Buccaneers: Game Changers for Week 12 against the Falcons
By Bailey Adams
Gerald McCoy
The Buccaneers haven’t looked too tough on defense throughout much of the year, but one of the few players to continuously show fight and consistency is Gerald McCoy. The veteran defensive tackle is up to five sacks on the year and keeps getting after the quarterback. Tampa Bay was supposed to have more help up front this year, maybe leading to less double-teaming of McCoy. Instead, the progress has been slow. No. 93 is fighting through double-teams and still managing to make an impact more often than not.
When it comes to Sunday’s game, getting after the quarterback will be very important. If the Bucs let Matt Ryan sit back in the pocket all day, he will pick apart the secondary. The Atlanta receiving corps can give a defense some problems, that’s for sure. The Tampa Bay secondary is already suspect, so the front seven needs some pressure to compensate for that at least a little bit. However, Ryan has only been sacked 15 times this year. The Falcons are protecting him well, which will be a key on Sunday afternoon.
Next: Buccaneers Pick Six: A tale of two halves
The rest of the Buccaneer defensive line can make things a whole lot easier for McCoy. Robert Ayers, Clinton McDonald, and Chris Baker need to do their part. If they can get some push, the pocket will collapse and life will be difficult for Ryan. Unfortunately, those guys have been unable to do their part throughout this season. McCoy is still finding success somehow, though, and he needs to come through again on Sunday for the Bucs to have a chance to keep the Atlanta offense quiet.
Who do you think will change the outcome of Sunday’s game, Bucs fans? Let us know in the comments, on Twitter or on Facebook.
If you’d like to hear more Buccaneers discussion, be sure to check out the PewterCast’s InstantCast show for this week where several callers brought up the topic. Available on all major podcasting apps.