The Buccaneers are back on the road this week as they head to Las Vegas to take on a much improved Raiders team.
This game was scheduled to be on Sunday Night Football. But one member of the Raiders offensive line tested positive for Covid.
The NFL, out of fear that this game could be canceled, moved the game to 4:05 PM. The Arizona Seattle game was moved to Sunday Night.
The Bucs will be playing in the brand new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas without any fans in attendance.
The Bucs will be facing the coach to take them to their only Super Bowl Appearance in Jon Gruden. This is Gruden’s second tour of duty with the Raiders and Gruden has the Raiders in second place in the AFC West.
The Raiders have already had an impressive win on the road this season beating the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs 40-32.
The Raiders are surprisingly good offensively.
Led by quarterback David Carr and the running attack of Josh Jacobs, the Raiders are averaging 400 yards per game and have the sixth-best offense in the NFL.
Carr is completing 73 percent of his passes and has shown a lot of improvement from last season. His passer rating is 115.9. Carr has a touchdown interception ratio of 11-1.
Tight end Darren Waller is the favorite target of Carr so far this season as he leads the Raiders with 34 catches.
The Raiders also have ex-Eagle Nelson Agholar and rookie receivers Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards to round out the receiving corps.
The Raiders have been good on third down this year, converting 52 percent, while the Buccaneer defense has struggled to stop opponents on third down.
The Buccaneers head to Vegas with the number one defense in the NFL. The Bucs held the Packers to 201 yards of offense last week and allowed 54 yards over the last three quarters.
The Buccaneers are giving up 282 yards a game.
This is the best defense that Tampa fans have seen in the last 20 years.
The young defensive backs are getting better every game, and the Bucs front seven can match up with anyone.
The Bucs acquired defensive tackle, Steve McLendon, from the New York Jets this week.
McLendon will help fill the shoes of tackle Vita Vea who was lost for the season in the Chicago game with a broken leg.
McLendon brings a wealth of experience to this defense having played for Todd Bowles. McLendon is familiar with the defensive signals and should be able to contribute right away.
Although not among the league leaders, Tom Brady has been outstanding under center for the Buccaneers.
Brady has passed for 1541 yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. Brady has been sacked eight times, but that stat is misleading. Five of those sacks came in the game against Chicago. The offensive line has protected Brady very well this season.
Ronald Jones is having a breakout season at running back. Jones has had three straight 100 yards games and is averaging 4.9 yards per carry.
Leonard Fournette will be back and ready to play this week. Although on the active roster the last two weeks, Fournette has not played since week three against Denver.
Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Scotty Miller will play against the Raiders but are not 100 percent healthy as they are battling through various injuries.
This will be a good test for the Bucs. A chance to prove to the critics that their win against the Packers last week was no fluke.
The Bucs offense should not have trouble moving the ball against the 22nd ranked Raider defense.
Look for Brady to have another outstanding game and Ronald Jones should be able to put up some impressive numbers against the 25th ranked run defense.
The Bucs will get their second win on the road and stay in first place in the NFC South.
Bucs win 28-10.
