Game 8

Dixie Chicks at Bucs

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

TV: FOX (WTVT-TV Channel 13, locally) with Mark Followill, windy Daryl “Moose” Johnston and Allison Williams.

Streaming: FOX One, NFL+. (Geographic restrictions may apply; subscription may be required).

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network WXTB-FM 97.9 in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region with Tony Castricone, Dave Moore and Jay Recher. (Transmisiones de radio en español en WTMP-FM 96.1 y WMGG-AM 1470 en Tampa, con Santiago Gramática y Martin Gramática.). Additional stations throughout Florida carrying the game on the Buccaneers Radio Network can be found here. The game will also be broadcast on SiriusXM Channel 199 (Buccaneers Radio Network feed).

Weather: Here comes the rain. Who says? Why, the good people of AccuWeather.com, that’s who. Tailgaters better be ready as the thunderstorms are scheduled to begin in the early morning. From mid-morning until about noonish, they should taper off. But right about kickoff, the skies are supposed to open up. In the second half, it is expected that the rain and storms will pass.

Odds: Per Hard Rock Bet, as of midnight, Bucs -2.5 (-110); over/under 43.5.

Referees: Alan Eck and his gang will work today’s game. Per Sharp Football Analysis, Eck’s outfit is a notorious homer unit. In the past 49 games since Eck became an NFL referee, in games his posse has worked, the home team has won 33 games.

Injuries:

Outlook: It is as simple as this: With a win, the Bucs are very much in a playoff chase, even if they up their record today to 3-5. With a win today, here would be the NFC South landfill standings: Stinking Panthers 3-4, Bucs 3-5, Dixie Chicks 3-5 (Joe has no idea what the slimy Saints will do today and it is not important for this story, though they could be tied with the Bucs with a win). So the Bucs would be a half-game out of first place with a win today, with nine games to play. They’d absolutely be right in the thick of a division crown race. Who woulda thunk it after losing the first four games to start the season? But to do that today, Joe believes the Bucs must have a diversified offense. So far this year, with the exception of Dallas and Carolina, the Bucs’ passing attack has been horrible. It is closer to a pee wee football passing attack than an NFL attack. The Bucs are dead last in the league in explosive plays. To win in this league, you have to score points. If you don’t have explosive plays, you’re handcuffing your offense. Joe is sorry if this offends anyone, but if a team cannot develop explosive plays, that team isn’t going to win many games. A team only runs into sorry run defenses like Dallas and Carolina only a handful of times a season, maybe. It’s why Father Dungy’s offenses couldn’t get the Bucs over the hump; it’s why former Bucs commander Greg Schiano couldn’t win games and if Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson doesn’t start earning his keep right now, today, it’s a big reason why the Bucs will have a new coaching staff in about two months.

Fun facts: Dixie Chicks QB Michael Penix completed 25 of 34 attempts (73.5 percent) for 213 yards and three touchdowns last week in a win over the 49ers. Looks for his third in a row with 3+ touchdown passes. Passed for 298 yards and had two touchdowns (passing and running) in his lone career start vs. the Bucs to open the 2025 season. … RB Bijan Robinson had 5 catches and 122 scrimmage yards (63 rushing, 59 receiving) in Week 7, his 9th-career game with 50+ rush yards and 50+ receiving yards. Leads NFL in scrimmage yards (907) and rush yards (704). Aims for his seventh straight road game with a touchdown. Also looking for his eighth straight road game with 100+ scrimmage yards. Had 175 scrimmage yards (93 rushing, 82 receiving) and a touchdown on the ground the last time the Dixie Chicks and Bucs played. Aims for his fourth straight game against the Bucs with a touchdown and 100 scrimmage yards. … WR Drake London had 7 catches for 66 yards and his first touchdown catch of the season last week, his 23rd-career touchdown catch. Aims for his sixth straight with 60+ receiving yards. Has 6+ catches and 50+ receiving yards in 5 of his past 6 games against the Bucs. Ranks fourth in NFL with 616 receiving yards. … TE Kyle Pitts had his 19th-career touchdown catch last week. Aims for his fourth in a row with five or more catches and a touchdown catch. Set career highs with 11 receptions for 166 yards and 3 touchdowns in his last game facing the Bucs. Looks for his third straight game playing in Tampa with touchdown catches. … S Jessie Bates had season-high 9 tackles, 2 passes defended and his 13th-career forced fumble last week. He also had his first pick of the season against the 49ers. Bates has 28 career picks, tied for most in the NFL since 2018. He’s also looking for his third straight game with a forced fumble. … S Xavier Watts had his second career forced fumble last week. Has at least five tackles in his last six games. … LB Kendal Daniels last week became the first rookie linebacker since Kwon Alexander in 2015 with 11 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception in the same game. Aims for his third straight game with a tackle for loss and his fourth straight game with at least seven tackles. … DE Za’Darius Smith had his 75th-career sack last week and looks for his third in a row with a sack. … Bucs QB Baker Mayfield had his 200th career touchdown last week. Aims for his fourth in a row with a touchdown pass. Has 18 touchdowns (17 passing, 1 rushing) vs. 4 interceptions in seven career starts against Atlanta. Aims for his sixth straight against Atlanta with at least two touchdown passes. … RB Bucky Irving ran for 106 yards and had his first career game with two rushing touchdowns against Carolina, his fifth-career game with at least 100 rushing yards. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in 11 of his past 12 home games. Had 71 scrimmage yards (60 rushing, 11 receiving) in last meeting with the Dixie Chicks. Bucky has at least 50+ scrimmage yards in 3 of his 4 career games against the Dixie Chicks. … RB Kenny Gainwell rushed for a season-high 88 yards last week. … WR Tez Johnson had his first receiving touchdown on the season against Carolina. … NT Vita Vea had his first sack of the season last week, his 36th-career sack. … DT Calijah Kancey had a 32-yard scoop and score last week, his first-career touchdown. … DE Al-Quadin Muhammad had a sack and his fifth-career forced fumble last week. Aims for his third-straight game with a sack, which ought to infuriate KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles. … LB YaYa Diaby had a career-high 3 sacks against Carolina. Looks for his third in a row with a tackle for loss. YaYa also has three tackles for loss in his last four games against Atlanta. … CB Zyon McCollum had his first pick and fourth of his career against Carolina. Looks for his fourth straight game with at least a pass defensed. … CB Jacob Parrish can become the first player since Brian Branch in 2024 with two passes defensed in five straight games. Parrish leads the NFL with 11 passes defensed. Last year against the Dixie Chicks, Parrish had a fumble recovery.

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