specifically, it was eye-raising to see how he adjusted his offense given the circumstances in that third and fourth quarter.
So as far as this season as a whole, I’m completely blown away with how Liam Coen has taken this offense and brought them into record-breaking territory through eight weeks. But entering this game against Kansas City and their stout run defense, it’s an area of attack this Bucs’ offense cannot abandon. Bucky Irving, Rachaad White and Sean Tucker will have a tall task as the Chiefs have shut down big-name backs so far this season.
There are a plethora of things these Tampa Bay Buccaneers can do to improve in order to beat the Kansas City Chiefs. But will they be able to complete a task so tall?
We’ll find out on Monday Night.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)
Monday, November 4, 8:15 p.m. ET
Arrowhead Stadium (capacity: 76,416)
Kansas City, Missouri
Television: ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN2 (ManningCast)
TV Broadcast Team: Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analyst), Erin Andrews (reporter)
Radio: 98Rock (WXTB, 97.9 FM), Flagship Station
Radio Broadcast Team: Gene Deckerhoff (play-by-play), Dave Moore (analyst), T.J. Rives (reporter)
Spanish Radio: 96.1 Caliente
Spanish Radio Broadcast Team: Carlos Bohorquez (play-by-play), Martin Gramática (analyst)
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