Finally on the last leg of their unprecedented five-game, six-week jaunt away from their home stadium, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Seattle this weekend, looking to end the first half of the season with a streak-breaking victory in one of the most imposing venues in the league. Since starting the long road trip with a 55-40 win on the West Coast over the Rams, the Bucs have lost three straight to fall to 2-5 and a precarious position in the playoff race.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, are 6-2 but not in control of their division because the NFC West also contains the still-undefeated San Francisco 49ers. Seattle has surprisingly lost two games at home this season – albeit to prime playoff contenders in the Saints and Ravens – but they've been good in close games, already possessing two one-point wins and one two-point win. Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians is familiar with the noise levels achieved by Seattle fans in CenturyLink Field, having taken annual trips there during his five years as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Arians' Arizona teams handled it well, though, winning in four of their five games in that stadium.

Tampa Bay's defense, which has been outstanding against the run but susceptible to the pass, will have to deal with a balanced Seattle offense that tries to run the ball about 50% of the time but also has a quarterback who can drop deep passes into a thimble and make game-changing plays on the move. Russell Wilson leads the NFL with a 115.5 passer rating and has an incredible 17-1 touchdown-interception ratio so far. Wilson is more than happy to let hard-charging running back Chris Carson set the tone; Carson is fifth in the NFL with 659 rushing yards and he has become more involved in the passing game this season, as well. The Seattle defense is missing some of the most recognizable names of its recent past but still has All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner running things in the middle and a pass-rushing terror on the edge in former Texan Jadeveon Clowney. It's another weekend on the road and another difficult challenge for the Buccaneers. Here's what you need to know to prepare for all the action in Week Nine.

GAME AND BROADCAST DETAILS

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5) at Seattle Seahawks (6-2)

Sunday, November 3, 4:05 p.m. ET

CenturyLink Field (capacity: 68,740)

Seattle, Washington

Television: FOX (Local WTVT Channel 13)

TV Broadcast Team: Kenny Albert (play-by-play), Rondé Barber (analyst), Sara Walsh (sideline)

Radio: 98Rock (WXTB, 97.9 FM), Flagship Station

Radio Broadcast Team: Gene Deckerhoff (play-by-play), Dave Moore (analyst), T.J. Rives (sideline)

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES

The Buccaneers and Seahawks are expansion twins, joining the league together in 1976 as the 27th and 28th franchises, respectively. They started off in separate conferences, with the Buccaneers actually playing their first season in the AFC West, strangely enough, and the Seahawks starting off in the NFC West. That was planned to only last one year, however, and the Bucs then switched to the NFC Central the following season while the Seahawks made the geographically-sensible move to the AFC West. As such, they remained interconference foes, and thus relatively rare combatants until Seattle switched back to the NFC to accommodate the league's expansion to 32 teams and subsequent realignment into eight four-team divisions. Seattle and Tampa Bay met five times in the first 26 years of their existence and have since played each other eight times in 18 seasons post-realignment.

The two expansion teams were paired up in that inaugural 1976 season, with Seattle getting the 13-10 win, and in fact the Seahawks owned the series through its first two decades, though that only included four games. The Buccaneers finally broke through in 1999, with a 16-3 win at the Kingdome that was instrumental in the team's late push to the NFC Central title and a first-round bye, which eventually led to a spot in the NFC Championship Game. Five different players, including Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber, intercepted Jon Kitna and the Bucs won with only 156 yards of offense on the day. Tampa Bay did lose its own starting quarterback, Trent Dilfer, to a shoulder injury, which opened the door for rookie Shaun King's noteworthy late-season run.

Seattle took control again after that Buc win, though the next meeting wasn't until five years later. The Seahawks beat the Bucs in 2004, 2006 and 2007, the first two of those three in Tampa. However, the Buccaneers have been on quite a run of late in the series, winning four of the last five contests to close the overall series gap to 8-5 in the Seahawks' favor. The only loss in that span was an overtime decision in 2013, when the Buccaneers, 0-7 at the time, nearly pulled off an enormous upset over the eventual Super Bowl champions in CenturyLink Field. Tampa Bay opened up a 21-0 lead in the first half, scoring their third touchdown on a trick-play jump pass by running back Mike James. However, the Seahawks came storming back to tie the game on a Russell Wilson touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin with two minutes left in regulation and then win it on a Steven Hauschka 27-yard field goal in overtime.

