Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 X-factors for beating the Saints in Week 9

Tampa Bay Buccaneers X-factor No. 1: Antonio Brown, WR

Without question, Antonio Brown will be the biggest X-factor for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night. There is no question that his talent is predominant and is worthy of being portrayed on an NFL field.

However, his talent comes with a stack of baggage that every team in the NFL knew about including Tampa Bay before he was ultimately signed. Still, Tom Brady vouched for him and thus he is on the roster.

With the situation regarding wide receiver Chris Godwin’s injury, Brown will likely gain a few extra snaps although that discretion is up to head coach Bruce Arians. One factor working in Brown’s favor is his ability to create separation, a trait that Arians does covet while preaching team-first principles.

The Tampa Bay offense mostly relies on the passing attack. However, there are a lot of options to go through, including Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski. Brady will have to divide the workload fairly while also establish a running game that was off-track in their narrow victory over the Giants.

Antonio Brown is back, but don’t expect a breakout performance. He will be on the field for sure, and he may even catch a touchdown. But this is a team first organization, and Brown’s talent will be used as an X-factor, even if he isn’t the primary target.