Buccaneers can’t count on starters during important stretch

The Buccaneers can’t count on their starters during their most important stretch of the season. 

The past few weeks haven’t been easy for the Buccaneers. Between dropping easy games and losing numerous key starters, this season has been far from easy for Tampa.

In a game that every Bucs fan would like to forget, Tom Brady and company failed to score any points against the Saints, and the night only got worse when the Buccaneers saw most of their offensive skill players head to the bench with injuries.

Now, the Buccaneers are on the verge of three very important games for playoff seeding, and they can’t count on having most of their offensive depth.

Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Leonard Fournette aren’t in the lineup for this Sunday, and the Panther defense is no pushover.

The Panthers don’t have the offensive firepower to compete for the division or the playoffs for the matter, but their defense can cause problems for a Bucs offense that is both depleted and streaky.

The Saints were able to pull off a win with almost no offense, and the Panthers will look to replicate this success.

The Buccaneers will also have some key players missing on the defensive side of the ball too. Lavonte David, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Antoine Winfield Jr. are all contributors on defense, and the Bucs will need their backups to step up, even against a weak Panthers offense.

This team has always been based on the next man up mentality, but the Buccaneers will have to put that to the test over the next few weeks against seemingly-inferior opponents. The Panthers and the Jets aren’t scary on paper, but they are must-win games if Tampa wants any type of advantage in the playoffs.

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