Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Football Team: 3 Keys to the Game
Fresh off of bye week, Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit the road for a second straight game when they travel north to face the Washington Football Team on Sunday.
The last time these two met on a football field came this past January when the Bucs beat Washington 31-23 in the NFC Wild Card round at FedEx Field. Tampa Bay won escaped the Wild Card matchup and the rest, of course, is history.
Here are three things the Bucs must do to capture a win over Washington again away from Raymond James Stadium this weekend:
1. Contain Taylor Heinicke
The Washington quarterback gave credit to that Wild Card game for keeping his football career alive and he's right. In his first-ever start, he ran for 46 yards and a touchdown while throwing for 306 yards and a touchdown in a performance that would later him a two-year contract.
The legend of Taylor Heinicke has continued to grow this season as he's thrown for 1,928 yards, 11 TDs, and nine interceptions since taking over for Ryan Fitzpatrick in the season-opener. Fitzpatrick is still recovering from a hip injury.
Washington has only won twice this season and just once when Heinicke has thrown an interception. The Bucs will need to bring the pressure and force a turnover or two on Sunday.
2. Take Care of the Football
Bucs quarterback Tom Brady was picked off twice vs. the New Orleans Saints. The first interception led to a Saints touchdown just a few plays later while the second one resulted in a pick-6 that locked up a win for New Orleans.
Although Washington's defense is dead last in stopping the pass, allowing an average of 286 yards through the air a game, Brady has to avoid throwing interceptions and not let the Football Team take advantage of any mistakes made by Tampa Bay.
Last week, the Saints scored all three times after the Bucs turned the ball over and Washington will be looking to do the same on Sunday. Tampa Bay, and especially Brady, must be smart with the football against a defense that has struggled this season.
3. Look to Lockdown McLaurin
Part of containing Heinicke will be making his top wide receiver target obsolete on Sunday. That would be receiver Terry McLaurin, who had 6 catches for 75 yards in the Wild Card game the last time these two teams met.
While focusing on McLaurin will lead to other receivers like Adam Humphries and DeAndre Carter showing up on the stat sheet more than usual, the Bucs can't allow the Ohio State product to get hot and create explosive plays.
McLaurin is the only WFT receiver with more than one touchdown this season. Two tight ends, Ricky Seals-Jones and Logan Thomas, each have a pair of scores as well, but it's clear McLaurin needs to be a top priority for Tampa Bay's defense this week.
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