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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not had a good past few weeks. They have lost three of their last four games and enter Week 16 just barely clinging on to the top spot in the NFC South at 6-8. They are on the heels of a 34-23 beatdown courtesy of the Cincinnati Bengals. Should the Buccaneers lose hold of first place in their division, they can pretty much kiss the playoffs goodbye. Tampa Bay, however, can strengthen its hold if it can beat the Arizona Cardinals on the road in Week 16. A win will enable the Buccaneers to keep their spot on top of the NFC South. However, a loss would be absolutely disastrous. It could potentially put all the NFC South teams in a tie. Needless to say, that would not make it any easier for the Buccaneers to make it to the postseason. Here are our Buccaneers Week 16 predictions as they take on the Cardinals.
The Buccaneers will face off against the Cardinals in the NFL's first-ever Christmas triple-header. This will actually be the Buccaneers' first time playing on Christmas. The Buccaneers are hoping to win in Arizona, which could give them a two-game lead in the NFC South with two weeks left to play. Keep in mind that the Buccaneers are looking to bounce back after two consecutive losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals. The latter was heartbreaking since they had a 17-0 lead but eventually lost due to frustrating errors.
With all these in mind, here are our four bold predictions for the Buccaneers in their Week 16 game against the Cardinals.
Back to work 💼#GoBucs
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 22, 2022
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4. RB Leonard Fournette finds the endzone
In Sunday's loss to Cincinnati, Tampa Bay RB Leonard Fournette had 10 rushing attempts for 44 yards and caught all four of his targets for 30 yards. Rachaad White actually started at tailback and nearly split carries with Fournette, but Fournette had the better performance. Both running backs had mediocre rushing lines, but Fournette lost a fumble that was officially credited to Tom Brady.
Take note that Fournette's production has decreased in 2022. In Week 16 against Arizona, it is unclear if Fournette or White will play more snaps, but we have our money on the former. He's also more versatile as he has 16 catches on 18 targets in his past three games. Put Fournette down for 75+ total yards and one touchdown.
3. WR Mike Evans goes over 70 yards
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans had a solid outing against the Bengals. He finished with five receptions on 10 targets for 83 yards. He tied with Chris Godwin for the team lead in receiving yards, but it was Godwin who caught one of Tom Brady's three touchdown passes.
Despite his impressive 1,000-yard pace, Evans has been held back by a lack of touchdowns this season. He only has three in total. He last found the endzone way back in Week 3 against the Chiefs. Evans will aim to improve in a favorable matchup against Arizona's weak secondary in Week 16. Evans has been targeted heavily by Tom Brady in recent games, and he will look to end the season on a high note after not exceeding 59 receiving yards since Week 8. We have Evans going over 70 yards plus getting a touchdown here.
2. QB Tom Brady breaks 300 yards
Despite a tough loss to the Bengals, star QB Tom Brady had a strong outing. He had 30 completions out of 44 attempts for 312 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. This marks his second game with 300+ passing yards and three touchdowns this season. On the flip side, it was also his second consecutive week with two interceptions after throwing just three over his previous 12 games. Brady was also credited with two lost fumbles, although one was due to a handoff mistake by Fournette.
Despite these setbacks, Brady has still performed well this season with 3,897 passing yards and a 67 percent completion rate. In Week 16, the Buccaneers will face the Arizona Cardinals, who have a weak secondary. That can make this a potentially great game for Brady if he can reduce his turnovers. Do not be shocked if the GOAT breaks 300 yards once more and gets at least one TD.
1. Buccaneers win to stay on top of the NFC South
The Buccaneers have a chance to secure their spot in the playoffs with a win against the struggling Cardinals. Arizona is hindered by injuries and will be starting their third-string quarterback. The Buccaneers should be able to take advantage of this weakness and focus on establishing a strong rushing game while allowing Tom Brady to control the pace of the contest. In order to succeed, the Buccaneers must avoid repeating their mistake of committing four turnovers as they did in their loss against Cincinnati. They need to put together a solid performance and rebound with a road win in Arizona.
