The Buccaneers lost a hard fought battle with the Falcons just four weeks ago, 27-21 in Atlanta.  Even though the Bucs are 0-4 against teams with winning records this year they feel that they can beat the Falcons at Raymond James Stadium this Sunday.  The Falcons have won five games in a row to take the lead in the NFC South but they are only 3-2 on the road.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  I look for the Bucs to mix things up on offense.  The Bucs will likely come out running the ball with LeGarrette Blount & Cadillac Williams.  But they are going to do most of their damage in the air as long as they keep Falcons’ DE John Abraham (9 sacks this year) out of Josh Freeman’s face.  Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow could have big games against a Falcons’ secondary that is allowing 252.9 yards passing per game this year. 

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to take aim at the Bucs’ run defense which is allowing 132.5 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year.  That means Michael Turner is going to get a lot of action this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.  Matt Ryan will likely take some shots deep down the field to challenge Corey Lynch who will be making his first start of his NFL career at free safety this Sunday.  Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez could be in line for big games for the Falcons this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS  24, BUCCANEERS 20

The Buccaneers have won 4 of their last 5 games but they still aren’t getting much respect this year.  That’s because they have yet to beat a team with a winning record.  The Buccaneers are 0-3 against teams with winning records and they have been outscored 96-40 by them.  The Ravens have won 3 of their last 4 games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Bucs are going to likely go with what has been working for them.  That means that LeGarrette Blount & Cadillac Williams are going to challenge the Ravens on the ground.  The Ravens are giving up 101.8 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  If the Bucs’ O-Line gives Josh Freeman time to throw the ball there are plays to be made against the Ravens’ secondary.  The Ravens are allowing 210.0 yards passing per game so far this year.  Freeman has to be careful not to lock in on Mike Williams because of Ravens’ safety Ed Reed who is a big time playmaker.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are likely going to come out running the football and attacking a Bucs’ D that is allowing 136.5 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  If Ray Rice and Willis McGahee gets things going on the ground then the Bucs’ secondary is going to have a ton of pressure on them.  CBs Aqib Talib and Ronde Barber are outstanding corners but they can only cover two guys (likely Anquan Boldin & Derrick Mason) which means the Bucs could have trouble with T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Donte’ Stallworth and Todd Heap.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 26, BUCCANEERS 17

The Buccaneers are 3-1 on the road this season as they have outscored their opponents 103-90.  The 49ers are 2-2 at home this year but they have won two games in a row with Troy Smith under center.  Here is a closer look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  With WR Mike Williams getting arrested this morning the Bucs might have to change the gameplan a bit (DUI).  He is supposed to fly out to San Fran and start.  The Buccaneers will likely run a balanced offense this Sunday.  Running room might be hard to find against a 49ers’ D that is allowing 100.7 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry.  The 49ers are giving up 230.8 yards passing per game this year so Josh Freeman should be able to make some plays down the field if he has time to throw the ball.  Mike Williams, Arrelious Benn, Cadillac Williams & Kellen Winslow will be the guys targeted the most by the Bucs in this game.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers have been pretty balanced since Troy Smith has taken over at QB.  That being said, I think Frank Gore is going to have a really heavy workload against a Bucs’ D that is allowing 143.8 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  The Buccaneers only have 8 sacks this year so Troy Smith should have plenty of time to throw the ball.  He favors throwing to the TEs (Delanie Walker & Vernon Davis) and Frank Gore out of the backfield.  When Smith decides to go down the field Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan will be his targets.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 23, BUCCANEERS 20

The Buccaneers beat the Panthers earlier this year 20-7 at Carolina and they are a injury ravaged team.  If the Buccaneers can get out to an early lead I see them blowing out the Panthers on Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers are likely going to mix things up against the Panthers this weekend.  LeGarrette Blount will likely have a heavy workload against a Panthers’ D that is allowing 124.8 yards rushing per game and 3.8 yards per carry.  After the running game is established that’s when I see Josh Freeman taking shots down the field to Mike Williams, Michael Spurlock and Sammie Stroughter.  Kellen Winslow will also get a lot more work than he has been getting this year this weekend.