Tampa Bay has to bring the '76 Expansion Siblings traveling trophy to the game this weekend because they won it in the last meeting, a 14-5 decision that was smack dab in the middle of a five-game winning streak in 2019. Mike Evans scored both Bucs touchdowns during an epic battle with Richard Sherman and Wilson was picked off twice – once by Bradley McDougald, who is now his teammate in Seattle.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

· Buccaneers WR Amara Darboh originally entered the league as a third-round pick by the Seahawks in the 2017 draft. Darboh played in all 16 games for Seattle as a rookie and then spent all of 2018 on injured reserve. Darboh signed to the Bucs' practice squad in mid-September and has since been promoted to the active roster.

· Seahawks S Bradley McDougald was a Buccaneer from 2013-16 before signing with Seattle as an unrestricted free agent in 2017. He played in 36 games for Tampa Bay with five starts.

· Seattle DT Al Woods is also a former Buccaneer, albeit earlier and for not as long as McDougald. Woods played in nine games for Tampa Bay during the 2010 season.

· Jethro Franklin, the Seahawks' assistant defensive line coach, was on Tampa Bay's coaching staff in 2006 under Jon Gruden.

SENIOR COACHING STAFFS

· Tampa Bay:

· Head Coach Bruce Arians

· Assistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator Harold Goodwin

· Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles

· Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich

· Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong

· Seattle:

· Head Coach Pete Carroll

· Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer

· Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton Jr.

· Special Teams Coordinator Brian Schneider

KEY 2019 ROSTER ADDITIONS

Buccaneers:

· OLB Shaquil Barrett (UFA)

· CB Jamel Dean (3rd-round draft pick)

· S Mike Edwards (3rd-round draft pick)

· K Matt Gay (5th-round draft pick)

· CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (2nd-round draft pick)

· WR Breshad Perriman (UFA)

· P Bradley Pinion (UFA)

· DL Ndamukong Suh  (UFA)

· LB Devin White  (1st-round draft pick)

Seahawks:

· DE Ziggy Ansah (UFA)

· LB Cody Barton (3rd-round draft pick)

· FB Nick Bellore (FA)

· S Marquise Blair (2nd-round draft pick)

· DE Jadeveon Clowney (T-HOU)

· DE L.J. Collier (1st-round draft pick)

· WR D.K. Metcalf (2nd-round draft pick)

· K Jason Myers (UFA)

· QB Geno Smith (FA)

· TE Luke Willson (FA)

· DT Al Woods (UFA)

ADDITIONAL 2019 CHANGES OF NOTE

Buccaneers:

· In January, Tampa Bay engineered one of the most significant changes a franchise could make in hiring a new head coach. That man is Bruce Arians, who needed just five years to become the winningest coach in Arizona Cardinals history and who has a history of helping quarterbacks excel. Arians assembled an extremely experienced coaching staff around him, almost all of whom he had worked with in the past.

· One of the coaches Arians brought on was Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles, who served under him in the same capacity in Arizona in 2013 and 2014 before becoming the Jets' head coach. Bowles' arrival means the Buccaneers have technically switched to a base 3-4 defense, something the team hadn't identified with since 1990.

· Bowles' defense means certain players were redefined as outside linebackers, inside linebackers and defensive linemen. No matter the position designations, Tampa Bay's defense has assumed a more aggressive approach in terms of blitz frequency and variety and press-man coverage.

· Tampa Bay's offense was prolific in 2018 in terms of yards, especially in the passing attack, and most of its starters return for 2019, so one could have reasonably expected another strong season on that side of the ball. Indeed, the Buccaneers are fifth in the NFL in scoring through eight weeks with 28.0 points per game, up from 24.8 in 2018.

Seahawks:

· The Seahawks made significant changes to their coaching staff to begin 2018, including the hiring of new offensive and defensive coordinators in Brian Schottenheimer and Ken Norton Jr., respectively. That staff then returned almost completely intact in 2019, but there were changes in the training and strength staffs. Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Chris Carlisle, who had worked with Head Coach Pete Carroll for 20 years was replaced by Ivan Lewis. The team's head trainer, Donald Rich, was also let go and replaced by David Stricklin.

· Two long-time stalwarts of the Seahawks roster, one on each side of the ball, departed in 2019. Safety Earl Thomas, the last vestige of the Legion of Boom, hit free agency and signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Meanwhile, wide receiver Doug Baldwin elected to retire thanks to an accumulation of injuries throughout his career.

