After a heart-breaking Thursday night battle versus the defending Super Bowl champions, the Buccaneers head out to the desert. Who are some players to watch?
Cardinals 40… Buccaneers 7… that was the score of the week three match-up last season when the Bucs played one of the worst games they have had in recent memory. Doug Martin, Gerald McCoy, Robert Ayers… all hurt.
Jameis Winston… threw four interceptions… it just was not the Bucs day. Give credit where credit is due. The Cardinals just had the Bucs number since they stepped onto the field.
Now onto 2017 and once again a dual in the desert is on the horizon. The Bucs head out to Glendale this Sunday against the 2-3 Cardinals for a 4:05 p.m. game.
Know your opponent.
Currently the Cardinals have the 16th ranked defense in the league. Unlike their struggling pass defense, the stout front seven of Arizona has 12th ranked run defense holding runners to 3.3 yards per carry.
As for the offense lead by veteran quarterback Carson Palmer, their top-10 ranked offense is third in the league through the air which is averaging 289 yards per game. Although the Cardinals may have lost their star back David Johnson early on to injuries, which may factor into having the 32nd ranked rushing offense, this week their team acquired star Adrian Peterson to boast a struggling rushing attack.
If the Bucs are going to walk out of Arizona with a win, they will need to shut down the trio of receivers that Arizona has. Larry Fitzgerald, J.J. Nelson and Jaron Brown will attempt to put on an aerial attack versus the Bucs Sunday, can they handle the heat?