The Buccaneers were sloppy offensively today as they turned the ball over five times!  It’s hard to win that way, and the Bucs didn’t.  Josh Freeman completed 18 of 33 passes for 199 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also lost a fumble.  LeGarrette Blount rushed for 103 yards on 20 carries (5.2 ypc) and he caught 3 passes for 56 yards (18.7 avg), but he also lost 2 fumbles.  Mike Williams led the way in the passing game for the Buccaneers today with 6 grabs for 84 yards (14.0 avg) with 1 TD grab but he also lost a fumble.  TE Kellen Winslow pitched in with 5 grabs for 52 yards (10.4 avg).  The Bucs rushed for 122 yards on 25 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 33 passes (54.5%) for 186 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 26:37.

The defense was awesome against the pass but pathetic again against the run today.  CB Ronde Barber (7 tackles) and CB E.J. Biggers (6 tackles and 2 passes defensed) led the way for the Bucs’ D today.  Safeties Sean Jones (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery) and Tanard Jackson (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery) also had solid games for the Bucs today.  CB Aqib Talib picked off a pass that he returned 27 yards for a TD and LB Geno Hayes also had an interception today.  The Titans finished up with 202 yards rushing on 35 carries (5.8 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 34 passes (55.9%) for 150 yards.  The Buccaneers are now a very disappointing 4-7 on the season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost four games in a row by a combined score of 123-69!  The Titans have alternated wins and losses the last five weeks and they lost to the Falcons 23-17 in Atlanta last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  After watching what Michael Turner did to the Titans’ D last weekend, you would have to think that the gameplan will revolve around getting the ball in the hands of LeGarrette Blount as often as possible.  The O-Line will give Josh Freeman time to throw the ball, the question is, what will he do with it?  Freeman has been very inconsistent this year with 11 TD passes and 15 INTs.  The Titans are giving up 233.4 yards passing so far this year, so there will be plays to be made down the field.  He is going to be looking a lot to WR Mike Williams and TE Kellen Winslow this weekend, to they will also need to step up.

When the Titans have the ball:  RB Chris Johnson is having a terrible year (509 yards rushing, 3.2 yards per carry) but the Bucs’ D might be the tonic he needs to get going this year.  The Buccaneers are giving up 133.5 yards passing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year.  Matt Hasselbeck should have time to throw the ball and that is going to be a problem for the Bucs’ D.  The Bucs are giving up 265.4 yards passing per game, so look for Hasselbeck to pick the secondary apart.  WRs Nate Washington, Damian Williams and TE Jared Cook are Hasselbeck’s top targets in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 27, BUCCANEERS 17

Last season, 23-year old QB Josh Freeman had a 95.9 QB Rating as he had 25 TD passes and only six interceptions!  Many thought that Freeman was going to be a rising star, and he still might be, but he has played pretty poor so far this year.  Freeman has played in 10 games for the Buccaneers so far this year and he has completed 236 of 378 passes (62.4%) for 2,516 yards with 11 TD passes and 15 INTs (75.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 35 times for 147 yards (4.2 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far this year.  There have been whispers around Tampa that Freeman is having thumb problems again, but he played well early last year with the same problem, so I’m not buying that excuse.  The Bucs need Freeman to step up.

The Buccaneers have waived 26-year old DT Frank Okam.  Okam played in 6 games for the Bucs this year and he had 10 tackles.  Okam played in 9 games in his two years with the Buccaneers and he had 22 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 fumble recovery.  The Buccaneers like the players they have recently signed better than Okam, so they won’t miss him too much if at all the rest of the season.

The Buccaneers left everything on the field in Green Bay today, but they just couldn’t keep up with Aaron Rodgers and his Packers.  Josh Freeman had a solid game as he completed 28 of 38 passes for 342 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs.  LeGarrette Blount led the way on the ground for the Bucs in this game with 107 yards rushing on 18 carries (5.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  TE Kellen Winslow (9 rec, 132 yards) and WR Mike Williams (7 rec, 83 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Bucs today.  WRs Arrelious Benn (5 rec, 75 yards) and Dezmon Briscoe (2 rec, 7 yards, TD) also made big plays in the passing game for the Buccaneers today.  The Buccaneers finished up with 121 yards rushing on 20 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 38 passes (73.7%) for 334 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:21.

