Buccaneers: A litmus test in Arizona

With the Buccaneers set to travel to Arizona this week, how far has the 2017 team come since their week two loss to the Cardinals last season?

With the first quarter of the season completed the Buccaneers now have to prove whether they’re the same mediocre team from last year, or an improved playoff competitor. Against the Cardinals on Sunday they can show how far they’ve come. Unless they’ve managed to bleach their memory clear of it, I doubt many Buccaneer fans have forgotten what happened in week two of last season.

Flying high after a week one upset of the Atlanta Falcons, the Bucs traveled west to Arizona for a test against the Cardinals. The teams seemed even enough before the game, but things quickly fell out of control for the Bucs and four quarters later they were down 40-7. Carson Palmer tossed three touchdowns, David Johnson rumbled for 147 total yards, and Jameis Winston had one of his worst days as a professional. The loss of several starters including Ayers, Martin and Stocker to injury was salt in the wound. It was a brutal and inexplicable game for the Bucs that felt very similar to this years’ week three drumming at the hands of Minnesota.

So, just how different are the Buccaneers in October 2017 compared to September 2016? Is Jameis Winston still a quarterback capable of five turnovers?

I’m not quite sure about five, but Jameis Winston is still prone to three or four as we saw against Minnesota. Against a fast and athletic secondary like the Cardinals, that ugly part of Winston’s game could potentially rear its’ head once again. The good thing is that the Arizona defense has taken a significant step back from where they were in September of last year; they lost all-pro players in Tony Jefferson and Calais Campbell, and they’re just a week removed from being carved up by Carson Wentz, after being dissected by both Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford earlier in the season.

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The Cardinals offense is also lessened this season. Their offensive line is depleted, and most significantly they’ve lost superstar running back David Johnson to a wrist injury. Carson Palmer has thrown six touchdowns to five interceptions, and without Johnson they’ve been unable to find any consistency on the ground. It’s a team that’s struggling altogether and looking for a big win, just like the Bucs.

On the flip side, Tampa Bay seems to be a much more talented team on paper than the one that took on Arizona last season. Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was a bit more specific when asked the question in his conference call with the local media:

There is little doubt that the Buccaneer offense has more fire power than it did last year. DeSean Jackson, O.J. Howard, Chris Godwin, a healthy Doug Martin, and a cohesive offensive line are all aspects of the offense that we expected to elevate it to an elite level this season. Unfortunately, that’s yet to happen four games into the season. We’ve seen flashes, but not on a consistent level. This rematch game for the Buccaneers comes at a time when the Bucs offense has to prove that they’re better than the last four weeks – and last September.

Next: Buccaneers: 2017 First quarter season awards

What do you think about the odds of the Buccaneers getting revenge on the road this week? Are they far enough away from what they were last season to avoid another ugly score? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!