The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off their week 6 bye all rested up and ready to take down the 2-4 Washington Redskins. A win would give the Bucs their first winning streak since the 2013 season and improve the team to 3-3. To get ready for this week 7 match-up we talked to Maurice Barksdale of Riggo’s Rag to find out a little more about the Redskins in this week’s Q&A.
1. What have you liked and disliked about Kirk Cousins in 2015 and how should Bucs fans feel about facing him Sunday?
The biggest thing I’ve liked about Kirk Cousins is that he gets the ball out of his hands quickly. Unlike Robert Griffin III, he doesn’t hold onto the ball and take too many sacks. The biggest thing I dislike about Cousins is that he gets rattled under pressure and uses bad passing mechanics which leads to too many interceptions.
Bucs fans should be worried and excited about facing him but I’ll say a little more worried. Kirk Cousins plays much better at home than on the road. Playing at home gives him more confidence. He has a 90.3 quarterback rating at home but just a 65.8 QB rating on the road. So he should play much better on Sunday than he has in the last few road games but then again sometimes you just never know with him.
2. Who is the most dangerous skill position player on Washington’s offense that Bucs fans should be worried about on Sunday?
With DeSean Jackson out, the most dangerous skill position player on the Redskins offense is rookie wide receiver Jamison Crowder. He has 26 catches over the past four games and is settling in as the Redskins slot receiver. He’s very quick and has the shiftiness to get open and make people miss. He’ll cause problems for the Bucs on the underneath routes and he moves the chains.
3. Is there an under the radar Redskins player that might surprise against the Bucs?
An under the radar player that might surprise the Bucs is rookie running back Matt Jones. He’s got very good size at 6’2″, 231 pounds and speed and can run over you as well as away from you. Jones is also a good receiver out of the backfield. With Alfred Morris having a down season, expect to see Matt Jones get a lot of touches on Sunday.
4. What is your prediction for the game?
Based on what happened last season, I’m very wary of the Buccaneers coming in and beating the Redskins. However, I don’t think they’ll duplicate that 27-7 win this time. I think the Redskins will win in a close one 23-20. Their backs are against the wall and they simply can’t afford to lose this game. They are 2-1 at home this season and I think playing in front of the home crowd will help them get the win.