The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are explosive on both sides of the ball, and will be the most complete team the Las Vegas Raiders have played so far this season.
The 2020 NFL season has brought some highs, and some lows for the Las Vegas Raiders, who leave their bye week sitting at 3-2 and very much alive in the AFC playoff race. To continue their strong start to the season, they will have to play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football, and it could be the most complete team they have faced to date.
Of course, beating Kansas City on the road is a huge confidence booster, but against Tampa Bay, there is absolutely no room for error either.
Explosive on both sides of the ball
Sure, a lot of the talk when Tampa Bay comes up revolves around Tom Brady, who is playing for his second organization in a 20-plus NFL career. He has come in and brought stability to the quarterback position, but he also joined an organization that was definitely trending in the right direction on both sides of the ball.
The Buccaneers defense is opportunistic, young, and fast, and they have made life miserable for their opponents this season. They boast one of the best pass rushes in the game, one of the better run defenses, and against the Green Bay Packers, they dominated future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.
For all the talk surrounding Brady and his weapons, which might be the best collection of his career, it is the defense that should be worrying Raiders fans. Las Vegas is going to have to put up a lot of points if they want to beat Tampa Bay, and based on what we saw last weekend, that is going to be a tough task.
Quarterback Derek Carr is going to have to take shots downfield against Tampa, which means it is crucial that the offensive line do their job against an elite pass rush. In addition, Josh Jacobs has to be a huge factor, as the Bucs just do not allow many yards on the ground, and that could end up being the difference in this one.