In Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have an opportunity to take a commanding lead within the NFC South, recording their fourth-straight win to both keep their lead over the struggling Atlanta Falcons – who get to play towards a Maxx Crosby-less Las Vegas Raiders – or soar as much as a two-game lead with three video games left to go within the common season.
That is proper, after scuffling with consistency earlier within the season, successful a troublesome sport one week solely to lose a straightforward one the subsequent, the Buccaneers have seemingly discovered a successful method to maintain issues happening the bottom with the one-two punch of Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, choosing up at the very least 150 yards on the bottom in every of the final three video games for the reason that bye. Irving has thrust himself into the Offensive Rookie of the Yr dialog; White is having his best season as a professional, averaging 4.2 yards per carry versus a 3.8 profession common; and even Baker Mayfield has gotten in on the enjoyable, choosing up 241 dashing yards on 45 makes an attempt plus three dashing touchdowns on the bottom to go together with his 28 passing TDs.
Evidently, this has the potential to be a severely particular weekend for the Buccaneers, however for that to occur, Tampa Bay might want to beat a Los Angeles Chargers staff that is superb, having gained 5 of their final seven video games, together with Ws towards the Denver Broncos, the Cincinnati Bengals, and people pesky Atlanta Falcons. Will the Buccaneers have the ability to care for enterprise towards a John Harbaugh-led Chargers staff that has nearly gained twice as many video games as they did in 2024 with 4 video games left to play? Evidently, that is going to be a quarterbacks duel, however the Buccaneers may simply have sufficient expertise round their sign caller to safe a win on the finish of a candy LA December Sunday.
1. Baker Mayfield steps as much as the event in Week 15
In 2024, Mayfield has turned in a B+ season.
On one hand, he is turned the ball over just a few extra occasions than most followers would love, throwing the ball to the opposite staff 13 occasions, fumbling it 12 extra, and taking 32 sacks on the yr, which is not technically a turnover however does set his offense again and is usually a signal of a quarterback who is not making essentially the most decisive choices with the ball. When Mayfield was enjoying on a seven-figure contract as a substitute of 1 with eight zeros general, that wasn’t an enormous deal, because the Buccaneers had been successfully enjoying with home cash, however now? Mayfield is meant to play like a $100 million man, as that is what the Buccaneers are paying him to do.
And but, when the Buccaneers want him most, Mayfield usually rises to the event, however do not simply take my phrase for it, as Harbaugh had much like say within the lead-up to the sport.
“Yeah, he is a winner. I feel the factor that strikes me, I imply, about him, I imply, you see a ton of quarterbacks attempt to emulate him, copy him,” Mayfield informed reporters. “He is that man. He is that man that he performs his greatest when his greatest is required most.”
Finishing 70.2 p.c of his passes for 3,329 yards and 28 touchdowns, Mayfield is a big cause why the Buccaneers are in first place within the NFC South with simply 4 video games left to play. Even going up towards the eighth-ranked passing protection within the NFL, with a difficult secondary headlined by Derwin James, count on Mayfield to make some vital passes if the Buccaneers safe the win and for the Heisman trophy winner to make some essential errors if they arrive up brief.
2. Justin Herbert can stress the Buccaneers’ protection too
Whereas the Chargers’ brass absolutely know that Mayfield can flip in an unbelievable effort when his staff wants him, the Buccaneers have related emotions about LA quarterback Justin Herbert, who may simply be the most effective quarterback within the NFL who solely throws the ball 28 occasions per sport, which ranks thirtieth within the NFL via 14 weeks.
Discussing the problem Herbert presents heading into Week 15, Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator Liam Coen completely explains what makes the Oregon product particular, noting that he can produce in addition to anybody within the NFL.
“You are still speaking about arguably a top-ten quarterback throughout anyone’s board within the league. [He] has all [the] arm energy, athletic, can run, could make all of the throws, however the best way they make the most of him of their system – they’re shopping for into the tradition change [of] working the ball, then when everyone cuts off the run, they’re throwing over their head. That is precisely what they’re doing,” Coen informed reporters.
“[Ladd] McConkey is having a heck of a yr, however you already know, if you happen to watch the routes he is getting, everyone is getting sucked up making an attempt to cease [the run], and he is quick and elusive and making a variety of performs. It is all what you see, from the best way they’re using the quarterback is sort of into the tradition that they need. Everyone knows he can throw it 40 occasions a sport if want be, however that is simply not the best way they play.”
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Whereas the Chargers do not throw the ball a ton, opting to as a substitute focus extra on sturdy defensive play and a dedication to transferring the ball on the bottom, after they do, Herbert has been darn spectacular, finishing 63.9 of his passes for two,764 yards, 14 touchdowns, and only one interception in 13 video games. Whereas these numbers aren’t significantly spectacular, they present a quarterback who merely would not make many errors, which, sadly, is a stark distinction to Mayfield, who tends to show over the ball at the very least twice per sport.
3. The Buccaneers’ run sport proves the distinction in Week 15
Whether or not you want Mayfield’s risk-it-for-the-biscuit method or Herbert’s protected model of supplemental passing in Harbaugh’s system, it is protected to say the 2 signal-callers are kind of a wash, proper?
Positive, however one side of the sport the place the Buccaneers have a transparent benefit is within the working sport, with the dynamic duo of Irving and White working for at the very least 150 yards in every of the final three weeks, whereas the Chargers have needed to put an even bigger workload on Gus Edwards’ shoulders after J.Ok. Dobbins was positioned on IR. Now granted, Edwards continues to be participant, however Dobbins was having a by much better season of the 2 Baltimore transplants, and his presence will definitely be missed in Week 15.
Think about the truth that the Buccaneers have a greater dashing offense and dashing protection than the Chargers, and it is protected to imagine that Todd Bowles, Coen, and firm will have the ability to lean on their run sport like LA did earlier this yr. Tampa Bay ought to have the ability to management the clock, restrict Mayfield’s errors by setting him up with simple conditions on third downs, and ultimately, safe their eighth win of the season on the best way to a different journey to the playoffs.