Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Indianapolis Colts: Full Tampa Bay Game Preview
Coming off their most complete performance of the season last week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to notch their third straight win as they travel to Lucas Oil Stadium to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
A victory this week would send the Bucs into December with a record over .500 for the first time since 2012, keeping them in the hunt for an NFC wild-card spot. Just like Tampa Bay, the Colts currently sit at 5-5, but thanks to a weak AFC South, they currently sit atop their division.
The Bucs have built positive momentum with back-to-back wins for the first time in 31 games, having destroyed the Philadelphia Eagles on the road in Week 11, 45-17. The Colts haven't lost since veteran Matt Hasselbeck took over at quarterback for an injured Andrew Luck.
Can rookie quarterback Jameis Winston get it done on the road again this week? Will the Colts win their second straight home game against an NFC South foe?
Bucs fans, here's everything you need to know heading into Week 12's game.
Viewing Info
Date: Sunday, November 29
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium
TV: Fox
Week 11 Recap and Results
1 of 6
NFC South Standings
Carolina Panthers (10-0)
Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5)
New Orleans Saints (4-6)
The Bucs pounded the Philadelphia Eagles on the road last Sunday, dominating on both sides of the ball on their way to a 45-17 victory.
Doug Martin set the tone for the Tampa Bay offense by rushing for 235 yards, while Jameis Winston tied a franchise record with five touchdown passes, with each of them going to a different receiver. Martin's yardage total was the most by an NFL running back in a single game since Martin himself rushed for 251 against the Oakland Raiders in 2012, while Winston's five touchdown passes also tied the NFL single-game rookie record.
On defense, the Bucs were led by their defensive captains, Lavonte David and Gerald McCoy. David snared two of Tampa Bay's three interceptions, returning one of them 20 yards for a touchdown to put the exclamation point on the win late in the game. McCoy led the team with 1.5 sacks, looking much more like his Pro Bowl self than he had in recent weeks.
Winston tossed four of his five scores in the first half, helping the Bucs get out to an eventually insurmountable lead. The defense did its job as well, forcing three takeaways and sacking Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez three times.
News and Notes
2 of 6
Will Martin Return in 2016?
The Bucs chose not to pick up Doug Martin's fifth-year option this past offseason, but the former first-round pick has responded with a huge performance this season, currently ranking second in the NFL with 941 rushing yards.
When asked if staying in Tampa Bay would be his preference, Martin made it clear that's the case, per Andrew Astleford of ESPN.com:
"I love Tampa. I built a house here. I love it here.
[...]
(Free agency) will take care of itself. I'm just going to go out there and do my job on the field. I know if I do my job, everything else will fall into place.
[...]
It's my fourth year here, and I've got a lot of relationships right here. Like I said, I just love Tampa.
"
After missing 15 games over the past two seasons because of injury, Martin has returned to his rookie-season form, when he amassed nearly 2,000 total yards and made the Pro Bowl in 2012. Whether it's the Bucs or someone else, he's sure to cash in big this offseason.
Bucs Want Playoff Push, Respect
The Bucs have won three of their last four games and at 5-5 are just one game out of a wild-card spot with six games remaining.
After finishing with the league's worst record last year at 2-14, the Bucs are making a playoff push heading toward the final month of the season. Rookie cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah hopes the momentum his team is building brings some respect with it, per Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Tribune.
"We definitely don’t have the respect around the league that we want," Adjei-Barimah said. "That’s where we are right now, trying to earn that respect. We’ve put ourselves at this point in the season to make a little push in that direction, a real push."
There's still plenty of football left, but there's no arguing how impressive Tampa Bay's turnaround has been over the last month. But it's how the Bucs finish that matters, and they have to start by going on the road and taking a game from a hot Colts team. If they do that, the respect is sure to start trickling in.
No Headsets, No Problem
For the first two series last week, the headsets that help quarterback Jameis Winston communicate with offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter were on the fritz, leaving the rookie on his own when it came to calling plays early on.
