The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to State Farm Stadium to battle the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday Night Football, barely clinging to the lead in the NFC South.
Arizona lost their fourth consecutive contest last Sunday, eliminating them from postseason contention, while Tampa are a game above the Carolina Panthers for first in their division heading into this weekend, despite losing three of their last four games.
Match preview
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Injuries and a lack of consistency from one game to another have eventually caught up to Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals, who will miss the playoff for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
Indeed, losing a quarterback with the running ability of Kyler Murray does not make things easy, but that is not the reason Arizona can only accumulate at most seven victories this year, four fewer than they had in the 2021-22 campaign.
Defensively, they are not good enough, ranked 25th on third down while dead last in points allowed per game and points conceded in the red zone.
Add to that the Cards' pass defence that have allowed a rating of 99.1 this year while also conceding the highest completion percentage in the league, and it is no surprise to see them in their current position.
We did see them improve their pass rush versus the Denver Broncos last week, albeit too little too late, posting seven quarterback sacks in a 24-15 defeat.
Their offence has put them in solid positions to win numerous games lately, outscoring their opponents in the second quarter of their previous two encounters though they came away empty-handed at the conclusion of both contests.
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For Todd Bowles, his debut season as head coach of the Buccaneers has rarely gone as he or many experts had expected.
While they lead the NFC South and have their playoff destiny in their hands, Tampa are a far cry from the team we saw in 2021-22 when they finished the regular season at 13-4.
Should they lose one of their final three games, it would be the first time they complete a campaign with fewer wins than losses since 2019.
Offensively, the Bucs are 28th in the league regarding points per game and have struggled to move the chains all season, currently 20th when it comes to third-down conversions.
Even though it has been a down year for this group in 2022, it is by no means a lost cause as they lead their division, and thankfully for them, the other three NFC South teams have been equally poor and inconsistent as they have.
That being said, this team deserve some credit for being in a position to make the postseason despite all of its struggles.
Much of that credit could be attributed to their defence, particularly the pass rush which has amassed 40 sacks in 2022, the sixth-most in the NFL.
While they have underperformed when in possession if Tampa can find a way to finish their drives, things could change as the Bucs are fourth in the league when it comes to passing, averaging of 268.4 a game.
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Team News
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Before being forced out of their game last Sunday with a concussion, Cardinals QB Colt McCoy went 13/21 for 78 yards, his backup Trace McSorley completed seven passes but threw two interceptions, DeAndre Hopkins made seven catches for 60 yards, while James Conner had their only touchdown but managed just 3.9 yards on average running the ball.
JJ Watt did his best to keep the Broncos' offence at bay, recording three sacks, Budda Baker had an interception, Markus Golden had a sack and five tackles and Isaiah Simmons made five stops and assisted on three.
Ezekiel Turner was limited on Thursday because of a sore ankle, Max Garcia has an issue in his shoulder, Marquise Brown could be a game-time decision due to a groin strain and Byron Murphy might be sidelined with a back injury.
Buccaneers QB Tom Brady has thrown multiple touchdown passes in his last five games but has also tossed a pair of picks in his previous two outings, Russell Gage had a pair of TD catches in their 34-23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, while Chris Godwin had one.
Leonard Fournette has not been able to consistently amass positive yardage on the ground all season, picking up just 44 yards on 10 carries last Sunday, Carlton Davis led them in tackles a week ago with six and had an interception, Lavonte David picked up five tackles, while also collecting a sack and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson each had half of one.
Their free safety Keanu Neal could be out of this game on Sunday with a sore toe, and receiver Julio Jones has an issue with his knee.
Antoine Winfield missed practice on Thursday due to an ankle sprain, and Carl Nassib is not expected to see the field this weekend, having suffered a pectoral injury.
Head To Head
These sides have faced each other 21 times through the years, and the Cardinals hold an 11-10 edge, though they were on the wrong side of a 30-27 score the last time out in 2019 when OJ Howard caught a 10-yard pass from Jameis Winston, Matt Gay kicked three field goals and Peyton Barber ran for a late score in the fourth quarter.
The previous three contests went Arizona's way, including in October 2017, as Adrian Peterson ran for two touchdowns, and Carson Palmer threw three, one to former 11-time Pro Bowl wideout Larry Fitzgerald in a 38-33 triumph.
Tampa last beat the Cardinals in Arizona in 2007 when Jeff Garcia hit Joey Galloway with a 37-yard TD throw and Earnest Graham had a two-yard scamper to help them win 17-10.
We say: Arizona Cardinals 12-22 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A couple of weeks ago, Brady was outshone by upstart Niners QB Brock Purdy, but we do not believe McSorley has as good of a supporting cast as the San Fran pivot.
It might be another ugly victory for Tampa on Sunday, but at this stage of the season they will not care how they get the job done, and their experienced QB and receivers should be able to have their way with a struggling Cards secondary.
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