This week, Monday Night Football will come down to Florida to feature the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Baltimore Ravens.
The Tampa Bay Bucs are back home in Raymond James Stadium after their two-game road stint against division rivals. The Bucs split with the Falcons and Saints and find themselves at 4-2. The Baltimore Ravens will be coming to Tampa Bay this week, also standing at 4-2.
The Ravens stumbled out of the gate (0-2 start). Since then, they’ve run off four consecutive victories. Baltimore has found its identity and developed into the team many thought they would be when Derrick Henry was brought in during the offseason. The backfield combination of Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson has been absolutely gashing defenses, so—
How can the Bucs win this game?
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The Bucs have gotten the definitive best version out of their quarterback this season. Through 6 games, Baker Mayfield has already thrown for 15 touchdowns and by Tuesday morning he will have over 1,500 yards through the air. Mayfield’s compiling of statistics has also come with an elite level of efficiency. His passer rating currently sits at 109.4.
The high caliber of Mayfield’s play can be attributed to a multitude of factors, the Bucs’ newfound running game, an abundance of reliable pass catchers, those pieces all operating in a new offensive system that seems to be molded to its quarterback like memory foam.
Whatever the reason(s), the Bucs will need their quarterback to be at the peak of his powers to pull out a win on Monday Night. The Baltimore Ravens are the most difficult opponent Tampa Bay will face, to this point. With respect to the Detroit Lions (who Tampa did manage to defeat), the Ravens’ offense is on fire and the Bucs will likely be starting a cornerback most Bucs’ fans have never heard of in place of Jamel Dean. It’s a rather unfair expectation to ask Todd Bowles to dial up an under 20-point defensive output, the Ravens average 29.5 points per game (Tampa Bay actually averages 29.7). Baker Mayfield can and, in all likelihood, will need to outscore Lamar Jackson to get Tampa to 5-2.
How can the Bucs lose this game?
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Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson, a quarterback, are the most dynamic rushing duo in National Football League. In tandem, they have already rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2024. No team has rushed for more yards this season than the Ravens, who have 1,232— Only one other team has eclipsed 1,000.
Even the most causal NFL fan knows Lamar Jackson can run, he’s had upwards of 700 yards in each season he’s been the Ravens’ full-time starter— He currently sits at 403. The issue for defenses is Derrick Henry, the Ravens’ new chess piece. Henry, alone, has over 700 of the Ravens 1,232 yards— in just 6 games. To saddle alongside those 700+ yards he’s amassed 8 touchdowns and hasn’t gone a single game without scoring.
Henry has given the Ravens a sledgehammer to compliment Jackson’s speeding bullet. The two will get their yards and make their plays but, the Bucs’ defense cannot be run ragged. For Tampa Bay, they must not allow Monday Night to be reminiscent of Monday Night Football last season— when the Philadelphia Eagles ran through Todd Bowles’ defense for 201 yards.
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