When the Panthers have the football:  The Buccaneers only have six sacks this year so Jimmy Clausen will have time to throw the ball.  But, the Buccaneers have 14 interceptions so far this year as corners Aqib Talib and Ronde Barber have been outstanding.  If Clausen forces the ball to Steve Smith I see the Bucs making a lot of big plays in the passing game.  If the Panthers were smart they would feed the ball to RB Mike Goodson against a Bucs’ D that is allowing 147.0 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry.

PREDICTION:  BUCCANEERS 27, PANTHERS 3

This game is for the NFC South lead as the Bucs and Falcons both come in with 5-2 records.  The Buccaneers have been very solid on the road this year as they are 3-0 outscoring the opponents 82-63.  The Falcons are 3-0 at home this year outscoring the opposition 96-53.  Something has to give this Sunday so here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers will likely try to be balanced in this game with LeGarrette Blount handling the running game and Josh Freeman going to the air.  The Falcons are only giving up 95.9 yards rushing per game but they are also giving up 4.1 yards per carry so Blount should be able to find some running room on Sunday.  The passing game has centered around WR Mike Williams on the deep stuff with TE Kellen Winslow and RB Cadillac Williams handling the short stuff.  The Falcons have given up 260.3 yards passing per game this year so Freeman should have success when he drops back to throw.

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to come out running with Michael Turner against a Bucs’ D that is allowing 149.4 yards rushing and 5.2 yards per carry.  That will make Matt Ryan deadly on play action passes as Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Jenkins give him some solid weapons to throw to.  He will have to be careful or CBs Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib could make him pay.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 30, BUCCANEERS 24

Both of these teams have been winning with smoke and mirrors this year.  The Buccaneers are 4-2 despite being outscored by 30 points this year.  The Cardinals are 3-3 on the year despite being outscored by 62 points.  The Cardinals also have the worst offense in the NFL right now as they are only averaging 237.8 yards per game.  The Buccaneers are 2-0 on the road as they have outscored their opponents 44-28.  The Cardinals are 2-0 at home and they have outscored the opposition 54-43.  Something has to give tomorrow and here’s a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Cardinals are equally bad against both the run (141.3 yards per game) and the pass (227.3 yards per game) so Raheem Morris will likely get to pick and choose what to do on offense.  LeGarrette Blount will likely get the bulk of the carries in the running game this week and he should have some success.  The Buccaneers are also going to take some shots down the field if Josh Freeman has time to throw the football.  Mike Williams & Kellen Winslow will be the guys who get most of the looks in the passing game but RB Cadillac Williams will also likely get some action out of the backfield. 

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals are going to start Beanie Wells over Tim Hightower this Sunday.  They should gives Wells a lot of carries this week as the Bucs are allowing 157.7 yards rushing and 5.3 yards per carry so far this year.  Steve Breaston is going to start opposite of Larry Fitzgerald at WR this week which should give the passing game a boost.  The Buccaneers will likely just rush the passer with the defensive line as rookie QB Max Hall tends to hold onto the ball too long.  Hall turns the ball over quite a bit so CBs Aqib Talib and Ronde Barber could make some big plays in this game.

PREDICTION:  BUCCANEERS 20, CARDINALS 17

To me this game is a absolute toss up.  The Rams are 0-2 on the road having been outscored 60-20 by the LIONS & RAIDERS!  The Bucs are only 1-2 on the home as they have been outscored there 83-36!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers would like to be more balanced but their running game stinks right now.  That puts a lot of pressure on 2nd year QB Josh Freeman to carry the offense.  The Rams have 17 sacks already this year so they are going to bringing a lot of heat after Freeman this Sunday.  But the Rams are giving up 227.3 yards passing per game this year so some plays are to be made in the passing game by the Bucs.  Mike Williams & Kellen Winslow could be in for big games this Sunday.

When the Rams have the ball:  Steven Jackson has to be licking his chops watching game film of the Bucs’ D.  The Buccaneers are giving up 157.0 yards rushing and 5.3 yards per carry so look for Jackson to get as much work as he can handle this Sunday.  The Bucs only have 4 sacks this year so Sam Bradford will likely have time to throw the ball.  Look for him to target Danny Amendola on the short stuff and rookie Danario Alexander down the field.  The Bucs do have 10 pickoffs this year so the rookie QB could make some mistakes that they can make him pay for.

