Numbers may not lie, but they don’t always tell the whole story. This rings true for the Seattle Seahawks’ Week 9 opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bluntly, the Buccaneers are a 2-5 football team. However, they are definitely much better than their record might indicate. The Bucs are actually a talented and competitive squad, they just haven’t been able to put it all together consistently.
At their best, the Bucs have managed to pull off two truly impressive road wins. Their first game against the Panthers their goal-line stand earned them a 20-14 victory. The second was perhaps the shock of the year thus far when they dominated the Rams 55-40.
However, their losses have been pretty telling, such as blowing an 18 point home lead to the previously winless Giants and getting crushed by the same Panthers team overseas in London.
Individually, Tampa Bay has some tremendous talent. Wide receiver Mike Evans is among the best in the league, whereas his running mate Chris Godwin is starting to work his way into the conversation as well. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is still a force in the middle, and linebacker Shaq Barrett leads the NFL with 10 sacks.
Tampa’s hot and cold nature starts with their hot and cold quarterback, Jameis Winston. A talented yet flawed signal-caller who’s turnovers truly doom the Bucs in the biggest moments but is more than capable of putting in a few quality performances a couple times a year.
The Buccaneers are led by head coach Bruce Arians, who has the most wins against Pete Carroll’s Seahawks in Seattle with four, all with the Cardinals. This might be the edge Tampa needs to steal one.
Prediction: Buccaneers upset the Seahawks 23-17
Not only does Bruce Arians know what it takes to win in Seattle, but the Seahawks have also struggled mightily at home this year and are actually a better road team.
The Seahawks are 2-2 at CenturyLink Field in 2019 and if it weren’t for a missed field goal, they could easily be 1-3. Meanwhile, Tampa’s only two wins of the year have come on the road. This isn’t a great equation for the Seahawks.
Tampa also has one of the better run defenses in the NFL, led by defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who was Arian’s defensive coordinator in Arizona. These two coaches know the Seahawks inside and out.
Although, the Bucs knew how to be competitive against the Seahawks, even before Arians. The last time these teams met was in 2016 in Tampa and Seattle lost 14-5. Prior to that, Tampa almost stole another win in Seattle in 2013. The Buccaneers were up 21-0 over the Seahawks, and it took an overtime game for Seattle to hold to a 27-24 win.
Winston might have a few more turnovers, but expect the Bucs defense to throw Russell Wilson and the Seahawks off-kilter just enough to sneak away with a win.
