Our picks for Buccaneers' home opener vs. Jets in Week 3

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets are set to face off in a Week 3 showdown on Sunday, but both teams are burdened with injuries.

The Jets are set to go without starting quarterback Justin Fields, going with Tyrod Taylor after a Fields suffered a concussion. The Bucs are dealing with an unbelievable amount of injuries on the offensive line, with three starters out and one backup, guard Michael Jordan, also unable to go. The result will be a patchwork line with the only two starters, Graham Barton and Ben Bredeson, playing out of position.

Will the Buccaneers be able to overcome their injury troubles and start 3-0? Or will the injuries be too much to bear? Our staff weighs in below:

JC Allen, Writer: Bucs 17, Jets 13

Things are headed from bad to worse for the Buccaneers as they get ready to take on the New York Jets on Sunday in their home opener. Down three of their five starting offensive linemen and their top reserve at guard, the Bucs' re-shuffled line will likely feature two players making their first NFL starts. That's not good for a team looking to go 3-0 for the first time since Todd Bowles took over as head coach.

If the Bucs are going to have a chance to win on Sunday, they’ll need to establish a strong ground game and pick and choose when to take their shots. Shutting down the explosive duo of RB Breece Hall and WR Garrett Wilson should be a big part of the game plan and paramount to the Bucs defense slowing down the Jets' offensive attack.

I don’t expect this to be pretty, and it'll likely be a low-scoring affair, but the Bucs have a shot at winning this game on Sunday. They’ll need to play sound football and avoid mistakes, but if they can do that and move the ball on the ground, they should still come away victorious.

Season record: 2-0

Collin Haalboom, Writer: Bucs 21, Jets 17

Despite being undefeated, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a brutal spot. Only two weeks into the season, the team is already without six of its starters, two of whom will be out for the entire year. The Bucs will face the New York Jets for their home opener on Sunday as they try to get to 3-0. The biggest challenge in achieving this objective is that they'll have to do it without four of their five starting offensive linemen.

The Jets have their own injury issues too, though. QB Justin Fields will be out of the lineup as he recovers from a concussion, while edge rusher Jermaine Johnson has also been ruled out due to an ankle injury. Still, the Jets are a feisty bunch, and they'll be led by experienced veteran QB Tyrod Taylor in Fields' absence.

Although the Jets' defense could still cause some issues for the Buccaneers' makeshift OL, the performance by OC Josh Grizzard and QB Baker Mayfield against the Texans last week proved that the Buccaneers can get creative and find ways to put points up even with the odds stacked against them.

I think this game will be closer than many expect, but I believe that Baker Mayfield and the running game can will this team to another victory to remain undefeated early in the year.

Season record: 2-0

Darius Hayes, Writer: Bucs 24, Jets 10

The Buccaneers head into their matchup Sunday against the New York Jets with a strong chance to come out on top, especially with Tyrod Taylor starting in place of Justin Fields, who is sidelined with a concussion. While Taylor is a veteran who can manage the game, the Jets’ offense will likely struggle if their run game gets shut down early, and Todd Bowles’ defense is built to do exactly that. Expect Bowles to dial up heavy blitz packages to keep Taylor uncomfortable in the pocket, forcing him into rushed decisions.

On the offensive side, the Buccaneers should move the ball well, and Bucky Irving is primed for another strong performance after rushing 17 times for 71 yards and bringing in all six of his targets for 50 yards in the Buccaneers’ 20-19 win over the Texans on Monday night. With that balance on offense and a stifling defensive approach, I see Tampa Bay handling business and pulling out a 24-10 win.

Season record: 2-0

Caleb Skinner, Writer: Bucs 24, Jets 17

The Bucs are dealing with a bit of the injury bug, but a win against the Jets could heal things if they get off to a 3-0 start. The Jets will be starting Tyrod Taylor in place of Justin Fields, who is dealing with a concussion, but things shouldn’t change too much with him in. Despite the Bucs OL being decimated, I think they come out with a close victory at home as they celebrate 50 seasons.

Season record: 2-0

Dustin Lewis, Editor: Bucs 17, Jets 14

It’s good to be home, and it’s even better to be 2-0. Though the victories haven’t come without plenty of drama, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are off to an undefeated start after taking care of business on the road against Atlanta and Houston.

With the New York Jets coming into town, the main concern for both teams is mounting injuries on offense. The Jets will be rolling with backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor after Justin Fields suffered a concussion.

On the other side, the Buccaneers’ offensive line is made up of spare parts. Already down All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, right guard Cody Mauch suffered a season-ending injury last week, and right tackle Luke Goedeke aggravated a foot injury severely enough to be placed on IR.

It’s worth wondering how Tampa Bay will respond on offense with so many new faces blocking for quarterback Baker Mayfield. The return of Wirfs can’t come soon enough.

Regardless, I don’t think the Jets have enough firepower on offense to hold off the Buccaneers. A win is a win, no matter the margin.

Season record: 2-0

River Wells, Editor: Jets 17, Buccaneers 13

I'll be the dissenting vote. The Jets aren't an offensive powerhouse, but Tampa Bay's offensive line is a huge problem, and it'll be what causes them to lose this football game.

Tampa Bay is set to potentially start two third-string guards on Sunday, and they'll also have Charlie Heck at right tackle — something the Bucs tried to move mountains to avoid by putting center Graham Barton at left tackle and guard Ben Bredeson at center. This will likely be the worst offensive line quarterback Baker Mayfield has ever played behind, and it makes everything harder.

It will be tough to run the ball with weaknesses on every side of the line, and it will be tough to pass for the same reason. The playbook will be extremely limited for OC Josh Grizzard, who will have to use tight ends to help block and account for how fast Mayfield will need to get the ball out. The Jets will know all of this, and they'll gameplan accordingly.

The Bucs' defense will do its job against a middling Jets offense, but I think this offensive line too much a burden to bear. The Jets take this one in a low-scoring game, and the Bucs simply have to wait to get healthy again.

Season record: 2-0

Final tally: Buccaneers 5, Jets 1

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