Minnesota Vikings vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Complete Week 8 Preview for Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming out of a much-needed bye week and have an advantageous home matchup against the struggling Minnesota Vikings on tap this week.
Sunday's game is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. from Raymond James Stadium and will air on Fox.
The Bucs are looking for just their second win, after an active offseason for the front office had the Tampa fanbase full of hope and high expectations for the 2014 season. Instead, injuries and subpar performance have left Buccaneer fans disappointed on a weekly basis. Still, despite their meager record, the Bucs remain in the division race thanks to a weak year in the NFC South.
The Vikings aren't faring much better, coming into this week with a 2-5 record after a last-second road loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has the unsavory task of carrying an offense that has been a shell of its former self without Adrian Peterson in the backfield.
Bucs fans, here's everything you need to know heading into this week's game.
Bucs Week 6 Recap
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Tampa Bay fans were feeling confident heading into their team's Week 6 home tilt with the Baltimore Ravens, following an overtime road loss to the New Orleans Saints, after a last-second victory at the Pittsburgh Steelers the week before that.
But it didn't take long for flashbacks to set in from the Bucs' 56-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3, as Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco tossed five touchdown passes in the first half on the way to a 48-17 Baltimore victory.
A select few of those Bucs fans stuck around past halftime, as the Ravens took a 38-0 lead into the locker room at the break. It was the worst halftime deficit for a home team in NFL history.
Torrey Smith came out of his slump by catching a pair of early touchdowns, while Steve Smith topped the century mark against his old division foes with five catches for 110 yards and a score of his own. Justin Forsett needed just 14 carries to rush for 111 yards, while Flacco finished the day completing 21 of his 29 passes for 306 yards.
The Bucs defense was completely ineffective all day, failing to record a sack and forcing their only turnover late in the fourth quarter with the game well out of reach.
Mike Glennon threw for a career-high 314 yards for the Bucs, but most of it was in garbage time. Doug Martin led Tampa Bay with 45 yards rushing on 11 carries, while Louis Murphy was the leading receiver for the Bucs, hauling in seven passes for 72 yards and his second touchdown catch in as many weeks.
Tampa Bay converted just two of their 12 third-down attempts, while the Ravens were 7-of-13. The Bucs also failed to come away with any points on half of their red-zone possessions, while Baltimore scored on each of its five trips inside the 20.
News and Notes
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McCoy Calls Out Defense
New head coach Lovie Smith was expected to bring back the dominant defense Tampa Bay fans got used to seeing during the team's glory days, of which Smith was a part under former Buccaneer head coach Tony Dungy.
But the team currently ranks dead last in the NFL in total defense, and defensive captain Gerald McCoy isn't happy about it. The two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle had this to say about his unit's performance so far this season, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times:
"If you look out there on tape and you see a bunch of guys sitting on blocks, are you not earning the title of being soft? I mean, guys get so sensitive around the league, but we have to be men. This is a man's league. We're professionals and guys have issues with criticisms. I've been getting criticized since I've been in the NFL. I don't even feel it anymore. We have to accept what happened like I did last week.
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Time will tell if McCoy's comments will light a fire under the defense. Chances are when McCoy said the Tampa Bay defense would be "scary" back in May, this wasn't what he had in mind.
V-Jax on the Move?
With the trade deadline looming, rumors began to swirl during the bye week that the Bucs' leading receiver Vincent Jackson could be a potential target.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported the Bucs were "getting a ton of calls on him," and that "with just one win, I'm told they are open to anything even though they love him as a player."
Via Andrew Astleford of FoxSports.com, Jackson said he's not concerned about the rumors:
"In this business, those kind of things get talked about quite often. Each and every year, there's going to be guys that are moved around to different teams. I'm not surprised by it. Obviously, I appreciate, I guess, the teams' interest. But I'm happy here in Tampa. I've heard nothing here that would suggest that I'm going anywhere. So I'm just going to let that pass on and keep doing my job.
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The 31-year-old receiver has two years remaining on the five-year, $55-million deal he signed with the Bucs in 2012, and at 1-5, it's possible the team could be tempted by getting future assets as well as getting off the hook for his high salary.
However, Jackson is still playing at a fairly high level, is a vital veteran presence and a leader much needed in the locker room, so don't expect to see him go anywhere absent a mind-blowing offer.
No Controversy Here
After being out since Week 3 with a severely sprained thumb on his throwing hand, quarterback Josh McCown returned to practice this week. McCown struggled in his first three starts of the season, and Mike Glennon has played much more efficiently in his absence.
