Pewter Preview For Week 8

Plenty has changed when looking at the trajectory of the Bucs’ season this week. As they prepare to face the Falcons for the second time in the past month, they are looking to stay afloat and persevere despite losing two of their biggest offensive pieces. One cannot understate losing Chris Godwin and Mike Evans in the middle of a tough gauntlet of games.

Still, Baker Mayfield appears confident in his remaining weapons and should be able to distribute the ball to them adequately enough to move the football when needed. Mayfield won’t need to shoulder as much of the offense, especially with the run game coming to life over the past few weeks. The three-headed monster that is Rachaad White, Bucky Irving, and Sean Tucker remains, as does an offensive line that has only gotten better as the season has progressed. While one should not expect continued 30-plus point outbursts, there is enough talent to think they can stay in ballgames – as long as the defense gets it together.

Todd Bowles’ unit is performing the worst it has during his tenure as head coach. Despite having the talent to be above-average, defensive gameplans have not been up to par in stopping their matchups this season. Arguably the worst showing they had came Thursday night against the Falcons, a game where Kirk Cousins had 509 passing yards and four touchdowns. By comparison, that was more than double the passing yards of ANY game Cousins has had this season (241 passing yards in Week 2 is his second-highest). What should help is knowing how Atlanta will attack them, but there must be adjustments made to not experience Déjà vu on Sunday afternoon. 

The team has shown resolve in the past in must-win games and did so recently after traveling to New Orleans early before Hurricane Milton hit Tampa Bay. They need to show that same mental fortitude again after some big losses have thrown them a mid-season curveball. This week, the familiarity of facing the Falcons again should work in their favor. Color me an optimist, but I predict they sneak out a close win to stay alive in the NFC South and reverse their fortunes rocking the Creamsicle uniforms. 

SLIVON’S GAME PREDICTION: Bucs 20, Falcons 17SLIVON’S SEASON RECORD: 4-3

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