Week Four: Oct. 1 vs. New York Giants (4:05 p.m.)
Two offenses with a whole lot of potential will collide in a matchup we just referenced in the previous slide. Tampa Bay signed DeSean Jackson in the offseason, adding him to a receiving corps that already features Mike Evans. New York made a splash of its own, adding Brandon Marshall to a group that already includes Odell Beckham Jr. Of course, the quarterback matchup itself is a good one. Jameis Winston will be looking for some revenge against Eli Manning after falling short in their last meeting in 2015.
This year’s meeting between the two will probably be high-scoring, so the Bucs will need to keep up. If they can get a strong performance out of their defense and get enough pressure on Manning, maybe things will swing in their favor. But that will be a big if, especially if Manning and Marshall are able to get on the same page before week four.
Tampa Bay hasn’t picked up a win over New York since 2003, making for a five-game losing streak. Dirk Koetter will need a top-notch performance from his team in all areas of the game if he wants that streak to be a thing of the past. The Giants were a wild card team last year and they will likely be near the top of the standings again this year. If the Bucs are going to get over the hump in 2017, games against teams like the Giants are ones that they’ll need to win.