“We Seem Them As A 4-1 Team”
January 5th, 2021
Math time
Our beloved Buccaneers are marching to Washington on Saturday night to face a 7-9 NFC East champion that lost to the Panthers at home two weeks ago in a must-win game — and didn’t look so great against the trying-to-tank Eagles on Sunday.
Washington is not a good team, but that is fiction in the head of Bucco Bruce Arians, so he explained this afternoon.
For Arians, he’s facing a hot winner — because that’s Washington’s record when quarterback Alex Smith is the starter.
“We see them as a 4-1 team,” Arians said, referring to Smith’s record this season. Actually, Smith’s is 5-1 in his six starts. And Arians added that Washington has +3 in turnover differential when Smith is in command.
That all sounds pretty from Arians, and it’s a great soundbite for his team. But reality reveals Smith has six touchdown passes this season against eight interceptions, and he looks nowhere near as mobile as he used to be.
There’s just no way Smith and his impotent offense should be able to hang with Tom Brady and friends.
And if Washington has to mount a comeback, man, it should get ugly for Smith, who is nursing a significant calf injury. Fans have seen what happens when the Bucs’ pass rush gets to hunt freely.
January 5th, 2021 at 4:08 pm
And that is fully what I expect. Get two scores up on this team and it will be lights out. We’ve got to win this one, just like we had to beat Atlanta last week. Keep the momentum going, because the Divisional and Conference rounds are going to get a lot tougher.
January 5th, 2021 at 4:09 pm
Eagles players are publicly speaking out against their coaches obvious tanking.
They are convinced, and so am I, they would have won that game, had they been allowed to.
January 5th, 2021 at 4:09 pm
KISS
Win or go home
January 5th, 2021 at 4:11 pm
The turnstile that was their QB show, was embarrassing to watch.
January 5th, 2021 at 4:46 pm
Damn I didn’t know he went 5-1.
January 5th, 2021 at 4:47 pm
I’ve already seen a couple “talking heads” picking WFT with a LOCK to win this game.
January 5th, 2021 at 4:49 pm
PSL Bob, of course it’s a must win game……
January 5th, 2021 at 4:58 pm
c’mon bowles….make the WFT wish they wouldve tanked like the eagles….
GO BUCS!!!!
January 5th, 2021 at 8:16 pm
Whats the status of Shaq Barrett and Devin White?
We’re going to want Washington to have to keep their running backs in to block. If we don’t muster a good pass rush and J.D. McKissic is allowed to swing out of the backfield he’ll hurt us much like Kamara does.
I’m worried about Bowles playing the corners off 10 yards and letting Alex Smith dink and dunk it down the field, which is exactly what he’s good at.
January 5th, 2021 at 8:35 pm
How many of those wins came against the woeful NFL East?
They had no winning teams and posted an overall 23-40 record.
This will be deja vu for TB12. He and BB used to feast on the horrid AFC East.
He’ll be just as ready to feast on the NFC East.
January 5th, 2021 at 8:44 pm
Hey , Joe Buc. I have followed parts of Patriots team over to BUCS.Glad to have a team to support in NFC! But tell me. When you speak of Tom Brady, why does he get such long complementary intros that he never got in New England?
January 5th, 2021 at 8:45 pm
I say we give Chase Youngin a heavy and steady dose of RoJo to soften him up along with some jet left sweeps and pass away from him to totally frustrate him not being able to get to Brady. By the end of the game he’ll be pulling out his braids. Evans doesn’t need to play in this game. CG, AB, Gronk, Scooter and Tyler J should be enough. Let’s not forget also RoJo is pretty good at screen passes too!
January 5th, 2021 at 8:57 pm
@ stpete
That argument of who have they beaten goes out the window in the playoffs because its one and done. Also, the same can be said about the bucs as they are only 1-5 against winning teams. This time of the year you throw records out the window.
January 5th, 2021 at 9:02 pm
Joe, when you speak of Tom Brady, why do you give him such a
long complementry intro that he never got in New England?
January 5th, 2021 at 9:03 pm
DavidBigBucFan99, spot on. Run RoJo right at him. Let Marpet and Smith double him. And whenever it is a passing down, take him out at the knees with a back. He will fall apart.
January 5th, 2021 at 9:32 pm
Joe’s not part of the Boston sports scene. Can’t answer for them.
January 6th, 2021 at 1:21 am
This game worries me. Even Skip Bayless is skeptical.
January 6th, 2021 at 8:10 am
Any given, in this case Saturday and Brady knows it but the team has to k now it. Rivera will have them all hyped up with the underdog in my house, careful what they wish for pregame speech. Bucs take their foot off the pedal and it’s a long plane ride home. Evan’s if able has to play, it’s one and done what would we save him for? 2021?
January 6th, 2021 at 8:54 am
The Skins have really only one decent WR, so I expect lots of single high safety looks, single press coverage and lots of blitzes. It’s not going to be a good day for Smith.