Keys to Cannon Fire: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hope Santa comes early when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars at Raymond James Stadium on Christmas Eve. With the Saints' loss to the Rams on Thursday, The Bucs now sit alone atop the NFC South standings. A win over the Jags will strengthen their chances of a third straight division crown when they face New Orleans next week.
The Buccaneers have been on a roll, winning their last three games including the signature win in Green Bay against the Packers they’ve been searching for all season. With a fully healthy squad heading into their Christmas Eve tilt against the Jaguars, they hope to keep the winning streak going. If they follow these keys to cannon fire they should notch their fourth straight victory and cement themselves as NFC South champs.
Send The Pressure And Finish
The Bucs are facing a banged-up Trevor Lawrence who is coming out of concussion protocol and still dealing with an ankle injury. Translation, send the blitz early and often. The Bucs will need to get home with four, but sending an extra rusher to make him uncomfortable in the pockets will help slow down a passing attack that is already down two of its top playmakers.
The Bucs have been one of the better teams in the NFL generating pressure with four rushers but they haven’t converted those pressures into sacks. They'll need to do a better job of that against the Jags and luckily, an ankle injury might limit Lawrence’s ability to move in the pocket where they can convert those pressures into sacks.
Control The Clock
The Jags boast the league’s ninth-best time of possession at 31:12. While the Bucs rank 23rd in the NFL. Controlling the clock and utilizing the offense’s newfound ground game will be key in limiting the Jaguars chances to win the game. The Buccaneers have gone from being ranked dead last in rushing to 29th, but their recent success running the ball has seen Rachaad White notch a pair of 100-yard games on the ground in their last four contests. White is just 166 yards away from 1,000 yards on the season making him the first running back since Doug Martin to do so.
Getting White going on the ground will let the Bucs chew up valuable minutes against a Jags team that has successfully moved the ball through the air this season. Utilizing Chris Godwin’s ability to move the sticks and keep the clock moving while driving down the field will also be crucial. Godwin is just 184 yards away from 1,000 yards receiving and had his best game of the season last week against the Packers. Utilizing both players' skill sets to keep the clock moving and control the time of possession will be critical in ensuring a Bucs victory.
Contain Josh Allen
While the Jaguars haven't had team success getting after the quarterback, Josh Allen has done his part tallying 13.5 sacks on the season. On the year, Jacksonville has just 30 sacks as a team ranking them 26th in the NFL. Allen has been a driving force in disrupting the quarterback with 77 pressures and 14 QB hits to go with 44 hurries. The former defensive rookie of the year has five games with two or more sacks and can wreak havoc on an opponent's game plan.
Allen typically lines up over the left tackle meaning Tristan Wirfs will have his hands full with the impending free agent. Wirfs has let up just 20 pressures all season but a career-high five sacks on the year in his switch from the right side to the left side. Though there aren't many better tackles in the league you want protecting your blindside. If Wirfs can hold Allen in check that should allow the Bucs to do what they want in the passing game against a club that has had trouble finding the quarterback outside of Allen's production.
You can follow JC Allen on Twitter @JCAllenNFL.
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