Subscribe
Follow Us
A Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 12 meeting with the Indianapolis Colts is just about the epitome of average football. The Bucs enter with a 4-6 record and -8 point differential. The Colts, a perfectly cromulent 5-5 record with a point differential of -6. But hey, average isn't always a bad thing.
For both teams, if the playoffs are in the cards for 2023, the wins need to start piling up more consistently. A 3-1 start to the season for Tampa Bay morphed into a four-game losing streak, with the team adding a win and loss in the last two weeks. The blessing that is the NFC South, however, has Todd Bowles' team in second place and just a gave off the lead. Still plenty of hope for postseason football here.
As for the Colts, a two-game active winning streak has them back at .500 but third in the AFC South behind a true contender in the Jacksonville Jaguars and the ahead-0f-schedule Houston Texans. After losing rookie phenom Anthony Richardson, the team turned to Gardner Minshew and has been treading water since. The AFC is tightly packed at the moment, so the Colts need a win to keep pace.
With much at stake for each side, let's let loose some Buccaneers Week 12 predictions and pinpoint how this matchup will play out.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Mike Evans get back to triple-digit yards
Ho-hum, Mike Evans is on pace for yet another 1,000-yard season. His excellence and consistency probably isn't talked about enough, but you can set your watch to Evans being a productive wideout for the Buccaneers.
Speaking of, Evans has produced two 100-yard games in 10 tries this season. We foresee number three going down on Sunday.
QB Baker Mayfield has been looking his way more and more, with Evans racking up double-digit targets in his last two games. Add to that the fact that the Colts are a bottom-10 unit in yards allowed per game, and this one feels like a big opportunity for Evans to stuff the stat sheet.
Baker hits the deck…repeatedly
In his first five starts, Bucs QB Baker Mayfield took more than one sack a game just once. Since then, he's done it in every single game. And things seem to be getting worse.
Mayfield went down three times in Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans, then upped that to four against the San Francisco 49ers last week.
In Week 12, Mayfield squares off against a Colts defense with better-than-average sack totals in 2023. Whether it's offensive line play, Mayfield holding onto the ball too long in an attempt to play some hero ball, or a combination of factors, the Buccaneers QB is ending up on his back too often lately, and that trend is likely to continue on Sunday. Stay safe out there, Baker.
Buccaneers lose to Colts, slip in standings
With only eight teams producing a better scoring defense, the Bucs have a solid unit to fall back on. Unfortunately for coach Bowles, his unit was hit with a rash of injuries against the 49ers last week. That will force several younger players and backup types into more prominent roles.
And while that's coming against a solid if unspectacular Colts offense, star running back Jonathan Taylor has also seen his work load ramp up as he gets his legs under him following a late start to his season.
In Week 10, Taylor hit the 20-carry mark for the first time in 2023. It produced a meager 69 yards (and a TD), but Taylor is too talented to not get his stats. He hit 95 yards against the New Orleans Saints in Week 8. Taylor seems ready to hit the century mark soon.
Coming off their bye week, the Colts are a bit healthier than the Buccaneers. In a game where the talent levels are so close, that might just be the difference.
