Pewter Plank Mailbag: What Is The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Toughest Game in 2013?

Dec 30, 2012, Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback

(3) walks off the field following a 20-13 victory against the St. Louis Rams at CenturyLink Field. Seahawks defeated the Rams, 20-13. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

It’s time for another question from the Pewter Plank mailbag, and this time we took to Fancred to ask the loyal fans on the app about the Buccaneers, and got some great questions. This one comes from Briana Martin.

(Curious about Fancred? Check out their website, or find their app on the App Store!)

"Which game do you think they will struggle the most in and why?"

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The Buccaneers schedule in 2013 is a gauntlet. With the six games in the NFC South, having to play the NFC West, and catching the Patriots in an inter-conference matchup, there are plenty of options to choose from.

At the moment the best team on the schedule is San Francisco. They are the defending NFC Champions and got better this offseason with the addition of Anquan Boldin. But the Niners have to travel all the way across the country and play in an early game. They will be fresh off a tough divisional matchup with the Seahawks and will possibly be looking forward to the following week against Atlanta. Due to these factors, the 49ers may be the toughest opponent, but it’s not the hardest game to win.

An early season trip to New England was going to be an incredibly tough game. But then due to various reasons they lost each of their top five receivers from the previous season. Underestimating Tom Brady is not something I’m willing to do, but in the past few months, this went from an almost guaranteed loss to a very winnable game.

The last contender to miss the mark is the October trip to the Georgia Dome. Any game with the Falcons is a dogfight, and the road games are even tougher. But the Bucs recently history against Atlanta has been promising. The Bucs knocked off the Falcons in Week 17 last year, they had a really good shot to beat them earlier in the year, and split with them in 2011. No doubt the Buccaneers trip to Hotlanta will be a tough one, but if history continues to repeat itself, the Bucs could steal this one.

That brings us to the answer to the mailbag question. It’s the Week 10 November 3rd tilt in Seattle. The Seahwaks are one of the most improved teams coming into the 2013 season and were a 2012 playoff squad. But the toughest part about this game is the environment. Seattle won all eight games played at CenturyLink Field a year ago. They have one of the loudest stadiums and one of the most dedicated fan bases in the league. The Bucs will be heavy underdogs in this game and will have to really gut it out to win this game. If there’s anything to give us hope it’s that the Seahawks will be coming in off a Monday Night game with the Rams, and are also heading to Atlanta the following week. Maybe a bit of benefit for the Buccaneers there, but still not enough for anyone to expect a Buc victory in Week 10.