But it was no issue for Winston, as Koetter said his preparation showed in his performance on those two drives, per Zach Shapiro of PewterReport.com:
"That’s just a testament to his preparation and knowing what the openers are. He knew based on the personnel we had in the game. We only two plays, one run and one pass, that were in that set of plays for the openers. Leave it to the quarterback to pick the pass over the run, but it worked out.
"
Winston completed five of his seven passes for 70 yards and a pair of touchdowns to start the game, showing a mere technical malfunction wouldn't slow him down. At just 21 years old, Winston is already playing like a veteran in many ways.
Latest Injury News
3 of 6
TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Bucs fans are likely to be frustrated again this week, as Seferian-Jenkins has still yet to return to full participation in practice. The former second-round pick hasn't played since Week 2 thanks to a shoulder injury that has turned out to be much more severe than many expected. There may still be an outside chance he plays on Sunday, but don't hold your breath.
G Ali Marpet
Despite being a small-school rookie, Marpet was arguably Tampa Bay's best offensive lineman when he suffered an ankle injury that has kept him out of the last few games. He was still limited in practice on Wednesday, so it's still unclear whether he'll be able to rejoin the starting lineup on Sunday.
OL Evan Smith
A veteran who lost his starting spot at center thanks to an injury earlier in the season, Smith has returned to the starting lineup as Marpet's replacement at guard. But a knee injury kept him from participating in Wednesday's practice, which means Tampa Bay's depth up front could take a serious dent if he's not able to go on Sunday.
*All injury information courtesy of Buccaneers.com.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Top Matchups to Watch
4 of 6
Mike Evans vs. Vontae Davis
Tampa Bay's top target in the passing game will have his hands full this week, as Evans will face one of the league's better man-cover corners in Davis.
Even after missing two starts at the beginning of the season thanks to a hamstring injury, Evans is on pace to top his 1,051-yard rookie season with an 1,160-yard effort this year. But he'll face one of his stiffest one-on-one tests of the year against Davis, so it'll be interesting to see how often Jameis Winston tries to challenge the matchup.
Bucs secondary vs. T.Y. Hilton
The Colts' downfield playmaker made a big splash in Week 7 with 150 yards and two touchdowns on just four receptions against the New Orleans Saints. But since that game, Hilton has managed just 118 yards on eight catches, without finding the end zone.
Tampa Bay's defensive backfield has experienced a recent resurgence thanks to changes made to its starting corners, as offseason signing Sterling Moore and rookie undrafted free agent Jude Adjei-Barimah have given the Bucs their best performance at the position all year. Hilton is due for a big game, and he'll put Tampa Bay's overachieving cover men to the test this week.
Matchup X-Factors
5 of 6
Bucs X-Factor of the Week: WR Vincent Jackson
After missing four weeks with a knee injury, the elder statesman of Tampa Bay's receiving corps returned last week and made an instant impact, catching one of Jameis Winston's five touchdown passes and forcing the Eagles to not just roll coverage to Mike Evans.
This week, Evans is likely to be locked up with one of the league's better corners in Vontae Davis, which should free Jackson up to make an even bigger splash this week. Winston would be wise to look for the 32-year-old veteran pass-catcher early and often on Sunday, especially on third downs and in the red zone.
Prediction: Bucs 27, Colts 20
6 of 6
Something's got to give this week, as both of these teams are riding two-game winning streaks. Both of the Colts' wins were nail-biters, while the Bucs are coming off a complete demolition of the Eagles.
The Colts feel like a scrappy team that's doing just enough to get the job done behind a veteran journeyman quarterback. On the other hand, the Bucs seem to be firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball, putting together their most complete performance of the season last week while on the road.
Tampa Bay's defense is getting consistent pressure and forcing takeaways, rookie Jameis Winston is playing like a savvy vet, and Doug Martin is the workhorse driving the Tampa Bay offense to new heights.
Winston seems even more comfortable on the road, as the hostile crowd in Philly didn't faze him as he threw five touchdowns, four of which came in the first half. He should keep the pirate ship cruising again in Week 12 with the help of a strong running game and an opportunistic defense.
Final Prediction: Bucs 27, Colts 20
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
