Three Keys to the Game: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the AFC's Buffalo Bills on Sunday at 1 p.m. inside Raymond James Stadium in hopes of winning their fourth straight game.
Bucs quarterback Tom Brady has performed well against the Bills over the course of his career, posting going 32-3 in 35 career meetings while winning 17 AFC East titles in 20 seasons with the New England Patriots.
Brady currently ranks first in the NFL in both passing touchdowns and passing yards. With 18 completions on Sunday, Brady will pass former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (7,142) for the most completions in NFL history.
Here are three things Brady and the Bucs must do in order to win on Sunday:
1. Limit Buffalo's run game
If there's one common theme throughout the Bills' last three losses, it's been the fact that they've struggled to run the ball in those games.
Against the Tennessee Titans (82 yards), Jacksonville Jaguars (72), Indianapolis Colts (91), and New England Patriots (99), the Bills have failed to run for 100 or more yards. They lost all three of those games.
Buffalo is 0-4 when it doesn't rush for at least 100 yards after going 5-3 last season.
Luckily for Tampa Bay, the Bucs own the 2nd best rush defense, limiting opponents to 84.3 yards per game on the ground.
The Bills have gone 3-4 in their past seven games and are facing the possibility of losing two straight for the first time this season if the Bucs can continue to slow down Buffalo's run game on Sunday.
2. Rely on Leonard Fournette
Although Tampa Bay hasn't had success this season running the ball, they should rely on moving the ball on the ground this week.
Buffalo's pass defense is inside the top ten of the entire league and safety Jordan Poyer is looking for his 3rd game in a row on road with at least one interception.
If Tampa Bay decides to focus on running the ball, there's a good chance they'll have success doing so.
The Bills are 1-3 this season when allowing opponents to run the ball for 100 yards or more. Additionally, they've given up 200+ yards in two of the past three games, so the Bucs should try to find a way to run the ball on Sunday.
3. Try to contain Stefon Diggs
Considering the injuries in Tampa Bay's secondary, this won't be easy. But if the Bucs are able to contain Diggs on Sunday, there's a good chance they'll win.
Diggs is inside the top 10 for receptions, touchdowns, and receiving yards in the NFL so far this season.
The former Minnesota Vikings star has 60 receiving yards or more in each of 6 road games this season. He only needs 102 yards for his 4th-straight 1,000-yard season.
The last time Diggs faced Tampa Bay came in 2017 while he was still a Viking. That game, he caught 8 passes for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns in his only career game against the Bucs.
Simply put, the Bucs need to work on Diggs and work to avoid allowing a big game from him in Tampa Bay.
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