Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - It has been a tale of two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thus far.
Tampa Bay won five of its first six games, with the lone loss coming by just six points to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. But the Buccaneers have dropped two of their last three games. A win over the hapless New Orleans Saints was sandwiched by losses to the Detroit Lions and AFC East leading New England Patriots.
You can make the case that Tampa Bay is more lucky than good. Their first four wins came by a total of nine points. Those victories over the Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks all featured game-winning drives in the final minute.
But it's probably more a case of a slew of injuries on the offensive side of the ball that kept those games close, and have finally caught up to the NFC South leaders.
Standout wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans have missed a considerable amount of playing time. Godwin has been in just two games this year, while Evans played in only four so far and is currently on Injured Reserve.
While the injuries to Evans and Godwin have hurt, they also opened the door for rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka.
The 19th overall pick in last April's NFL Draft has been nothing short of phenomenal. He leads the Buccaneers in catches (40), receiving yards (677) and touchdown catches (6). Egbuka is the kind of downfield threat the Bills wish they had. He's averaging an eye popping 16.9 yards per reception.
Sterling Sheppard (30 catches for 295 yards) is second among wide receivers followed by Tez Johnson (19 for 255). The top tight end in the passing game is Cade Otten, who is second in both catches (35) and yards (353).
Running back Bucky Irving, the more productive of their top-two backs, has missed five games.
If Irving can't play, that would make Rachaad White the main ball carrier, but he is averaging only 3.7 yards per-carry.
The offensive line was really banged up earlier in the season, but Tampa Bay should have four of its normal starting five dressed for the game against the Bills on Sunday.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield was playing at an MVP level through that 5-1 start. His play has tailed off a bit, but he is still having a strong season. Mayfield is averaging 243 yards passing a game, and has thrown 16 touchdowns while being picked off just twice.
Tampa Bay is 11th in the NFL in scoring (24 points), 25th in rush yards per-game, last in yards per-carry, 14th in passing yards and 24th in third-down efficiency.
The Buccaneers defense has been improving as the season has gone on. Sacks are on the rise, as are takeaways.
Head coach Todd Bowles also loves to blitz quarterbacks, so hopefully Josh Allen and company will all be on the same page.
The leading tackler is safety Tykee Smith, who also leads in passes defended with nine.
Linebacker Lavonte David is still a key piece in the middle of that defense. He is second in tackles, to go along with his 2.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, two passes defended, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Linebacker Yaya Diaby leads the Buccaneers in sacks (4) and quarterback pressures.
Up front, Vita Vea is still the tone setter. He has more than 20 quarterback pressures this season.
Cornerback Jamal Dean tops the Buccaneers with three interceptions, but safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is the heart and soul of the secondary. He's the guy who can cover up for mistakes by his fellow defensive backs.
Tampa Bay is 14th in the league in scoring defense (22 points a game), 11th against the run, 24th in pass defense and 17th in third-down efficiency.
When it comes to special teams, the Bills need to be ready for Kameron Johnson, who is averaging 12.9 yards on punt returns.
Placekicker Chase McLaughlin is 18-of-19 on extra points this season, and 18-of-22 on field goal attempts. Oddly enough, McLaughlin is just 3-for-6 from 40-49 yards, but he's connected on all eight of his attempts from 50-plus yards.
Tampa Bay has been much more successful on the road than at home. The Buccaneers are just 2-2 on their turf, but are 4-1 away from the Sunshine State.
This will be just their fourth visit to Orchard Park. The previous trips came in 2009, 2017 and 2023, the latter being a Bills victory.
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