Buccaneers offense must exploit this huge Bills weakness

The season started out strong for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the team has been on a slight downward trend since Week 8 of the regular season — and now, they're looking to make sure that skid doesn't keep going in Week 11 against the Buffalo Bills.

The Bucs have dropped two of their last three games, the most recent of which came last Sunday against the New England Patriots in a 28-23 loss. Now, they'll play another NFC East team, the Bills, on the road this upcoming Sunday.

The Patriots and Bills are quite different in many ways, though, and there's one massive difference between the two: while New England's run defense is among the best in the NFL, Buffalo's is one of the worst, and the Bucs should try to do as much damage on the ground as possible when they play the Bills this weekend.

Buccaneers must find run game vs. Bills

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker (44) runs for a gain during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

To say that the Bills' run defense is bad is perhaps underselling it.

The Bills are currently 31st in the NFL in opponent yards per rush (5.5) and 30th in opponent rush yards per game (147.6). Per SumerSports, their defensive EPA on rushing plays is +0.072, the fifth worst in the NFL, and they also face the 25th-highest run percentage in the NFL — that means that other teams are exploiting this weakness against the Bills, and it's paying dividends. The Bills just got beaten soundly by the Dolphins, and the Fins averaged 6.2 yards per carry with their best rusher, De'Von Achane, rushing for 174 yards.

The Bucs, though, have struggled in the run game so far this season. They're 24th in the NFL in yards per rush (4.0) and 25th in rush yards per game (99.8), but this game could be a get-right game for Tampa Bay, and offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard will need to focus on making the ground game effective against a Bills defense so bad at defending against it.

The Bucs have used running back Sean Tucker more and more recently to much success, as his 18-yard scamper against the Patriots was the longest of the year by a Bucs running back — additionally, running back Bucky Irving is back at practice and could make his first appearance since Week 4 on Sunday. Additionally, Rachaad White remains a versatile option out of the backfield, able to catch passes and pass block in addition to his typical running back duties.

The Bucs are 6-3 and have a tough game against the Los Angeles Rams after this Week 11 game against the Bills, so getting at least one win out of this stretch would be a godsend. If the Buccaneers can find a reliable way to pound the rock on Sunday at 1 p.m., they just might come out of Buffalo with the W.

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