The Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers face one another in Week 10. Both are sporting losing streaks and want to come out of them. Arizona has lost two in a row while Tampa is on a four-game skid.
Several matchups will be important to watch as the game unfolds.
Here are a few that matter more than others.
Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson vs. Bucs WR Mike Evans
This is the big-time matchup. Evans is having a monster year and has been huge the last two weeks, catching 22 passes for over 370 receiving yards. Peterson is in his fourth game since returning from his PED suspension and is coming off his worst game in years. If Peterson can limit Evans, the Cardinals have a huge advantage. If Evans continues the way he has been playing, it will be a long day for the Cards.
Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett vs. Cardinals OT D.J. Humphries
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has only been sacked nine times in the last five games. Barrett started the season on a tear with sacks but has cooled. He has 10.5 on the season but only 1.5 in his last four games. Humphries has been decent in pass protection, although he is prone to get penalized.
Cardinals CB Byron Murphy vs. Bucs WR Chris Godwin
If Peterson keeps Jameis Winston from looking Mike Evans’ way too much, then Murphy’s coverage on Godwin becomes extremely important. He has 54 catches for 766 yards and six scores. He is on pace for over 100 catches and over 1,500 receiving yards. This will be a big test for Murphy, who has had his ups and downs in coverage this season as a rookie.
Cardinals OLB Chandler Jones vs. Bucs LT Donovan Smith
Jones has 9.5 sacks this season. Jameis Winston has been sacked a league-high 30 times this season. Jones also has four forced fumbles. Winston fumbles the ball a lot. Can Smith limit Jones’ impact?
Bucs DC Todd Bowles vs. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
Bowles loves to blitz. He does it more than mostly everyone else in the league. Murray hasn’t faced a ton of blitzing this season, likely because of his threat to run and his escapability. Will he dial it up to test the rookie or will he play more coverage and hope the pressure comes from sending more rushers.
Cardinals RBs David Johnson and Kenyan Drake vs. Bucs defensive front
The Bucs have the league’s best run defense, but they gave up 145 yards week and over 100 yards twice in the last month. The Cardinals have rushed for over 100 yards in all but two games. The Bucs have very good interior defenders and two very talented inside linebackers. The Cardinals must be able to have at least some threat of a running game for the offense to click.
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