Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5 Bold predictions for Week 10 vs. Panthers
4. Teddy Bridgewater will be made uncomfortable
The Buccaneers defense had been pretty consistent all season, but they struggled mightily against the Saints. The defense had a tough day against the run but was especially rough against Drew Brees and the passing game. They were unable to get Brees uncomfortable in the pocket and they seldomly blitzed him to keep him out of a rhythm.
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The Buccaneers’ defense is at its best when attacking and not playing zone schemes as they did against the Saints. The coaching staff has been criticized for the passive gameplan and they will get back to basics this week.
3. The run defense will continue to struggle
The Tampa Bay run defense went into Sunday night’s game as the number one ranked rush defense in the NFL. The Buccaneers were physically dominated by the Saints and were also dominated on the line of scrimmage by a Giants team that had struggled to establish its running game all season in the previous game.
This is becoming a trend and falls into the way Carolina wants to play. The Bucs could be missing Vita Vea, but he’s not coming back. Lavonte David left the game against the Saints with a knee issue. If he can’t play, it will only further complicate the team’s issues stopping the run.