Can Tampa Bay rebound against the Seattle Seahawks today at CenturyLink Field? The Buccaneers have no other choice if they’re to turnaround what has been a disappointing season to this point. A trip out to Seattle might be what the doctor ordered for a Tampa Bay group that dropped a winnable game out in Nashville, Tennessee last week.
Tampa Bay was up and down in its 27-23 loss to Tennessee last week, in which the Buccaneers struggled to take care of the football once again. Jameis Winston was credited with four turnovers to his name, though both fumbles could be questioned to go more on offensive line play. A mis-times snap from Ryan Jensen and a missed block by Donovan Smith didn’t help Winston out, but two interceptions by the fifth-year starter were denoted by head coach Bruce Arians as he said the receivers didn’t run the routes correctly on the miscue throws.
Nonetheless, Winston is now tied with Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Baker Mayfield for the league-lead in interceptions with 12 and now must go up against a very talented Seattle team and a noisy atmosphere as well. The Seahawks did have a little bit of trouble against Atlanta backup Matt Schaub, who ended up throwing for 460 yards and a touchdown last week. Seattle this season has surrendered 24.5 points per game and is averaging 376 yards given up per contest. Can Tampa Bay take advantage?
Some will point to Tampa Bay’s success out on the west coast as a reason for optimism, as the Buccaneers are 3-0 in its last four games on the other side of the United States. Tampa Bay went on the road twice to California in 2016 and defeated the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers, and this season beat the Los Angeles Rams. Though not many would say a team coming off a three-game losing streak should have much of a chance, Tampa Bay is poised for a breakout game at some point.
Offensively, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both rank amongst the league’s best wide receivers and when Winston has been clicking, Tampa Bay becomes a very difficult team to beat. Winning the turnover battle will be the key, as Seattle’s Russell Wilson is the polar opposite of Winston when it comes to giving away the football. The former NC State star has only turned over the football once via an interception this season.
