Buccaneers-Cardinals Capsule
TAMPA BAY (1-0) at ARIZONA (0-1)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m., EDT, Fox
OPENING LINE - Cardinals by 8
RECORD VS SPREAD - Buccaneers 1-0, Cardinals 0-1
SERIES RECORD - Tied 9-9
LAST MEETING - Cardinals beat Buccaneers 13-10, Sept. 29, 2013
LAST WEEK - Buccaneers beat Falcons 31-24; Cardinals lost to Patriots 23-21
AP PRO32 RANKING - Buccaneers No. 15, Cardinals No. 8
BUCCANEERS OFFENSE - OVERALL (12), RUSH (18), PASS (11)
BUCCANEERS DEFENSE - OVERALL (22), RUSH (2), PASS (26)
CARDINALS OFFENSE - OVERALL (16), RUSH (17), PASS (t14)
CARDINALS DEFENSE - OVERALL (20), RUSH (19), PASS (20)
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - Tampa Bay's Jameis Winston was NFC player of week after throwing four TD passes vs. Falcons in opener. ... No Tampa Bay QB has thrown for four touchdowns in consecutive games. ... Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter was 36-27 in six seasons as head coach at Arizona State (2001-06). ... Koetter has Pat Tillman's Arizona State jersey in frame hanging in his office. ... Tampa Bay allowed 56 yards rushing vs. Atlanta, second best of any team on opening week (Green Bay allowed 48). ... Mike Evans needs 85 yards receiving to pass Lawrence Downey for fifth most in franchise history. ... If Evans reaches 1,000 yards receiving this season, he would join A.J. Green, John Jefferson and Randy Moss as only players to top 1,000 yards receiving in first three years in NFL. ... Game features two No. 1 overall draft picks, Winston (2015) and Carson Palmer (2003). ... With loss against Patriots, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians is 2-2 in season openers since coming to Arizona. ... Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald has caught a pass in 180 consecutive games. ... Fitzgerald is tied for eighth on NFL career list with 100 TDs after two in opener. ... S Tyrann Mathieu played all 72 defensive snaps and had seven tackles last week in first game back from ACL surgery. ... S Tony Jefferson had game-high 10 tackles vs. Patriots and has 23 in his last three games. ... RB David Johnson has 14 TDs in first 17 games of career, more than any Cardinal in franchise history. Johnson has 790 yards from scrimmage in his first six career starts. ... Patriots were 10 of 16 on third-down conversions against Arizona. ... Loss last week was Palmer's sixth in his 32 starts since Week 8 of 2013 season. ... CB Patrick Peterson had two interceptions in final minutes of fourth quarter in Cardinals' come-from-behind win at Tampa Bay in 2013. ... Fantasy Tip: Buccaneers have gained at least 350 yards in each of last four games. So Winston, Evans and RB Doug Martin are solid plays.
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