BUCS Offense Faces Big Blue Challenge
The Buccaneers make their way to The Big Apple to face the Giants in the first of must-win games to make a serious push for the Playoffs. It's a matchup of one of the NFL's most potent offenses and one of the curiously quiet, scary defenses.
Big Passing Threat returns
The BUCS will enter the game with their biggest offensive weapon, returning from a 3-game absence. Mike Evans is arguably one of the best offensive x-factors in the NFC. His presence alone changes the offense's outlook and the entire game plan for opposing defenses. Having him back in the mix should give the BUCS a much-needed boost in potency in the passing games. Especially downfield, where the offense has failed to attack since Evans went down with a hamstring injury in Week 7. The offense hasn't completed a 20+ yard pass attempt since Evans has been out.
But the passing attack downfield isn't likely to come easy. The Giants have one of the most formidable pass defenses in the League.
The Giants' passing defense is driven by the pass rush, which leads the League in sacks per game(3.6). Former Clemson Tiger Dexter Lawrence leads the attack with 9 sacks on the year. Lawrence has been a nuisance to QBs, attacking from the interior of the defensive line. But he's also been deployed at the defensive end spot, similar to how Vita Vea is utilized. But it's not just Lawrence that's a threat. Brians Burns, formerly of the Panthers, and Ajeez Ojulari have also been a constant threat to QBs this season. They both have 6 sacks on the season.
Graham Barton(C) is gonna have his work cut out for him in pass protection. He'll need to be on his A-game with communication between himself and the rest of the offensive line to ensure they don't fall victim to the rush. With Wirfs likely missing, the O-line will need to compensate by being super tight on their cohesiveness to make the passing game work.
Big opportunities await
The silver lining for the offensive line is that even though the Giants have a mean pass rush, they're lacking as run defenders.
The Giants have been prone to giving up lots of yards on the ground. Currently, they're ranked 29th in rushing yards allowed. Their biggest challenges have come from the Washington Commanders x2 and the Eagles. For reference, the BUCS defense faced both teams and gave up 138 rushing yards to Washington and 113 to the Eagles. The Giants gave up over 200 rushing yards to Washington in one of their matchups and 269 to Philly.
Liam Coen would be wise to go after the run defense with every capable RB available. Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker are specially made for overaggressive defenses like the Giants, who will likely pressure Mayfield early.
If Coen can get the Giants off-balanced with the run game, it should open up the passes downfield. While the pass rush has been good, the pass coverage has been suspect. The secondary is allowing a QB rating of 101.2, which is good for 30th in the League. For reference, the BUCS secondary, which has been marred by injuries and has overall been underwhelming, is ranked 29th with 100.7.
The Giants' secondary has just one interception the entire season. If the offensive line can hold up and Liam Coen calls it right, the BUCS offense could make it relatively easy for Baker Mayfield by taking the ball out of his hands for much of the game with the running attack while allowing him to make some easier reads utilizing play action to get the ball downfield.
It could be a big day for the BUCS as it welcomes back Mike Evans and, hopefully, the Week 6 NFC Player Of The Week, Sean Tucker. In the comments below, let me know who you think will have the biggest impact.
