A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Every week, Pewter reporters tackle a different tough question. This week’s prompt: Outside of their game against the 7-3 Chargers in Los Angeles, what is the Bucks’ trap game?
Scott Reynolds: “Saints could march on Ray J. Strong in Week 18”
Saints DE Karl Granderon and Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of USA Today
I think the Bucks vs. Cowboys game in Dallas in Week 16 could be a trap game. Because it’s Sunday Night Football and Tampa Bay is 0-3 in prime time games this year. But those games will be Broncos (6-5) vs. Chargers (7-3), Eagles (8-2) vs. Commanders (7-4), or Vikings (8-2) vs. Seahawks. (5-5). The Cowboys will be out of playoff contention by then, but who knows what the Bucks’ record will be by then. The game I’m watching is Week 18 against New Orleans. Because the Saints always seem to play well in Tampa Bay.
Since the NFC South was created in 2002, the Saints are 12-11 against the Bucs in New Orleans during the regular season, but 15-7 against Tampa Bay at Raymond James Stadium. . In fact, the Saints are 5-1 against Tampa Bay in their last six games dating back to the 2018 season. Even the Bucks’ only win over the Saints during this span in 2022 was a 17-16 come-from-behind victory. And in last year’s Week 17 game, the Saints jumped out to a 23-0 lead before the Bucks responded with 13 points in garbage time. Tampa Bay could have clinched the NFC South title with a win, but instead had to wait until the final game of the season at Carolina to win the division.
Saints currently have 4 wins and 7 losses. They still have a chance to make the playoffs thanks to back-to-back wins over the Falcons and Browns under interim head coach Darren Rizzi, but they may need a 6-0 record after this week’s bye to do so. So my sense is that the Saints may need a win at Tampa Bay in Week 18 just as much as the Bucs. And if New Orleans had already been eliminated by the final game of the season, the Saints would have served as a spoiler for their NFC South rival, seeking revenge for the Bucks’ 51-27 win at the Superdome in Week 6. I can see that you are thinking about what you want to accomplish. If the Bucks lose this game and don’t make the playoffs, Todd Bowles could lose his job.
Matt Matera: Bucks’ trap game this week is against the Giants
Can you play a trap game when you’re 4-6 and losing four in a row? In this case, the Bucs can do that when they face a 2-8 Giants football team. But why is this game a potential upset? Because the Giants have a spark heading into Sunday. The big move for New York was benching quarterback Daniel Jones, a fan favorite and local star. Tommy DeVito. We’ve already seen two examples in the NFC South where big changes led to wins. After benching Bryce Young, the Panthers installed Andy Dalton as quarterback and won the first game (although Young had consecutive wins against the Saints and Giants), and the Saints fired Dennis Allen. They are 2-0 since Darren Rizzi was appointed interim. head coach.
Giants QB Tommy DeVito – Photo courtesy of USA Today
If Jones were still the Giants’ quarterback, MetLife Stadium would have become a ghost town, giving the Bucs an advantage. However, many Giants fans are eager for Jones and would welcome the addition of DeVito. The fans will encourage that step, and the players will be motivated by this move. On top of that, the Bucs defense has made the quarterback look like a star this season. DeVito went 3-3 with the Giants last year. In his first start of the season, DeVito should be able to keep New York in the game by relying on Malik Nabors to scramble when he gets the chance.
Things weren’t great for either team late in the game, but the Giants, like the Bucks, have been very close over the past three games. They have a good defensive line that can challenge Baker Mayfield. Don’t get me wrong, this is a must-win game for Tampa Bay. If they don’t, their playoff hopes are over. The defense has to show they can make stops. What they needed most was to give them a sense of playing for something.
