Bucs vs. 49ers: Keys to the Game
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally kick off the 2019 regular season Sunday, as they host the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 action.
If the Bucs want to come away with a victory to start the year, here are three areas of the game they'll need to win.
Win the offensive trenches
When the Bucs have the ball, their biggest challenge will be keeping a star-studded 49ers defensive line at bay. San Francisco boasts five first-round picks in the defensive trenches: Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas, Dee Ford and Nick Bosa. Tampa Bay's offensive line has struggled mightily in recent years, despite being one of the league's most expensive units.
While the center position and the left side of the line are fairly solid, the left side is still arguably the weakest link on the Bucs' entire roster. Alex Cappa is still getting used to top-level competition, and Demar Dotson is fighting both age and nagging injuries.
The Bucs are loaded with some of the league's best offensive weapons, but it won't matter if they can't get the job done in the trenches.
Get creative, aggressive on defense
Bucs fans have watched helplessly in recent years as their once-proud defense has become an NFL punching bag, thanks in large part to a passive scheme that failed to take the fight to their opponents.
That should no longer be the case under new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who brings an aggressive, creative scheme that puts his players in position to make big plays and use their unique talents to their full potential.
If the Bucs can use these schematic improvements to maximize the talent on defense, and make some big plays along the way, they'll have a strong chance of starting the season with a big home win.
Start fast, finish strong
Another Achilles' heel for the Bucs in recent years has been the inability to protect leads late in games. They've allowed far too many wins to get away in the final quarter, wasting some strong starts.
That's been a huge problem, considering they also haven't been the league's best team at starting strong and putting points on the board early. On the few occasions they've been able to do that, it's been difficult for the team to make it count when the game is on the line.
The Bucs need to get in the end zone early and often, finish strong on both sides of the ball, and take care of the football in between if they want to win this game.
