Don't Allow the Big Play

Its easy to say for a defense to prevent the big play, its a whole other thing to make it happen. Looking at this Seahawks team they are well rounded but what gives them an edge is the ability to strike deep with Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett. Both are smaller in stature but have more than enough quickness and speed to burn you deep.

Lockett to me is the one player the bucs can't let loose. He takes Kicks and Punts which in his rookie year he took one each back to the house for 7. He hasn't done that yet this year but I'm hoping the bucs take notice of that. We all have heard about how the Seattle O-line has been pieced together but Wilson has been sacked less than Winston and he is even more deadly on the run. Bucs need to contain Wilson and keep everything in front of them which they have been doing well the past couple weeks. Lets all hope it continues.

Aguayo is Starting to Show His Ability

The Bucs got a big win against the Chiefs last Sunday and one player had a huge impact in the win. That would be rookie kicker Roberto Aguayo who went 4-4 on his field goal attempts and every one of them was needed as the Bucs won 19-17. Aguayo has been hot as of late making 9 out of his last 10 attempts and has been showing why he was a second round pick. Not only is he looking smooth on his field goals but on his kickoffs he has been getting great hang time which is helping the kick coverage pin the opposing team farther back. Aguayo was so good last week that he was awarded with the NFC special teams player of the week via Rick Stroud.

#Bucs PK Roberto Aguayo was named the NFL Special Teams Player of the Week after making all four FGs vs. KC Chiefs

— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) November 23, 2016

The rookie kicker is gaining confidence with every game, and looks like he has found his confidence again. He is striking the ball with power and accuracy and his kicking motion looks much smoother as there is no hesitation in his follow through. Hopefully he can continue this hot streak against the Seahawks because the Bucs are going to need every point on Sunday.

Bucs Getting Healthy at the Right Time

Usually at this time of the year most teams are beat up and are missing key pieces throughout their roster due to injuries. However for the Bucs, it seems they are getting healthy at the right time as they are starting to get close to being at full strength. They finally have their key guys back along the defensive line with Ayers, McCoy, and Mcdonald plus Noah Spence has been getting better each week. The offensive line and the running back position is going to be close to full strength for these final 6 game stretch as we are going to find out what this team is made of. With the Seahawks coming into town, the Bucs might be getting Kevin Pamphile and possibly Jacquizz Rodgers back this week which would be huge for the offense.

Bucs coach Dirk Koetter definitely left door open for RB Jacquizz Rodgers to return to practice Wednesday from foot injury ...

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) November 21, 2016

Not only would Rodgers returning be huge but getting back Pamphile too to help the O-line which probably had their best game against the Chiefs would be a big boost. With Martin and Rodgers along with Barber that would give the Bucs great depth at the RB position plus allow the Bucs to be more creative with their run and screen game. This team is starting to get back to full strength and Jason Licht and his staff have done a great job of adding depth throughout the season. If this team can continue to get better they have a chance to make these final 6 games very interesting. Hopefully they can continue to stay healthy down the final stretch.

Signature Win?

The Bucs have won two in row by playing complete football games back to back against the Bears and Chiefs respectively. This team is starting to believe and is getting better each week as they are back at 500 now sitting at 5-5. For them to go on the road and pretty much man handle a good 7-2 team and close them out for the win was pretty impressive for such a young team. Could this be the signature win that this team has been searching for the last decade? Former coach Tony Dungy believes it was as he feels this could be the start of a push towards winning ways.

Huge win for Tampa Bay on the road at KC. This might be the signature win they've been looking for to jump start them toward the playoffs.

— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) November 20, 2016

I will say it was an huge win because it shows that this team is more than capable of beating anybody when guys do their jobs and they play as one. Jameis Winston has been outstanding the last two weeks and has raised the play of others around him which is great to see. The defense is flying to the ball and getting off the field on third down which is what good defenses do. Again they are not an perfect unit but they are making progress and coming up with clutch plays at big moments. Chris Conte has gotten a lot of crap for his play but these last two weeks he has made game winning plays with his two interceptions.

