Buccaneers Keys: It’s the Pitts
Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
After an impressive bounceback against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their first NFC South battle of the season against the Atlanta Falcons. As eye-opening as their 33-16 victory over the Eagles was, if the Bucs will be back at square one should they lose this game, and the questions that looked dispelled on Sunday will linger.
Here is how the Buccaneers can find success and win their fourth game of the season:
Keep Kyle Pitts in Check
Even if Kyle Pitts hasn’t been great this season (He has caught only eight passes, including zero last week), Tampa can’t be fooled. He’s still a major threat on the field that they must account for. Even though the Buccaneers easily dispatched the Eagles, they still struggled to contain Dallas Goedert, allowing him to catch seven passes for 62 yards.
The Falcons don’t have big-time wide receivers like DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown… but neither did the Eagles on Sunday. Darnell Mooney, Drake London, and Ray-Ray McCloud aren’t All-Pros or anything, but they’ll be able to open up more space for the tight end than Philly’s backups did. If Pitts has a game like Goedert had last game, they could be in some big trouble.
Keep Playing Fast
Baker Mayfield and the offense really figured out something last Sunday with their quick passing, and they need to build on that here. In four games this season, Mayfield has been sacked 15 times. In the last game, though, he was only taken down twice, and a big reason for this was his emphasis on quick releases.
According to PFF, Mayfield’s time to throw from the snap was 2.08 seconds, which was the fastest of his career. His average time to throw during the 2023 season was 2.74. The Falcons only have four sacks on the season, but don’t let that fool you, the Bucs’ offensive line clearly has some questions that are only helped by Mayfield getting rid of the ball ASAP.
Put Pressure On Cousins
The biggest determining factor for the Bucs on Sunday will be how much pressure they can put on Kirk Cousins. Cousins still hasn’t looked 100 percent comfortable in the pocket, and when pressure is on him, it’s even worse. So far this season, Cousins’ completion percentage is 71.1% in a clean pocket, but under pressure, that number drops to 53.5%. If Cousins is under pressure, his chances of beating the Bucs drop as substantially as his stats.
But to rush the pass, the Bucs must first slow down Atlanta’s running game. The Falcons have a two-headed monster in the backfield in Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Last weekend, Allgeier finished with eight carries for 60 yards. Robinson has been a bit inconsistent so far this season, but there was still a reason he was taken eighth overall in the 2023 Draft. If the Bucs can take away Robinson and Allgeier, it will allow them to pin their ears back and get after Cousins.
It’s not a gimmie game on Thursday against the Falcons, but no game ever is. The path to another win is clear, though, and if the Bucs can execute, there’s no reason we shouldn’t see Tampa strengthen their grip on the NFC South.
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