Bailey Adams: Bucks better not overlook old friend in Week 17
Panthers head coach Dave Canales – Photo courtesy of USA Today
The Bucks will play the 3-7 Panthers twice in the final seven weeks of the season, and the math makes those two games look like easy wins. But Carolina proved tough late last year. Despite finishing the season 2-15, the Panthers only lost to the Bucs 21-18 in Tampa and 9-0 in Charlotte. I think Tampa Bay will come out of the bye week on a strong note, beat the Giants and have a good chance of defeating the Panthers in the first meeting between the teams in Week 13, but I’m keeping an eye on Raymond James. It’s a rematch of Week 17 at the stadium. Potential trap game.
This 3-7 Panthers team is unlike any other team with a similar record at this stage of the season. Carolina may be far behind in terms of talent, but the team is fighting and is fighting to retain first-year head coach Dave Canales, who has been Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator for a year. are. Todd Bowles and the Bucs will beat their old friends in their first meeting, but they better be prepared for Canales, who returns to Rayjay as a visitor, looking for revenge.
To me, the fact that this could be a trap game is also a revenge game for Canales and a potential loss to a badly defeated Panthers team that the Bucks should have beaten in early December to earn a spot in the schedule itself. There is a possibility that you may have missed it. Tampa Bay failed to beat New Orleans in the final week of the 2023 calendar year (even though New Orleans was better). A do-or-die game was set for Week 18 in Charlotte, and the team had to win to take the championship. NFC South. I think the Bucks have a chance to get back into the playoff race in the coming weeks, but Week 17 feels like a spot in the schedule where the team could stumble. And if that happens, it will prove costly. Bowles and Co. can’t afford to lose a must-win game over the final seven weeks, and this is a must-win game for them.
Josh Quaipo: Raiders could win Battle of the Pirates in Week 14
Raiders TE Brock Bowers – Photo Credit: USA Today
In case you forgot, the Raiders defeated the Ravens earlier this season. And that team has something of a formula to hurt the Bucks. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers can cause havoc in the middle of the field. The Bucks have struggled to contain the middle of the field. I have no idea who will be playing quarterback in Las Vegas for three weeks now, but if it’s veteran Gardner Minshew, remember he led the Colts to a win over Tampa Bay just last year.
Backup tackle Justin Skule struggled against a high-speed power rusher in Week 3 against Detroit. If he is still playing in place of injured left tackle Tristan Wirfs, the Raiders could match up Maxx Crosby against him and gain a huge advantage. Vegas is so unfamiliar that it could embarrass the Bucks with unusual game plans executed by players the Bucks are less inclined to understand.
This game could also come at a time when Tampa Bay has won two straight games to improve the team’s season batting average to .500. So far this year, Tampa Bay hasn’t proven it can win three in a row. The Raiders could keep that questionable winning streak alive in a trap game against a marauding franchise in Week 14.
Adam Slivon: Panthers could surprise Bucks in Week 13
Bucks OLB Yaya Diaby and Panthers RB Tuba Hubbard – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
After starting the season 1-7 and benching second-year quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers have won their past two games against the Saints and Giants with Young back under center. The two losing teams aren’t necessarily championship favorites, but Carolina is showing signs of life under rookie head coach Dave Canales. They developed a deadly run game around new extension Chuba Hubbard, while the defense began to pick up, giving Derek Carr and Daniel Jones fits. After the Bucks decided to bench Jones against the Giants, they could be caught off guard by the momentum that Canales’ team has started to build.
Division games are never easy, and while the Bucks defeated the Panthers last year, it wasn’t a convincing victory. They won 21-18 in Week 13, but then had an ugly 9-0 win in Week 18. The year before, with Tom Brady under center, they lost 21-3 in Week 7 at Carolina before defeating the Panthers. Week 17, 30-24. With the exception of Carolina’s blowout win, every game has been close, and that will likely continue this season.
Todd Bowles and Dave Canales know each other well and it will be a chess match in terms of game plan. This could work in Canales’ favor in his first matchup, especially as his offense is starting to pick up points. This is the kind of game where the Bucs could ignore their opponent as a delay in their schedule and head to Carolina. The way the Panthers play, combined with their up-and-down history with them, makes this a trap game. It is expected to be a close game that Tampa Bay cannot afford to lose.
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