Tampa Bay enters a must-win game against

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Washington with concerns on both sides of the ball. After starting slow for the second straight game Matt Gay Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey , resulting in a second straight loss, the Buccaneers will need to be ready from the opening kick against the Redskins.Dirk Koetter’s team got out to a 35-7 deficit against Carolina before a touchdown in the final seconds of the half made it 35-14. That can’t happen again, especially against a Washington offense that scores just 20 points per game. The Buccaneers still have eight games to turn their season around. It has to start right here against the Redskins. Finding some consistency on defense could light a fire under this entire team. It’s been the one thing that has held them back all season. 1. Ryan FitzpatrickTampa Bay scored on just two of its seven possessions in the first half against Carolina. That, along with the collapse on defense, basically buried the Bucs before halftime.While the lack of production wasn’t all on Ryan Fitzpatrick, he did toss a bad pick on Tampa Bay’s second possession of the game that gave the Panthers an easy touchdown and momentum early in the contest.Fitzpatrick has to limit the early back breakers that keep putting this offense in holes. 2. Slowing down Washington earlyThere’s no way to sugar coat it. Tampa Bay has been awful on defense in the first half of its last two games and has allowed at least 24 points in the opening half of all five of its losses. They’ve only done it once in their three wins.When this defense gets worked in the first half, it’s almost impossible for them to get back in games, no matter how well the offense performs. It’s on Mark Duffner and his unit to respond after allowing 62 points in the first 30 minutes of the last two losses. Thankfully, Washington does have the No. 25 offense and averages just 20 points per game, though I’m sure the Buccaneers will find a way to make them look like the best unit in the league. 3. Having success on third downTampa Bay’s offense will have its work cut out to keep drives alive against one of the top defenses in the league. Washington has the No. 11 overall defense and has been excellent against the run, allowing just 89.4 yards per game. The Buccaneers will need to be at their best on third down, which has been one of the Redskins few flaws on defense. They allow opponents to convert 42.3% of third downs, No. 23 in the NFL. On the other hand, Tampa Bay has done pretty well at converting on third down all season.Fitzpatrick and the offense have converted third-downs at a 46.3% clip, which is fifth in the league. For good measure, they rank first in the NFL for fourth-down conversions, going 7/8 for an 87.5% success rate. 4. Limiting penaltiesWashington and Tampa Bay both enter this game as two of the most penalized teams across the league. They have 64 and 63 penalties on defense, respectfully, which ranks them both in the bottom seven. Offensively, the Bucs and Redskins have 62 and 56 penalties respectfully. That ranks No. 24 and No. 16 in the league.Tampa Bay has had 19 total penalties in its last two games against Cincinnati and Carolina while Washington had 11 a week ago in a loss to Atlanta. One or two big penalties either way could change the entire course of this contest. 5. Keeping Adrian Peterson in checkWith Jamison Crowder sidelined for the Redskins, their best offensive player is easily veteran running back Adrian Peterson. He’s had a resurgence in Washington, rushing 136 times for 604 yards and four touchdowns. Peterson also has 12 catches for 167 yards and a score. The 33-year-old running back has been one of the few steady pieces on an inconsistent Redskins offense. Washington currently averages 121.9 yards on the ground per game, tenth in the NFL. It’ll be imperative for a short-handed Bucs defensive line to set the tone early. The Redskins will also likely be missing some bodies up front.Starting left tackle Trent Williams has been ruled out with a thumb injury while Washington’s right tackle, Morgan Moses, is questionable with a knee injury. The Buccaneers will be without the services of defensive end Vinny Curry, Carl Nassib will likely start in his place. The 2019 NFL draft is two weeks away. Yes Sean Bunting Jersey , that’s right, 14 more days to be exact. This is an extremely important draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jason Licht and Bruce Arians need to find a..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 2016 NFL DraftInjuriesFree AgencyGame FilmToday's NFL NewsNFL DraftBuccaneers address trenches in first three rounds of Luke Easterling’s latest mock draftNew,22commentsEDTShareTweetShareShareBuccaneers address trenches in first three rounds of Luke Easterling’s latest mock draftThomas J. Russo-USA TODAY SportsThe 2019 NFL draft is two weeks away. Yes, that’s right, 14 more days to be exact. This is an extremely important draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jason Licht and Bruce Arians need to find a way to find at least 3-4 starters in this draft, similar to the one back in 2015. With that being said, if the Buccaneers came away with this haul in Luke Easterling’s latest seven-round mock draft, there would be smiles from ear to ear inside the walls of One Buccaneer place. In the first round, Tampa Bay selected defensive tackle Ed Oliver with the 5th overall pick. Kyler Murray, Nick Bosa, Josh Allen and Quinnen Williams were all selected before Tampa Bay was on the clock. Oliver would step in from day 1 and likely fill the void that will be left by Gerald McCoy. In the second round, Jason Licht is thrilled to see offensive guard Chris lindstrom out of Boston College still available. With a need at RG, he would also step in on day one and be a key contributor to that offensive line. Once projected as a mid first round pick, EDGE rusher Jachai Polite out of Florida, is still available in the third round and the Buccaneers pull the trigger. Yes, Polite hasn’t had a good pre-draft process, in fact it has been awful, but the tape doesn’t lie and you can never have enough EDGE rushers in this league. It’s no secret, Bruce Arians likes speed and in the fourth round of this mock draft, he adds some much needed speed at the wide receiver position by selecting Mecole Hardman out of the University of Georgia. At the combine, Hardman ran a 4.33 40 yard dash. Hardman also excelled at kickoff returns during his days at Georgia. You might have noticed that up to this point, Tampa Bay has yet to address the secondary, but that changes in the fifth round when they select Cornerback Jimmy Moreland from James Madison. In 2018, Moreland had 5 interceptions and is considered to have very good ball skills. The downside to Moreland is that he is only 5’9” and 3/4. The Buccaneers round out this draft by selecting RB Trayveon Williams from Texas A&M in the sixth round and LB T.J. Edwards from Wisconsin. This draft addresses many of the needs that the Buccaneers have at this moment and it adds talent to nearly all the important position groups on the football team.