Buccaneers at Vikings: Preview, broadcast info for Week 3

The Buccaneers (1-0) are on the road this week, looking to keep things rolling against the Vikings (1-1). Here, we preview the 1 p.m. matchup and tell you where to watch and listen to it.

Following last week’s 29-7 win over the Bears, the Buccaneers are set to see a tougher challenge this Sunday. The team will be in Minnesota for a 1:00 kickoff against the Vikings. Tampa Bay is looking for its first 2-0 start since 2010 and its seventh win in the last eight games against Minnesota. While the Bucs are riding high off their first win of the season, the Vikings are looking to bounce back from a loss to the Steelers that dropped them to 1-1 on the year.

Tampa Bay clicked in most facets of the game last week, getting past Chicago with ease. Minnesota struggled in a 26-9 loss at Pittsburgh, but showed a lot of promise in a week one win over New Orleans. Sunday’s matchup looks like it could be a good one, with plenty of storylines to follow throughout.

For beginners, both teams are dealing with some injuries that will certainly impact the way Sunday’s game is played. The Vikings are without starting quarterback Sam Bradford, which means Case Keenum will get the start. For the Bucs, it’s the defensive side of the ball where some injuries come into play. Kwon Alexander is out after leaving with a hamstring injury last week. In addition to that, the flu is making its way around the team. Both Chris Baker and Jacquies Smith are listed as doubtful for the game, while Kevin Pamphile is questionable on the other side of the line. With Bradford out, Minnesota was likely going to turn heavily toward the run. And now that Alexander and Baker will be missing, that may open up the run even more.

Leading the way for the Vikings on the ground is rookie Dalvin Cook. Of course, many linked the Bucs to the Florida State product in this year’s draft, but the team passed. Through two weeks, he has 191 rushing yards and a mark of 5.6 yards per carry. Tampa Bay may see a heavy dose of the run, but the defense might feel good about that idea after limiting Chicago’s tough backfield to just 20 yards a week ago.

How the passing game plays out will be interesting to watch on both sides. Minnesota has a trio of dangerous weapons in Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph. But can Keenum connect with them? He struggled to get the offense going last week, but has seen success against the Bucs in the past. However, this is a different Buccaneer defense. On Tampa Bay’s side, Jameis Winston needs to progress after some inconsistency last week. He’ll likely look to connect with DeSean Jackson a little more this week while also turning to familiar faces such as Cameron Brate and Mike Evans. The matchup between Evans and all-pro cornerback Xavier Rhodes is going to be a great one, too.

The last time these two teams met in the regular season was 2014. The Vikings dropped the Bucs to 1-6 with a 19-13 overtime victory. For Tampa Bay, it was another heart-breaker in a long line of them under Lovie Smith. After a Mike Glennon connected with Austin Seferian-Jenkins for a go-ahead touchdown with 2:02 left, Minnesota drove down and tied the game with a field goal as time expired. On the opening kickoff of overtime, Anthony Barr returned a Bucs fumble for six. The Vikings own the overall series lead, 32-22, with an 18-9 advantage in Minnesota.

Where to Watch

Sunday’s game will air on Fox. Thom Brennaman will be on play-by-play, joined by color analyst Chris Spielman. Reports from the sideline will come from Peter Schrager.

Where to Listen

98Rock (97.9 FM) will air the game in the Tampa Bay area. The team of Gene Deckerhoff (play-by-play), Dave Moore (commentary) and T.J. Rives (sideline) will have the call. For other radio options around the state of Florida, check here. Fans can also hear the broadcast on buccaneers.com or the Buccaneers mobile app.

Satellite radio subscribers can listen to the Tampa Bay broadcast on XM Internet 829. Minnesota’s broadcast will be on XM 83.

Next: Buccaneers Talk: Previewing Vikings, Bears recap, Twitter questions

For in-game and postgame coverage of Sunday’s game, follow @ThePewterPlank on Twitter.