Game 9

Bucs (6-2) at WTF (2-6)

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

TV: WTVT-TV Channel 13, NFL Sunday Ticket Channel 711. National TV broadcast map can be found here.

Streaming: Fans may stream the broadcast from Buccaneers.com or on a mobile device using one of the following: Buccaneers official app or Yahoo! Sports app. Geographic restrictions apply.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network WXTB-FM 97.9 in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region (Transmisiones de radio en español en WTMP-FM 96.1 y WMGG-AM 1470 en Tampa). Additional stations throughout Florida on the Buccaneers Radio Network can be found here. The game will also be broadcast on SiriusXM Channel 137 (Bucs broadcast).

Weather: Very crisp morning for Bucs fans going to the game. Per AccuWeather.com, tailgaters will suffer through low-40s (stay by the grill). At kickoff it should be 48 and will climb to 50 by the fourth quarter. After the game, look for the temperatures to be in the high 40s. All under sunny skies.

Odds: Per BetMGM, as of midnight Saturday, Bucs -9.5; over/under 51.5.

Zebras: Brad Rogers’ officiating crew will work the game. Per Rotwire.com, Rogers’ crew is the fifth-worst in the number of flags thrown with 117 through eight games. Rogers’ gang likes to call holding. Only two zebra crews have thrown more flags for holding. As far as pass interference, Rogers’ crew much lets the men play. They are in the bottom third of pass interference flags thrown. 

Outlook:  Joe really isn’t sure what the Bucs should do with this game, outside of win. Joe is a big believer in playing to your strength. Clearly, the pass game is perhaps the strongest in the NFL. However, with furniture-tossing, bicycle-throwing receiver Antonio Brown and foot-rubbing, car-littering film guru tight end Rob Gronkowski out, and Chris Godwin hobbled by a bum foot injury, that sort of tips the scales to the Bucs running backs. However, WTF actually has a pretty good run defense. So do the Bucs hope — there’s that dirty word again — that Jaelon Darden and Tyler Johnson can ball out as good as Scotty Miller and Godwin? Joe guesses the best way to find that out is with a truly awful WTF pass defense. Joe doesn’t expect WTF to do much offensively. This game will be won or lost — gasp! — by how well the Bucs offense performs, even if it is short-handed. Also, per Adam Schefter of BSPN, Washington All-Pro G Brandon Scherff should play today. WTF is 0-12 in the past 12 games he didn’t play. WTF’s win percentage in games he starts jumps to 49 percent.

Trinkets: … QB Tom Brady passed for 375 yards and 4 touchdowns vs. 2 interceptions in Week 8. He has 38 games with 4+ touchdown passes and 98 games with 3+ touchdown passes, both most in NFL history. Brady has 25+ touchdown passes in 16 seasons, tied for most all-time. Brady passed for 381 yards and 2 touchdowns vs. 0 interceptions in the 2020 NFC Wild Card meeting with WTF last winter. Brady looks for his sixth regular season start in a row facing Washington with 285+ pass yards and 2+ touchdowns. … RB Leonard Fournette had 132 scrimmage yards (93 rushing, 22 receiving) and a rushing touchdown in the 2020 NFC Wild Card game. Fournette has a rushing touchdown in 3 of his past 4 games and 90+ scrimmage yards in 4 of his past 5. … WR Mike Evans had his eighth touchdown reception of 2021 in Week 8. He is the only player with 8+ touchdown catches in each of the past 4 seasons. Including the playoffs, Evans has 21 catches for 492 yards (164 per game) and 3 touchdown catches in 3 career games at Washington. … WR Chris Godwin had 8 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown catch in Week 8. Looks for his third game in a row with 100+ receiving yards and a touchdown catch. Godwin had 79 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in last year’s NFC Wild Card game. Godwin had 103 receiving yards the last time he played WTF in the regular season. … LB Lavonte David had 9 tackles and a sack in the 2020 NFC Wild Card. David looks for his fifth regular season game in a row against against WTF with at least seven tackles. … LB Devin White Looks for his third game in a row with 10+ tackles. … LB Shaquil Barrett has had a sack in 4 of his past 5 games. He has 8 tackles for loss in his past 7 road games. … LB Jason Pierre-Paul has 12.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 4 forced fumbles in 13 regular season games against WTF. … QB Taylor Heinicke passed for 306 yards and a touchdown with a pick and had 46 rushing yards and rushing touchdown in the 2020 NFC Wild Card. Heinicke looks for his third in a row with 265+ pass yards and touchdown pass. … RB Antionio Gibson has 50+ scrimmage yards in 7 of his 8 games this season. Looks for his third game in a row with 50+ scrimmage yards. … RB J.D. McKissick had a touchdown run against the Bucs in last year’s playoff meeting. McKissick had 8 receptions and 93 scrimmage yards (83 receptions, 10 rushing) in Week 8. McKissick is 1 of 3 running backs with 2+ games (2) with 8+ catches in 2021. Since 2020, McKissick ranks second among running backs in receptions (113) and receiving yards (921). … WR Terry McLaurin had 6 catches for 75 yards in last winter’s wild card game. McLaurin looks for his ninth straight home game with 4+ catches. … WR Cam Sims had 7 catches for 104 yards in the 2020 NFC Wild Card. … WR Deandrew Carter had 51 receptions yards and his first-career touchdown catch in Week 8. TE Logan Thomas had 5 catches for 74 yards in the playoffs against the Bucs. He has a touchdown catch in 2 of his 4 games this season. … DE Chase Young looks for his third home game in a row at least a half-sack. … DT Daron Payne had 2 sacks and a forced fumble in the playoffs against the Bucs. Had his second sack of the season in Week 8. … DT Jonathan Allen had a sack in Week 8 and looks for his third in a row with a sack. … LB Cole Holcomb looks for his sixth home game in a row with 6+ tackles. … CB Kendall Fuller had 2 passes defended in Week 8. He looks for his fourth in a row at home with a pass defended. … S Landon Collins had his 8th-career sack in Week 8. Aims for his eighth in a row with 6+ tackles.

Fun fact: The Bucs lead the NFL in touchdown passes (25) and are second in the following stats: passing yards (2,560), passing first downs (138), completions (231) and completions of at least 20 yards (39). … The last time the Bucs won a regular season game in Washington came in 2014.

The expectations are set.#GoBucs pic.twitter.com/wKipwz7ayQ

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 13, 2021

Enjoy The Ira Kaufman Podcast. Episode 2 Of This Week.