The defense was pretty awful again for the Bucs today.  LB Quincy Black (8 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss), safety Sean Jones (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and CB Ronde Barber (7 tackles) led the way on D for the Bucs in this game.  The Packers finished up with 91 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 34 passes (67.6%) for 287 yards.  The Buccaneers are now a very disappointing 4-6 on the season.

The Buccaneers are playing their worst football of the season right now.  They have lost three games in a row by a combined score of 88-43!  The Packers are 9-0 on the season and they are winning games by an average of 14.9 points.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers need to keep the ball on the ground this Sunday, if they want to have a chance to win this game.  LeGarrette Blount needs to get the ball in his hands at least 25 times if the Bucs are going to have any chance of winning this game.  Josh Freeman appears to have something wrong with him (probably his thumb) which has caused him to lose zip and accuracy on his passes.  The Bucs can’t beat the Packers in a firefight.  The Packers have 17 interceptions this year, so Freeman is going to have to be careful when he does throw the ball.

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers are going to spread the field and throw the ball all over the place.  QB Aaron Rodgers likes to throw to everyone, and he has a lot of outstanding weapons in the passing game.  The Bucs are giving up 263.0 yards passing per game so far this year, so this has the potential to get ugly really quick.  The Bucs have not been too good stopping the run either (138.2 yards rushing per game), so don’t be surprised to see James Starks and Ryan Grant to get their fair share of carries.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 35, BUCCANEERS 13

36-year old cornerback Ronde Barber still has it.  He has played in 9 games for the Bucs so far this year and he has 45 tackles, 2 interceptions, 8 passes defensed, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery and 4 tackles for a loss.  He has now played in 218 games in his 15 years with the Buccaneers and he has 1,108 tackles, 42 interceptions (7 returned for TDs), 191 passes defensed, 14 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, 27 sacks and 52 tackles for a loss.  The Buccaneers really need Barber to play well this weekend against the Packers.

The Buccaneers have placed 23-year old DE George Johnson on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a knee injury.  Johnson played in 4 games for the Bucs this year and he had 2 tackles.  This injury will hurt the depth along the defensive line.  The Bucs quickly re-signed DT John McCargo to help out on the D-Line going forward.

The Buccaneers got pushed around on both sides of the ball against the Texans yesterday!  Josh Freeman was awful as he only completed 15 of 35 passes for 170 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 INTs.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 25 yards.  LeGarrette Blount rushed for 34 yards on 10 carries (3.4 ypc)  in this game.  Kregg Lumpkin pitched in with 4 carries for 31 yards (7.8 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 30 yards (6.0 avg) in this game.  WRs Arrelious Benn (2 rec, 47 yards), Mike Williams (2 rec, 43 yards) and Preston Parker (2 rec, 17 yards, TD) led the way for the Bucs in the passing game.  The Buccaneers finished up with 90 yards rushing on 18 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 35 passes (42.9%) for 141 yards as they had possession of the ball for 24:54.

The defense was pathetic once again for the Bucs yesterday.  LB Adam Hayward (8 tackles) and CB Ronde Barber (7 tackles) led the way for the Bucs in this game.  DT Brian Price pitched in with 5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit in this game.  The Texans finished up with 185 yards rushing on 44 carries (4.2 ypc) and  they also completed 11 of 15 passes (73.3%) for 235 yards.  The Buccaneers are now 4-5 on the year.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost three of their last four games, but, they play better at home where they are 3-2 on the year.  The Houston Texans have won three games in a row and they have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 95-33!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers should come out running the ball with LeGarrette Blount in this game and they need to stick with him the whole game.  The Texans have one the of very best pass defenses in the NFL as opposing QBs have a rating of 64.6, so Josh Freeman isn’t likely going to have a big game.  The Bucs do have the advantage of not having a true #1 WR, so they will spread the ball around until Freeman finds a matchup that he likes.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans are the new bully on the block in the NFL.  They are averaging 155.1 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year, as Arian Foster (656 rushing yards) and Ben Tate (623 yards rushing) are going to give the Bucs’ D fits.  The Buccaneers are giving up 132.4 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry so far this year.  Matt Schaub doesn’t have Andre Johnson for this game, so he will spread the ball around to his capable WRs and TEs in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 34, BUCCANEERS 20