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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head north to take on the Detroit Lions Sunday. This week two matchup will be a repeat of the Divisional round loss and should provide some fantastic football. While I still think the Lions are a better team on paper, the Bucs are a lot closer than I think the national media realizes.
They did have an impressive win over a team that will be competing for a playoff spot, it showed flaws that I didn’t realize existed and seems to show a way for the Bucs to win. Easier said then done.
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Like I predicted in my schedule prediction post, the Lions secondary still doesn’t seem all the way there. I know Cooper Kupp is really good, but former Buc Carlton Davis being juked out by former Buc Tyler Johnson should not inspire confidence that the unit is still anything other than Swiss cheese. If Kupp managed to collect 14 catches (which is like the most Matthew Stafford stat ever), imagine what Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan can do. Baker needs to feed those guys again. I think if anyone will have a good game, it will probably be Godwin again.
Rachaad White and/or Bucky Irving need to get going as well. After watching the way they dispatched the Rams, I want to keep the ball out of Detroit’s hands as much as possible. I want ten minute long drives that lead to points. It will be difficult for sure. The line is better than the Rams (at least when healthy), but the Lions front is really good. Aidan Hutchinson will most likely have a better game this time around, but his impact needs to be minimized.
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On defense, they need to make sure the Lions don’t control the pace. The last thing we need is the Bucs defense to be worn down considering they’re already suffering from attrition. I didn’t realize quite how bad their receiver depth is, but Amon-Ra is still good enough to carry their receiving core. Also, knowing the Bucs, Tom Kennedy will somehow score a TD. And that will be their only TD of the season. If Penei Sewell is playing, they still need to take advantage of him being affected by injury. He will not be 100% if he plays at all.
This will not be a pretty game. If the final score was 13-10, I would not be surprised. These are two teams facing injuries to key positions (although they may still play for the Lions). The Buccaneers will unfortunately be missing Calijah Kancey’s presence in the middle and Antoine Winfield in the secondary. With that said, the Bucs still have the weapons to compete with the Lions. While their RBs aren’t as talented as the Lions, Evans and Godwin are more talented than what the Lions have. However, the Bucs need to win by keeping control of the ball. Take the lead early and force the Lions to keep up through the air because I don’t think they’ll be able to.
More must-reads:
- Shedeur Sanders gets new chance after Browns QB injury
- Cardinals suffer injury blow as key CB tears ACL
- The 'Single-season sack leaders by NFL team' quiz
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Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
Mets Make Mark Vientos Decision After Luis Robert Jr. Trade Report
Right-handed slugger Mark Vientos is in his fourth season with the New York Mets after making his debut in 2022. The 24-year-old emerged as a rising star for New York last year, playing 111 games and posting career highs with a .266 batting average and an .837 OPS. He also elevated his performance in the 2024 postseason, batting .327 with 18 hits, five home runs, 14 RBIs and eight runs scored in 13 games, leading the Mets to an NLCS appearance. Vientos recently recovered from a right hamstring strain that sidelined him for a few weeks in June, but since then he has really struggled to return to form and regain his production at the plate. Ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the San Francisco Giants, the Mets decided to bench Vientos (the second time in the last three games). The decision to leave him out of the lineup came after Bob Nightengale reported that the Chicago White Sox require Vientos to be involved in any trade for center fielder Luis Robert Jr. Mets general manager David Stearns recently said the Mets will be “engaged” when it comes to possibly adding a center fielder, so addressing that outfield need and Vientos losing playing time may push the organization to part ways with him. In 2025, Vientos is hitting .226 with a .638 OPS, six home runs and 27 RBIs, a steep drop-off in production after his breakout year. He will remain under team control for five more seasons after 2025 and will not hit free agency until 2030.
New suitor emerges for Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez
The Arizona Diamondbacks have plenty of suitors for third baseman Eugenio Suarez. A new team has reportedly entered the market for his services. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies have reached out regarding Suarez. While Lauber did not provide any indication as to whether or not those talks have gained traction, the Phillies are an intriguing suitor for the Diamondbacks' third baseman. The Phillies' interest may be a recent development. Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated on Friday that the Phillies could emerge as a suitor in the wake of third baseman Alec Bohm landing on the injured list with a fractured left rib. Suarez is in the midst of what is arguably his best season thus far. He has produced a .249/.321/.587 batting line in 421 plate appearances entering Saturday with 36 homers and a major league-leading 87 RBI. Suarez would be more than just another powerful bat in the lineup. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and first baseman Bryce Harper are both left-handed hitters — adding Suarez would provide more balance in the batting order. He would also provide a counter against opposing managers bringing in a lefty reliever to face Schwarber and Harper. The biggest question would be how the Phillies would handle an eventual logjam on the roster. Bohm is expected to return from the IL in mid-August and would not have a clear path to regular at-bats if Suarez were acquired. Schwarber could theoretically return to left field to open up playing time at the DH spot, but his outfield defense is mediocre at best. However, as the Phillies are also looking to upgrade the outfield, where Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh have been disappointments, adding Suarez could solve several problems in one fell swoop.
Cincinnati Reds Pitch Their Way to a Sweep of Tampa Bay Rays
The Cincinnati Reds (56-50) completed the sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays (53-53) with a 2-1 win on Sunday. This win was all about the pitching for the Reds. BRADY SINGER SHOVES Brady Singer (8-8, 4.60 ERA) was ridiculously efficient on the afternoon. He pitched 7 1/3 innings and needed just 97 pitches to get there. His one and only run allowed was a solo home run off the bat of Taylor Walls. That was the final batter he faced. In his last start, Singer got rocked by the Washington Nationals and din’t even get our of the third inning. This is a very encouraging development as he looked a lot more like the April version of himself. PUT THE BALL IN PLAY When you don’t strike out, good things happen. Neither ball left the infield on both scoring plays for the Reds. Runs scored, nonetheless. Austin Hays got the Reds scoring started with a crazy bouncing ball that confounded Rays shortstop Taylor Walls. TJ Friedl kept his head down and never stopped running to score from second base. Then Gavin Lux added the second run on a soft ground ball fielded by Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda. As Matt McLain had stolen his way to third in the previous pitch, Aranda had no prayer of getting the Reds second baseman at the plate and settled to get Lux at first. TIRED BULLPEN Emilio Pagan got the high-pressure save as he pitched for the third-straight day. He struck out Yandy Diaz and got a couple of fly outs to close out the one-run sweep of a win. This is the third time in 2025 that Pagan has pitched in three consecutive games. Tony Santillan bailed out the Reds in the eighth after Singer allowed the homer to Walls. This is the fourth time this year that Santillan has pitched three consecutive games, and the second set this month. DIFFICULT OUTS While the Reds did not fill up the scoreboard, or even the box score on Shane Baz (8-7, 4.61), they made him work. He threw 100 pitches to get through five innings. Reds hitters were putting together the kind of at-bats that you would be proud to see in October. The Reds now welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to town on Monday. Nick Lodolo will start for the Reds while the Dodgers have not yet named a starter. First pitch will be at at 7:10 PM.
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