Preview: Jacksonville at Tampa Bay
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 11, 2015
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Both teams hope to snap two-game losing streaks when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Jacksonville Jaguars in a rare matchup of the in-state foes on Sunday. It’s a matchup of young quarterbacks, with second-year signal-caller Blake Bortles leading Jacksonville and rookie Jameis Winston at the helm of Tampa Bay’s offense.
Jacksonville is playing its third straight road game and looking to bounce back from a tough 16-13 overtime loss at Indianapolis in which Jaguars kicker Jason Myers missed potential game-winning field goals at the end of regulation and in overtime. “We have to learn (to finish), and it’s right there in our grips,” Jaguars coach Gus Bradley told reporters. “We just didn’t finish. … I’m not concerned about it, because I think this team in that locker room, they know what it takes.” Tampa Bay has to learn to minimize mistakes of its own after outgaining Carolina 411-244 but committing five turnovers in a 37-23 home loss last week. The Jaguars have won four straight meetings and lead the all-time series 4-1.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Buccaneers -3. O/U: 42
ABOUT THE JAGUARS (1-3): Bortles has shown improvement from his rookie season and developed a strong rapport with second-year receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns. Running back T.J. Yeldon has added another element to the offense, leading all NFL rookies with 259 rushing yards after putting up 105 last week. The defense has been much improved, too, especially against the run – the Jaguars are holding opponents to an NFL-low 3.1 yards per carry.
ABOUT THE BUCCANEERS (1-3): Winston passed for a season-high 287 yards last week but also threw four interceptions. Winston could be asked to do more this week if the Jaguars choose to stack the box with their stout run defense and take away the running game led by Doug Martin. The Bucs have been excellent against the pass but have had difficulty stopping the run, ranking 30th in the league by allowing 136.8 yards per game.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Jaguars have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 15 of their last 16 road games, including five straight.
2. The Buccaneers have recorded a takeaway in 11 straight contests, their longest streak since a 13-game run spanning the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
3. Jacksonville is one of three teams in the league who have not scored a rushing touchdown.
PREDICTION: Jaguars 27, Buccaneers 23