Not going to say this Chiefs win is going to spark them towards the playoffs but it should give them confidence going into this Sunday's game against Seattle who is also 7-2. If Jameis keeps playing like he has, this team is going to have a chance against any team including the Seahawks this week at Ray-Jay. Hopefully the Bucs can keep this momentum going and get that big victory at home they have needed for a while.

Take Advantage of The Checkdown

The Chiefs defense is the ultimate bend but don't break unit as they find a way to either force a turnover or hold their opponents to three points. Their defense will give up the checkdowns as the 5 to 6 yard pass play is going to be there for opposing offenses. Jameis and the Bucs offense needs to take advantage of this in today's game. Jameis needs to look for Cam Brate, Doug Martin, and Cecil Shorts in the flats and in the middle of field as there will be opportunities there. Now again the Bucs are going to come out run heavy as they should as the Chiefs run d is less than stellar, but the short passing game is an extension of the run game.

Jameis did a great job of this against the Falcons in week one as he hit the checkdowns early and often in the first half. By doing this it opened up the deep passing game in which helped the Bucs win in week 1. The offense should be able to do the same today as it will be there and then later in the game the deep passing game should open up. The Bucs need Jameis to bring his A game against the Chiefs as they have plenty of playmakers on defense and it's important that Jameis is accurate and smart today. Look for the checkdowns today which should help the Bucs to keep the chains moving.

Expect Max Protection

One thing that the Bucs offense doesn't do much is max protection with their passing game. Tomorrow it should be utilized against the pass rush that they will be facing at 1pm. The Chiefs have some talented pass rushers like Dee Ford, Tamba Hali and perhaps making his return in Justin Houston. Ford has 10 sacks on the season and is becoming one of the more feared pass rushers in the game today. With Houston in the mix they become that more dangerous as Houston is one of the elite rushers in the game already. This is why it's important that the Bucs coaching staff give their o-line some help tomorrow by going with max protection and allowing Jameis enough time to operate.

Now running the ball the effectively will help keep the pass rush at bay, but I would expect the Bucs to throw out of typical run formations to keep the Chiefs defense off balance. Given that our tackles both had crap games last week and playing with a rookie left guard, have to expect that head coach Dirk Koetter is going to do what he can to help them out. Look for the Bucs to run a lot of two tight end sets along with keeping a running back in to help chip on the edges. Now again a great ground game will help a lot but Jameis is going to have to be able to make plays in the passing game in which pass protection has to be there. I would be very surprised if we don't see some sort of max protection against the Chiefs defense tomorrow.

Cam Brate Continues to Grow as a Player

Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate has come a long way since last year after he was initally let go by the team and was brought back the week after. Since returning he has quietly become one of the better players on this team and a reliable target for Jameis Winston. Brate at 6'5 236lbs, he has the size and speed to be a mismatch at all times against opposing defenses and usually has a knack for getting key first downs. Brate was undrafted out of Harvard, and really has grown his overall game as he is a much better all around player than he was at this time last season. Brate has 35 receptions for 375 yards and a league leading 5 touchdowns and is coming off a great game against the Bears. Qb Jameis Winston talked today about Brate and how he is working hard to be one of the best tight ends in the game via buccaneers.com.

“That core thing, hard work pays off – I keep going back to that because Cam Brate is the epitome of that. He comes in every single day working hard. After practice, he’s always staying out there to get some balls. When you work that hard, only something good can happen.”

Brate is well respected in the locker room and is quickly becoming one of the leaders of this football team. Hopefully the Bucs can find him more on offense as he is a matchup nightmare and will only continue to get better. Against the Chiefs this week, Brate is going to have to be at his best as he should be able to get some favorable matchups which should make Winston look his way more this Sunday. Hopefully we see Brate in the endzone again this weekend as he continues to get better with every game.

Winston won time again and delivers again. Cam Brate really is a huge target and needs to see more attention https://t.co/XKeFPoc4b2

— realbucstalk (@realbucstalk) November 15, 2016