But according to Ira Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune, head coach Lovie Smith says there's no controversy under center:
"We don’t have a quarterback controversy. Our quarterback position has been strengthened with Josh coming back. We’ll see how the week goes. As soon as we feel like (McCown) is fully ready to play, he’ll have a role with us.
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Smith stopped short of naming a starter for this week's game and continues to keep things fairly vague regarding the status of the position moving forward. He may not want there to be a controversy, but Smith could be creating one by not committing to either quarterback for the remainder of the season.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Johnthan Banks | CB | Full Participant |
| Dashon Goldson | S | Limited Participant |
| Vincent Jackson | WR | Limited Participant |
| Anthony Collins | OT | Limited Participant |
| Josh McCown | QB | Limited Participant |
| Jonathan Casillas | LB | Limited Participant |
| Keith Tandy | S | Limited Participant |
| Brandon Magee | LB | Did Not Participate |
*All injury statuses courtesy of Buccaneers.com, based on participation in Thursday's practice.
This is the healthiest the Bucs have been since Week 1, as it looks like the team should have their full array of key players active this week.
The two most important names likely to return to the starting lineup this week are Banks (neck) and Goldson (ankle), as the Tampa Bay secondary was absolutely scorched in their absence two weeks ago. The Bucs should have their entire starting defensive backfield intact against a rookie quarterback this week, which should only lead to good things.
Jackson (ribs) has played through multiple injuries all season, so expect him to start as normal and get plenty of targets. Collins has underachieved all season, and a knee issue popping up won't help him get on track.
McCown returned to practice this week, leading to some speculation he could take back his starting quarterback job as soon as this week. But despite head coach Lovie Smith not yet naming a starter, ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas reports "all signs point" to Glennon starting this week.
Casillas and Tandy are both nursing hamstring injuries and are key depth pieces on the Tampa Bay defense, while Magee (knee) could force the Bucs to make a late addition from the practice squad to pick up some special teams snaps.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Bucs defense vs. Teddy Bridgewater
The Bucs will face yet another advantageous quarterback matchup this week, but they haven't exactly taken full advantage of those situations so far this season. The likes of Austin Davis and Derek Anderson have had their way with Tampa Bay, and you can bet Bridgewater has watched plenty of that film to see how he can exploit the underperforming Buccaneer defense.
Tampa Bay will have to stifle Minnesota's 10th-ranked rushing attack and put plenty of pressure on Bridgewater when he's forced to go to the air. If the rookie has a clean pocket and a reliable ground game, it could be another long day for the Bucs on defense.
Bucs offensive tackles vs. Everson Griffen
Minnesota has bagged 20 sacks so far this season, and Griffen is leading the charge so far. The fifth-year pro out of USC leads the team with seven sacks, including three last week in a losing effort against the Buffalo Bills.
The entire offensive line has struggled this year for the Bucs, and Mike Glennon isn't the best at escaping the pocket once it collapses. Anthony Collins and Demar Dotson will have their hands full keeping Griffen at bay, but they'll have to if they want their offense to move the ball down the field consistently and efficiently.
Cordarrelle Patterson vs. Vikings play-calling
The Vikings offense boasts one of the most electrifying young playmakers in the league, but it seems they're not quite sure how to use him.
The 29th overall pick in the 2013 draft, Patterson made the Pro Bowl as a returner following his rookie season, but hasn't been given much of an opportunity to showcase his elite skills so far this season. The Tennessee product has just 19 receptions for 213 yards this season, finally catching his first touchdown pass last week.
Patterson flashed his ability with a 67-yard touchdown run earlier in the season, but he's frustrated with his lack of overall involvement in the offense. If the Vikings know what's good for them, they'll get the ball in Patterson's hands as much as possible this week.
Bucs X-Factor of the Week: DT Gerald McCoy
Having just publicly called out his fellow defenders, the two-time Pro Bowler and team captain McCoy has to put his money where his mouth is on the field this week.
Especially against a rookie quarterback, it will be important for the Bucs defense to disrupt plays early and often, and that all starts with McCoy. If he can constantly penetrate and reroute running plays and force Bridgewater to beat its defense with his arm, Tampa Bay will have their greatest chance for success this week.
Prediction
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The Bucs have played the two worst games any NFL team has played this season, trailing 35-0 and 38-0 at halftime in two different matchups so far this year.
But they've also proven they can bounce back from such a loss and get a much-needed victory, as evidenced by their big road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers the week after getting drubbed by the Atlanta Falcons, 56-14.
Everything is working in the Bucs' favor this week. They're coming out of the bye week, they're as healthy as they've been all season and they're facing a struggling team with a rookie quarterback in Tampa's home stadium.
Head coach Lovie Smith gets another bounce-back win after an embarrassing loss.
PREDICTION: Bucs 23, Vikings 17
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