Tampa Bay Bucs vs. Washington Redskins: What Are Experts Saying About Tampa Bay?

Last week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blew yet another fourth-quarter lead on the way to their eighth loss in nine tries this season, falling at home to the division-rival Atlanta Falcons.

As the losses continue to mount, Bucs fans are starting to become far more interested in the team's top pick in the 2015 NFL draft than they are with whether or not their team can turn things around and salvage a few more wins in 2014.

Tampa Bay's best opportunity to grab another win could come this week, as they travel to Washington to face a Redskins team with struggles of its own, sitting at 3-6 and in last place in the NFC East.

What are some local and national analysts saying about the Bucs heading into this week's game? Let's take a look.

The Washington Post's Mark Bullock: 'Skins Face Tall Task vs. McCoy

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Tampa Bay might have one of the worst defenses in the NFL, but it will boast one of the league's best individual players on that side of the ball.

And come Sunday, Washington's game plan on offense begins and ends with neutralizing two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, according to Mark Bullock of The Washington Post:

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The Redskins’ interior offensive line has struggled to slow down and stop stronger tackles, making this a good match up for McCoy and Tampa Bay. Much of the Redskins game plan will focus around how to stop McCoy. But if they can handle McCoy, they should negate a big portion of the Buccaneers’ pass rush, which lacks another consistent threat outside of McCoy.

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McCoy seemed to disappear against the Atlanta Falcons last week, but he tallied three sacks over the previous two games after signing a lucrative contract extension with the Bucs.  If Tampa Bay wants to notch their second win of the season, McCoy will have to camp out in Washington's backfield and be the disruptive force the Bucs are paying him to be.

Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper: Will Martin Have a Role When Finally Healthy?

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Doug Martin spent the second half of the 2013 season on injured reserve and hasn't been able to stay healthy this season, either.

Martin has been inactive for the past two games, thanks to an ankle injury, after dealing with a knee issue earlier in the season.  But Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk thinks that even when Martin returns to full strength, there might not be enough touches to go around:

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Martin wasn’t effective early in the season, missed two games with a knee injury and is now out of the lineup with an ankle injury that has cost him the last two contests. Martin missed the team’s practice on Wednesday as well, which isn’t a great sign for his return to action this week and there may not be much of a role for him whenever he does get healthy.

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The Bucs averaged nearly four yards per carry last week with the committee approach, as rookie Charles Sims and Bobby Rainey each got 10 touches, while Mike James converted all three of his short-yardage attempts. Martin has been trying to return to the form that saw him rack up nearly 2,000 total yards and make the Pro Bowl as a rookie, but he might not get that chance anytime soon in Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Tribune's Roy Cummings: Yards Are Coming, but Points Must Follow

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Tampa Bay's offense has been inconsistent at its best in 2014 and downright ugly at its worst.  The Bucs have cycled from Josh McCown at quarterback to Mike Glennon and now back to McCown, and injuries have led to a lackluster committee approach in the backfield.

But over the past two games, the tide has started to turn for the Bucs on that side of the ball.  However, just because their racking up yards doesn't mean it's translating to the scoreboard, according to Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune:

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In the past two (games), however, the Bucs moved the ball at a pace that has them thinking their long-struggling offense might finally be coming to life. Tampa Bay averaged 369 yards the past two games, 365 in a 22-17 loss at Cleveland and a season-high 373 against Atlanta.

And they did it with virtually no help from a defense charged with creating extra possessions by stealing the ball away.

What’s still missing, of course, are the scores, and in particular touchdowns.

The Bucs moved the ball inside the opponent’s 20-yard line four times in the past two games, but failed to score on three of them. Two of failures were the result of interceptions, one by McCown last week and one by Mike Glennon the week before. Another was the result of a blocked field goal.

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The Bucs offense also made a huge improvement on third downs last week, converting 12 of its 17 attempts after struggling in that area for most of the season. But those conversions, as well as out-gaining its opponents in the box score, won't mean anything if it can't turn those yards and moving chains into points and victories down the stretch.

NFL.com's Elliot Harrison: Bucs Third-Worst Team in NFL

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When you've only tasted victory once in nine tries, it's not exactly a shock to be listed among the league's worst teams when various weekly power rankings are revealed.

NFL.com's Elliot Harrison's opinion is no exception when it comes to the Bucs, who sit at No. 30 in his latest list, dropping one spot from last week:

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Another loss for Lovie Smith's group, and the nightmare 2014 campaign continues. Three turnovers in the other team's territory will deep-six your chances in the NFL every time. The Bucs also need more than 53 yards rushing from the "running" backs.

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It's definitely not a good look when a struggling Falcons team beats you for the second time, and it's only managed one other win over the rest of the season, tallying four sacks against the Bucs after posting just four heading into last week's game.

It's already been a long season full of disappointment and underachievement for Tampa Bay, and this week's road game against a weak Washington team might be its best—and only—shot to get another win this year.

ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas: Evans Making a Big Impact

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At 1-8, there hasn't been much for the Bucs to get excited about on either side of the ball, but if there's a bright spot to be found, it's the play of rookie first-rounder Mike Evans.

The seventh overall pick in this year's draft, Evans seems to have settled into the NFL game, and his numbers are speaking to that.  As Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com points out, Evans is providing some fantastic early returns on Tampa Bay's investment:

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In his last two games, Evans has 14 catches, including three touchdowns.  Evans has turned himself into a candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year.  In the short term, Evans provides a nice complement to veteran Vincent Jackson; in the long term, Evans should emerge as a strong No. 1 wide receiver.

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Evans was thought to wait and learn behind Vincent Jackson before taking over his place as the top receiving target on the team, but it looks like the torch has already been passed.  Evans leads the Bucs in receiving yards and touchdowns and has just one less reception than Jackson.

No matter who is under center for the Bucs for the remainder of this season and beyond, their life will be made much easier by the presence of Evans on the outside.