PREDICTION:  RAMS 23, BUCCANEERS 20

The Buccaneers split with the Saints last season but when they came to Tampa they thumped the Bucs 38-7!  Drew Brees torched the Bucs in both games last season as he completed 51 of 66 passes (77.3%) for 445 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs so the Bucs will have their hands full with him.  On the other hand, Josh Freeman did not play well against the Saints last season.  He completed 38 of 64 passes (59.4%) for 397 yards with 1 TD pass and 5 INTs.  Freeman will need to step up if the Bucs are going to pull another upset this weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers would be smart to feed the ball to Cadillac Williams & Earnest Graham early in this game to keep the Saints’ D honest.  The Saints are allowing 118.8 yards rushing and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year.  The Saints have 10 sacks this year so Josh Freeman might not have a lot of time to throw the ball but he should be able to buy time with his legs.  If Freeman has time to throw the ball he will be looking deep to rookie Mike Williams and short to TE Kellen Winslow.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are likely going to come off the team bus throwing the ball especially with how well Brees plays against the Bucs.  The Bucs have 9 interceptions this year but only 4 sacks so Brees should have a lot of time to move the ball around as he has 7 receivers with 10 or more catches already this year.  The Bucs won’t have to worry about Pierre Thomas in this game but that doesn’t mean that the Saints won’t run the ball some.  Chris Ivory, Ladell Betts & Julius Jones might have some success against a Bucs’ D that is allowing 143.4 yards rushing and 4.9 yards per carry so far this year.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 27, BUCCANEERS 24

The Buccaneers had two weeks to prepare for the Bengals and lick their wounds after the Steelers punished them 38-13.  The Bengals also were disappointed in their last game which was a loss to the Browns in Cleveland 23-20.  Here is the look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Bucs will probably want to come out running the ball with LeGarrette Blount and Cadillac Williams against the Bengals’ D that was pushed around a little bit in the running game by the Browns last week.  The Bengals only have 3 sacks so far this year so Josh Freeman should have time to throw the ball.  But he better be careful because the Bengals have six interceptions this year and CBs Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall are top notch.  Rookie WRs Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn will likely be getting a lot of looks in this game from Freeman but the guy he should be looking for will be TE Kellen Winslow who could have a big game.

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are going to run the ball against the Bucs.  The Bucs are giving up 141.3 yards rushing per game and 4.8 ypc so Cedric Benson will likely get a lot of work.  The Bengals will also likely try to spread the Bucs’ secondary out so they can attack rookie safety Cody Grimm deep as he looked awful in his first start.  Terrell Owens and Chad Ocho Cinco will be matchup up against Aqib Talib and Ronde Barber all day long and that should be fun to watch.  But to have any real chance of forcing Carson Palmer into making some mistakes the Bucs will have to mount a pass rush and they only have 4 sacks this year.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 20, BUCCANEERS 10

Both of these teams are winning with defense as the Steelers are only allowing 10.0 points per game and the Buccaneers are only allowing 10.5 points per game.  So the first team to 11 wins….right?  I wouldn’t be surprised if neither team scored that many points this weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  First off, they must account for the whereabouts of strong safety Troy Polamalu on every play as he could really hurt the Bucs.  The Buccaneers must remain balanced this week even if Cadillac Williams has another rough day which is likely against a Steelers D only allowing 52.0 yards rushing and 2.2 yards per carry so far this year.  The Steelers are a blitz heavy team so the way to beat them is with the short pass.  The Bucs need Kellen Winslow to have a big game if they are going to sustain any long drives in this football game.  If the Bucs’ O-Line gives Freeman time to throw the ball there are plays to be made down the field with Mike Williams against a sub par set of corners on the Steelers.

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are going to run the ball as many times as Rashard Mendenhall can handle.  He does put the ball on the ground sometimes so the Bucs D will need to try to strip him on the ball.  The Bucs should go all out to stop the running game because their corners should be able to contain Mike Wallace and Hines Ward in the passing game.  Charlie Batch is drawing the start at QB for the Steelers and the O-Line has already given up 7 sacks this year so the Bucs need to blitz a lot more than usual in this game.  TE Heath Miller could be a problem for the Bucs in this game.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 9, BUCCANEERS 6