Scouting Report for Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) vs. Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
September 23, 2012- Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Buccaneers: Whatever it is worth, the Bucs did their best to beat the Giants at MetLife Stadium last week (41-34). They had a 27-16 advantage after 3 quarters, but the G-Men had a miraculous 4th quarter.
One of the keys to that defeat were Josh Freeman's 2 interceptions. He got picked late in the 3rd and got picked again with :31 remaining. Freeman had a average day (15-28, 243YDS & 2 TD) The defense did well most of the game with efforts from Eric Wright (60 yard INT return for a score) and leading tackler Mason Foster (13 tackles).
Cowboys: When you turn the ball over in a hostile environment, it's pretty hard to win. When the 1st 3 possessions result in turnovers that lead to points, well, the Cowboys didn't have a prayer (27-7 loss).
Special teams were a disaster. Felix Jones fumbles a kickoff on the opening possession (led to a FG). Then Chris Jones' punt was blocked and recovered in the end zone. Dez Bryant did have a muffed punt, but that was the least of his problems. He was targeted 7 times but only made 4 catches. While the Cowboys made it close early in the 2nd quarter (22 YD Pass to Miles Austin). But the Seahawks used their home field advantage and kept their foot on the gas the rest of the game. The bright spots on defense were Sean Lee (14 tackles) and Anthony Spencer (2 sacks).
What to watch for: Both teams should bring some attitude in this game. The Bucs should've won that game and the Boys should've taken care of the ball better. Hopefully, the Cowboys will have better communication on both offense and special teams. While Tampa Bay needs to sustain their momentum when and if they have a lead at a loud place.
Conclusion: Whatever happens in this game...happens. Both teams will need to bring their A-Games. If they do, this could be an overtime thriller. But the Buccaneers are a young team and the Cowboys are a veteran team with something to prove. Let's see what happens.
Prediction: Cowboys by 7
Follow @the_rtp_blog
No comments:
Post a Comment