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While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will sit three starters in Week 9 due to injuries, starting defensive end Akiem Hicks returns, which could boost the team up front.
Hicks last played when the Bucs (3-5) started the season 2-0 in a 20-10 win over the New Orleans Saints. His foot injury sidelined him through Week 7, and the Bucs opted to sit him for Week 8 despite his return to practice. Tampa Bay sputtered in that span with a 1-5 mark.
Hicks tallied five tackles and a quarterback hit in less than two games. The Bucs signed the former Pro Bowler as a free agent in the offseason to give the team a younger force up front in place of Ndamukong Suh. Hicks notably play with Bucs quarterback Tom Brady in New England in 2015.
“It helps because it puts everybody back in their roles,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles told reporters on Friday, November 4, about Hicks’ return. “It puts everybody back in their roles and they can get the amount of time and play how they’re used to playing, and it helps us up front because it gives us a dimension we haven’t had over there.”
Hicks hasn’t enjoyed wild success against the Rams, however, in four career games against the team. He has just 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles. The Rams have double teamed Hicks in the past when he played for the Chicago Bears and the Patriots.
“Well, I’m not sure yet,” Bowles said about the Rams double-teaming Hicks for Sunday, “because it’s our first time having him and I think we play a different scheme than what he’s played in, so we’ll have to see how it shakes out.”
While the Bucs have Hicks back, the defense will miss starting safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (concussion) out for a second-straight game despite his return to practice on Thursday, November 3. Winfield had a strong start to the season with 39 tackles, three sacks, two pass deflections, and an interception in six games.
“It was good to see him out here running around,” Bowles said. “He’s going through the process right now, but he’s trending in the right way.”
The Bucs will also sit tight end Cameron Brate (neck), wide receiver Russell Gage (hamstring), and offensive lineman Luke Goedeke (foot) in Week 9.
Bucs Defense Faces Major Challenge
Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who caught two passes to set up his team’s win over the Bucs last January, will play in Week 9.
Kupp previously hurt an ankle in a Week 9 game against the San Francisco 49ers. He has 64 receptions for 686 yards and five touchdowns this season.
Tampa Bay’s secondary will get an additional challenge with another wide receiver, Van Jefferson, coming back from a knee procedure for the first time this season. Jefferson caught 50 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns last season.
“They do such a great job of getting [Cooper Kupp] the ball and getting him open,” Bucs defensive assistant Kacy Rodgers said in Thursday’s press conference. “So that’s the task as we look back. [The Rams] do a great job of really spreading us out, isolating [Kupp] and creating a matchup they want for him.”
Kupp beat the Bucs secondary twice in the most critical moments of the NFC Divisional round. Rodgers didn’t see communication by defensive backs as the only issue from that 30-27 loss.
“Then a couple times we look back — we didn’t tackle well either,” Rodgers added. “So, from our standpoint, we know we have to be better [at] tackling, we have to know where [Kupp] is at all times.”
“And the thing is, they do a great job of making everything look alike, the way they game plan and everything,” Rodgers continued. “So, we have to be excellent with our eyes and understand what they’re trying to do.”
Rams in ‘Same Boat’ With Bucs
Los Angeles comes into the Week 9 game with a must-win situation just as much as the Bucs.
Both teams sit below .500 coming into the game amid disappointing seasons. That doesn’t mean Bowles and company anticipate an easier Rams team on Sunday than the one they faced in January.
“I don’t think we’ve seen anything to give us an advantage,” Bowles said. “We know we’re going to get the best Rams team we can face. We’re in the same boat — we’re both trying to win a ballgame. They’ve still got all their star players and high production, obviously, so it’s going to be a battle.”
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