The Buccaneers will need to do a lot of things right if they want their Week 1 in 2022 to look like their Week 1 in 2021.
The first week of the 2022 NFL season is going to have a lot of eyes on the Buccaneers. Sure, a lot of people are keeping a close watch on the likes of the Bills, but the Bills still don’t have Tom Brady.
No matter how much has gone wrong for the Buccaneers or how strange this offseason has been, having the greatest quarterback in the history of the sport is a great equalizer.
Winning against the Cowboys in Week 1 will be an easy way for Tampa to show the world that the drama has just been that-the team cohesion is not damaged.
If the Bucs want to escape Dallas with a win, they will need to be methodical with their passing attack as an extension of the run.
This offense just isn’t great when it runs the ball, but that doesn’t mean that they have to drop Brady back for long stretches on every play. With a pass rush headed by Micah Parsons, Dallas is going to require teams to keep the ball on the ground or through the use of a quick passing game.
Whether it is on screens or in quick passes out to the flats, the Bucs are going to have to get their wide receivers and running backs involved in the passing game at or near the line of scrimmage. This buys Brady time and makes the defense think twice before completely committing to the pass on every play and would also allow the offense to work through its biggest strength.
There are times in games like this where running the ball in a traditional manner is critical, but those times will be far less frequent than the ones that analytics support.
Want to write about the Buccaneers? Apply below!
Want your voice heard? Join the The Pewter Plank team!