Jaguars vs. Buccaneers: What's the Game Plan for Tampa Bay?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars this week in a battle of 1-3 teams trying desperately to swing their momentum back in the right direction.

The Bucs are coming off another embarrassing home loss, a 37-23 beating at the hands of the undefeated Carolina Panthers, while the Jags are still feeling the sting of a 16-13 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Both teams need this win badly, as the fanbases are starting to lose patience with their current regimes.

If the Bucs want to come out on the right side of this game, here’s what they need to do on both sides of the ball to avoid a 1-4 start heading into the bye week.

Offensive Game Plan

Through four games this year, the Bucs should have developed a simple game plan on the offensive side of the ball: take care of the football and feed Doug Martin.

Despite outgaining the Panthers on offense last week 411-244, the Bucs were done in by five turnovers, giving Carolina short fields and easy points throughout the afternoon. One of the few bright spots was Martin, who racked up 143 total yards and a touchdown on 25 touches, all against a defense that was ranked fourth in the NFL against the run.

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This week, the Bucs face a Jacksonville defense that has forced three turnovers all season, which bodes well for Jameis Winston having a big turnaround game after having a hand in all five giveaways for Tampa Bay last week. Winston is tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions, but the Jags have only managed to pick off one pass so far this season.

But while the Jags haven’t been able to tally many takeaways, they have been fairly successful at getting after the quarterback, notching nine sacks over their first four games, which is tied for ninth in the league.

Tampa Bay’s offensive line has been quietly impressive over the last few weeks, giving Winston ample time to get rid of the ball and controlling the line of scrimmage enough to put together a decent ground game. It’ll face a worthy test this week in an underrated Jacksonville front four that ranks fourth in the league in rushing defense, giving up an average of 83 yards per game on the ground.

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The key for Tampa Bay will be establishing Martin and the running game early but also getting Winston in a comfort zone from which he can effectively operate the offense. That starts with increasing the tempo and potentially going no-huddle early.

Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter acknowledged the offense has been more effective when running the no-huddle. “Jameis has definitely played better in no-huddle,” Koetter said, per Zach Shapiro of PewterReport.com. “We probably should be doing no-huddle more. We are playing better probably in no-huddle than when we’re not.”

If the Bucs can get Winston in a rhythm with a no-huddle attack and quick throws that neutralize Jacksonville’s front four, it should open up room for Martin to pick up solid chunks on the ground and allow the offense to sustain drives and put them in scoring range.

Defensive Game Plan

The Bucs got their only win so far this season by getting after the opposing quarterback early and often, forcing turnovers and turning them into points. If they want to come away with their first home win since 2013, they’ll need to follow the same formula this week.

The Jags can try to avoid that by sustaining a strong running game behind talented rookie T.J. Yeldon, a do-it-all back who notched his first career 100-yard game last week against the Colts. Jacksonville’s rushing attack ranks right next to the Bucs near the middle of the league, averaging just over 100 yards per game and 4.1 yards per carry, but it has yet to find the end zone on the ground so far this year.

Blake Bortles has done a solid job of minimizing turnovers and costly mistakes in the passing game, while getting big plays from his talented young receiving corps, led by Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns.

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But while the mistakes and turnovers are down so far this year, it’s not translating into scoring for the Jaguars, who are averaging 15.5 points per game so far this year. If the Bucs can hold them near that number this week, they should have no problem coming away with a victory.

Just as it is every week, the key for Tampa Bay on defense will be getting consistent pressure with its front four, led by Jacquies Smith on the edge and Gerald McCoy up the middle. Smith leads the NFC with four sacks, while McCoy has three and would have four if not for a defensive holding call last week that wiped out a sack-fumble.

If the Bucs can rattle Bortles early and force him into some bad decisions, it should allow their back seven to take advantage and turn the field with takeaways, while taking pressure off their rookie quarterback by giving him a short field and keeping him from having to play from behind all game long.

Matchups and Players to Watch

Jaguars Receivers vs. Bucs Secondary

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Tampa Bay’s defensive backs weren’t challenged too much by Carolina’s injury-riddled receiving corps last week, but they still gave up two touchdown passes in the red zone. This week, not only are they likely to be without their best corner again in Johnthan Banks, but they’ll be facing a younger, more talented group of pass-catchers.

Robinson and Hurns give the Jags one of the more underrated young tandems in the league at receiver. Robinson has been a big-play machine so far this year, averaging 22 yards per catch and hauling in a pair of touchdowns in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins. Hurns blew up last week against the Colts, catching 11 passes for 116 yards and a score.

Jameis Winston vs. Blake Bortles

Both teams have young quarterbacks who are still trying to find their footing in the NFL, which means both defenses will be doing everything they can to rattle and rock the opposing signal-caller.

After throwing 17 interceptions to just 11 touchdowns as a rookie last year, Bortles is off to a better start in 2015, tossing six scores and only three picks so far. Winston has made some big plays but has also struggled with turnovers, throwing four picks last week.

If either defense can get after the other team’s quarterback early with pressure, forcing bad decisions and poor throws, it could easily be the deciding factor in who comes out with the win this week.

Prediction

The Bucs need this game in a bad way, but so do the Jags. Neither team wants to be the one to lose to the other 1-3 team, but Lovie Smith needs this win worse than anyone.

With a 3-17 overall record and no home wins since taking over as head coach prior to the 2014 season, Smith’s seat is starting to warm considerably. If he loses another game in front of the home crowd, to a fellow cellar-dweller in the Jaguars, Tampa Bay fans could go into full “fire Lovie” mode and start jumping ship until serious changes are made.

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It starts with the head coach, but Tampa Bay’s captains and leaders have to take control of this game on both sides of the ball. Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David have to set the tone on defense with big plays in key moments, while Vincent Jackson needs to help lead an offense that will try to minimize its costly mistakes and cut down considerably on turnovers.

This game will come down to who wants it more. Who will be willing to show the emotion and intensity necessary to carry out a must-win scenario? Overall, Tampa Bay has the more talented team, and Winston should have a bounce-back game, leading the Bucs to a much-needed victory.

Final Prediction: Bucs 24, Jaguars 13

Luke Easterling is a Featured Columnist covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. He is also a senior NFL draft analyst for Draft Breakdown. Follow him on Twitter @Luke Easterling.