Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets: Three Keys to the Game
Despite a tough loss to the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won five of their last six games and are looking for their second straight when they face the New York Jets on Sunday.
If you thought last week's home game vs. the Carolina Panthers (that resulted in a 32-6 win for Tampa Bay) was a chance for the Bucs to get back on track, this week's matchup against the 4-win Jets is an even bigger opportunity for the team.
Simply put, this is a bad Jets team. The Bucs are two-touchdown favorites but they shouldn't overlook New York, an organization that lost by a touchdown the Miami Dolphins two games ago and beat the Jacksonville Jaguars this past week.
Here are three keys to the game for the Bucs to earn a win against the Jets on Sunday:
1. Contain Zach Wilson
The rookie quarterback who shares a birthday with Bucs quarterback Tom Brady, even though there's a 22-year difference, recorded a 52-yard rushing touchdown last week against the Jaguars. Wilson became the fourth rookie quarterback since 1950 to record a rushing touchdown of at least 50 yards.
And yes, if you're wondering, that's the largest age gap between starting quarterbacks in NFL history.
Containing Wilson in the pocket and forcing turnovers will lead to a Tampa Bay win. He has thrown for over 2,000 yards to go with 7 touchdowns but has been picked off 11 different times.
Still, the Jets have the No. 18 passing offense in the league averaging about 220 yards through the air this season, 80 less than Tampa Bay. Limiting Wilson will be a major factor in shutting down the Jets offense, one that has averaged a mere 18 points.
2. Let Tom Brady take over
Brady has had a ton of success over the course of his career in the city of New York. The veteran quarterback is 17-4 in his career in combined starts at Giants Stadium and MetLife Stadium.
The Jets have been dreadful on defense this season, ranking dead last in total defense while giving up 391 yards a game. New York has allowed about 30 points as well.
With three touchdown passes, he would join Aaron Rodgers as the only players with three career seasons of 40-or-more touchdown passes in league annals and join Drew Brees as the only players with at least 40 touchdown passes in consecutive seasons all-time.
There's a good chance he'll throw at least three picking apart the Jets defense in doing so on Sunday.
3. Slow down the run game
Last week, the Jets rushed for 273 yards, the most by any team this season. Wilson's 91 yards on the ground was a big factor for the success in the run game against Jacksonville, but he wasn't the only rusher.
Michael Carter carried the ball 16 times for a season-high 118 yards, while Tevin Coleman recorded 57 yards on 14 carries.
But let's be clear, there's a big difference between the defense of the Jaguars and the Bucs. Tampa Bay is the No. 3 rushing defense in the league and has held opponents to just 87 yards a game this year.
Regardless, slowing down New York's rushing attack and avoiding what the Jets did last week against Jacksonville, will be important.
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