Tampa Bay received a big gift on Christmas night as they were able to get win number seven in a 19-16 overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale. The win keeps the Bucs in first place in the NFC South with two weeks to go in the regular season. It also snapped a two-game losing skid.
Leonard Fournette and Rachaad White Record Big Games
Tampa Bay is the last ranked rushing team in the NFL. They average around 77 yards per game and only 3.4 yards per carry. Having a battered offensive line does not help them in any way. However, the play from both backs allowed Tampa Bay to not only keep up with Arizona, but it also allowed them to come back and capture the victory.
White got the start for the Bucs and showed up big time. He had 53 total yards with a receiving touchdown to bring Tampa Bay to within three points in the fourth quarter.
Fournette also played very well in what has been a challenging season for him. He finished with 72 yards on the ground and 90 yards through the air on nine catches. He also had the team’s longest offensive play of 44 yards. This set up White’s eventual touchdown reception.
Quarterback Tom Brady on Fournette’s performance: “He ran really hard and was on a mission. He ran through arm tackles… caught the ball well, pass-protected well.”
As you can see, Brady was very pleased with the performance of the six foot tall, 230-pound running back.
In other news, the Bucs may have lost another offensive lineman for the season in Josh Wells. Wells was taking the place of normal left tackle Donovan Smith who was out. Wells suffered a torn patellar tendon. It is likely that either the rookie out of Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Brandon Walton, or backup guard, Luke Goedeke, will take the spot of Wells.
Defense Disrupts McSorley’s Timing Enough to Keep Them in the Game
TikTok star (kind of) Trace McSorley got his first career start against Tampa Bay since backup Colt McCoy was out in concussion protocol. The Bucs defense took advantage of this, putting up big numbers against the Cardinals’ “weapon-heavy” offense.
The key was to limit any plays to Arizona’s big time receivers in DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown. Hopkins was held to only one catch for four yards, hurting many fantasy football players across the country since it is the fantasy playoffs. Brown was able to get a solid 53 yards, however, he only hauled in three catches.
The additions of Antoine Winfield and Mike Edwards back into the Bucs’ secondary were major in guarding some of Arizona’s talented targets. The two safeties had seven tackles a piece.
Lavonte David, who is already putting together a phenomenal season, had another big time performance with 10 tackles.
His counterpart, Devin White, was right behind with a spectacular game of his own. He had nine tackles and a fumble recovery in the first quarter when Anthony Nelson got to McSorley’s blind side, forcing the ball out of his hands. Nelson had the only recorded sack of the day along with four tackles in the game.
Logan Ryan, who was in and out of the Buccaneers’ lineup at safety, put together his best game of the season with eight tackles.
Up Next
With the win, the Buccaneers are now 7-8 and in position to win back-to-back NFC South division titles by winning next week. The Carolina Panthers await them as Tampa Bay plays their final home game and looks to earn their third straight playoff berth. Kickoff is at Raymond James Stadium is at 1:00 p.m. E.T.