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The Buffalo Bills are desperate for a big win after their devastating 14-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. Unfortunately for the Bills, they face yet another tough opponent in Week 14, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We definitely have to continue to make adjustments and improve some of the things that we’re doing,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said looking ahead to Sunday’s game. “But the season’s still out there for us right now and we’ve got a big test, a big challenge this week going down to Tampa.”
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Mirroring McDermott’s comments, Tampa Bay’s star quarterback Tom Brady. The 44-year-old, who’s having yet another MVP-caliber season thus far with 35 touchdowns under his belt, told the media on December 5 that he was already laser-focused on facing quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills. He pointedly called the matchup their “biggest game of the season.”
Brady’s comment about playing Buffalo was not his normal postgame talk. ESPN’s Bucs reporter Jenna Laine pointed out on Twitter Brady saying that next Sunday’s matchup against Buffalo will be “our biggest game of the season,” is a pretty major statement.
“He was all ready to spew out what makes Buffalo so good,” Laine tweeted. “Granted, it’s their only remaining opponent with a winning record but it’s not often he says that. He usually says, ‘Every game matters.'”
The Buccaneers (9-3), currently sit in first place in the NFC South after a dominating 30-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13 and can clinch their division (if both the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints lose) with a win on Sunday.
As for the Bills, they’ve fallen to second place in the AFC East with a 7-5 record, and need this win to remain relevant in the postseason.
Tampa Bay’s Head Coach Refers to Josh Allen as a ‘Dual Threat’
While Buffalo is in the midst of a frustratingly uneven season, it seems as if they’re always either winning by 30 points or losing, Tampa Bay’s head coach Bruce Arians is not sleeping on the Bills, especially when Allen is at the helm.
“When you got a dual-threat quarterback like Josh, it’s not easy,” Arians said to the media on Monday. “I mean they’re in empty sets and you’re expecting passes and they got quarterback powers and quarterback counters. He’s their leading rusher just about and then he can sling it around all those great receivers he has. So it is a really big challenge defensively for us.”
Thus far this season, Allen has thrown 26 touchdowns.
Bills Defense Will Have a Tough Job Stopping the Bucs’ Star RB Leonard Fournette
The Bills defense struggled to stop the Tennesse Titans’ Derrick Henry, who rushed four touchdowns against Buffalo back in Week 6. And just a few days ago, Buffalo couldn’t put a stop to Patriots running back Damien Harris, who scored a 64-yard touchdown, running into the endzone free from contact.
As for the Bucs, Leonard Fournette is a problem for Buffalo. Two weeks ago against the Indianapolis Colts, he tallied 100 yards rushing and three rushing touchdowns. Proving his versatility, his fourth touchdown of the game came from a bullet pass from Brady.
Aside from Fournette, Brady has also a large arsenal of receivers that can score, such as Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Rob Gronkowski. However, the Bills’ defense against the pass has been top-notch this season.
Under defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Buffalo has given up the fewest passing yards per game (165.3) and has allowed the fewest touchdown passes (8).
“It’s going to be a challenge for sure. But we’ve got to find a way,” Frazier said. “We’ve got to find a way to be able to put ourselves in a position to make some plays on the back end. And we look forward to the challenge.
“It’s a game that we need for a lot of reasons. And we’ve got to find a way to slow that passing attack down and give us a chance to get a W.”
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