|
|
 |
Week 7: Bills vs. Buccaneers
 at 
Sunday, Oct. 22nd
1:00pm ET
|
The Bills get back in action on Sunday as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Era Field. The big question this week was will Jameis Winston play for the Bucs or will old friend Ryan Fitzpatrick get the start? That question was answered on Friday when Winston practiced and was declared the starter. How healthy will he be? The Bills need a victory to avoid falling back to .500 as they open a stretch of three home games in the next four contests.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (3-2) vs. Tampa Bay (2-3) |
| Place: |
New Era Field |
| TV/Radio: |
Network: FOX; DirecTV: 712; SiriusXM: 81 |
| Announcers: |
Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston, and Laura Okmin |
| Spread: |
Bills by 3 |
| Series: |
Buccaneers lead 7-3 |
| Streak: |
Buccaneers Won 1 |
| Last Meeting: |
Buccaneers 27-6 in Tampa Bay (2013) |
| Buccaneers Offense |
Rush (30th); Pass (2nd); overall (4th) |
| Buccaneers Defense |
Rush (12th); Pass (31st); overall (30th) |
| Bills Offense |
Rush (17th); Pass (30th); overall (31st) |
| Bills Defense |
Rush (7th); Pass (21st); overall (13th) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills will be without Ramon Humber and Charles Clay who are out with longterm injuries. Jordan Matthews looks like he will return way ahead of schedule from thumb surgery. The team is looking to get E.J. Gaines and Leonard Johnson back as well this week although they remain limited in practice.
The Buccaneers are all about their QB situation. Winston suffered an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder last week and didn't throw in practice this week until Friday. He can't do damage to it by playing so it's a pain tolerance thing and he will give it a go. DE Ryan Russell has missed practice time this week with a shoulder injury.
Check out our  Bills Daily Injury Page throughout the week for the latest updates on the injured players.
KEY MATCHUPS
RB LeSean McCoy vs. LB Kendell Beckwith:
McCoy needs to get back on track and will have to watch for the rookie Beckwith who surprisingly leads the team in tackles.
C Eric Wood vs. DT Gerald McCoy:
Wood will be very aware of McCoy's whereabouts all game long. He is the key cog in the middle of the Bucs defense.
CB Tre'Davious White vs. WR Mike Evans:
White followed A.J. Green all over the field in the last game with mixed results. If Gaines is back they may not do that with Evans but the rookie will see his fair share of the all-pro Evans.
LB Matt Milano vs. RB Doug Martin:
Milano played well last week for the injured Humber. He will need to be the man to keep the rejuvenated Martin in check who will be playing in his third game of the season after being suspended to start the year.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Get Running Game Going: This key will be there every week until they accomplish it. LeSean McCoy said they used the bye week to fix what wasn't working in the run game scheme, let's hope it worked.
2. Don't Come Out Flat: The team has to be focused from the start. It could be easy to come out flat after the bye week but if they do that against this potent offense they can find themselves in a hole real quick.
3. Stop The Run: If they can keep the running game in check then they will make the Bucs one dimensional and they would make a banged up Winston or Fitz beat them.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
The Bills lost a winnable game in Cincinnati and can't afford to lose back to back games against teams that they should beat. This game is at home and that should be the difference no matter who is under center for the Buccaneers:
Bills 24, Buccaneers 19
Season Prediction Record: (3-2)
Season Record Against The Spread: (2-2-1)
Bills Blitz - Coming Sunday Evening!
Gameday Grades - No Grades this week, they will return next week!
Gameday Homepage
|
|