· Seattle's defense recently got a starter back when defensive tackle Jarran Reed returned from a six-game suspension for a violation of the league's personal conduct penalty to start the season. Reed, who had 10.5 sacks in 2018, has stepped right back into the starting lineup for the Seahawks.

· The Seahawks finished the 2018 season with a quarterback depth chart that included Russell Wilson going into the final season on his contract and the little used Brett Hundley. Wilson set a spring deadline for getting a new deal done and Seattle met it, inking their star quarterback to an extension through 2023. Meanwhile, the Seahawks signed former Bronco first-rounder Paxton Lynch in January and let Hundley walk in free agency in March. Former Jet, Giant and Charger Geno Smith was added to the mix in May. The Seahawks eventually cut both Lynch and Paxton in the league-wide roster reduction to 53, but then brought Smith back two days later.

TOP STORYLINES

Turning Over a New Leaf – Following the Buccaneers' Week Five game at New Orleans, the team was +4 in the all-important turnover ratio category, which was good for sixth in the NFL, and had scored 30 more points off takeaways than had their opponents. Tampa Bay has only played two more games since but somehow now finds itself ranked 26th in that category, with a -5 ratio. Though the Bucs still lead the league in points scored off turnovers, they are now just +11 in that statistic thanks to too many short scoring drives handed to the opponent in games versus Carolina and Tennessee. The Buccaneers have committed 11 giveaways in the last two games, 10 of which have involved quarterback Jameis Winston (seven interceptions and three lost fumbles). Arians has been adamant, particularly after last week's loss in Nashville, that many of those turnovers should not be blamed on Winston, but as a team the Buccaneers desperately need to get back to sound protection of the football. Tampa Bay's defense has shown improvement and has held each of the last two opponents to under 275 yards, but those two teams also scored a total of 60 points thanks to the great field position created by takeaways. Facing a Seattle team that does not turn the ball over frequently, the Buccaneers can't afford to give them the same edge on Sunday.

Deaf to the Noise – One of those recent turnovers attributed to Winston but caused by a miscue elsewhere was a first-quarter fumble in Tennessee that came on a shotgun snap that arrived sooner than the quarterback expected. The root of that giveaway was a communication problem between two offensive linemen during a time when the Titans crowd had grown loud. The Buccaneers will have to work hard to keep their communication tight this weekend in Seattle because the CenturyLink Field atmosphere is a notoriously noisy one for visiting teams. In fact, it at one point had the highest recorded decibel level at an NFL game – 137.6 in a 2013 Monday Night contest – though that has since been surpassed at a Chiefs game. Whatever the decibel level on Sunday, it will undoubtedly be very loud. Fortunately for the Bucs they are led by a coach who has experience dealing with such an issue; while he was head coach in Arizona from 2013-17, Arians' Cardinals teams won four of their five games in Seattle.

Channeling Anger – The Buccaneers' frustration level reached a new high this season in the postgame locker room at Tennessee, with veteran leader Lavonte David making an impassioned speech to his teammates. Arians appreciated the show of leadership and was also quietly satisfied to feel the palpable anger among the players on the plane flight home. According to Arians, that feeling of dissatisfaction was still high on Wednesday, resulting in a "very serious practice." Buccaneer players are tired of losing games they believe they should have won and want to end that trend immediately. It remains to be seen whether this anger will translate into an improved performance on Sunday against a very tough opponent.

Offensive Variety – The Buccaneers have the NFL's fifth and sixth-leading receivers in terms of yards in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, and those two are also tied for the NFL lead in touchdown catches. All four receivers ahead of that Buccaneer duo have already played eight games to Tampa Bay's seven. It has proved virtually impossible for opponents to contain both Evans and Godwin – one or the other has scored in all but one game, and since Week Two at least one of them has gone off for 120 or more yards. The problem for the Buccaneers' offense has been finding production in the passing attack beyond those two. The other wideouts who have taken the field for Tampa Bay have combined for 10 catches, 103 yards and no touchdowns, or roughly 15 yards per game. The Bucs do have 30 catches for 275 yards from their running backs, and they have a talented pair of pass-catching tight ends in O.J. Howard and Cam Brate. However, neither Howard nor Brate practiced on Wednesday and the Bucs might be relying on Tanner Hudson, Antony Auclair and Jordan Leggett at that position. Especially in crunch time, the Bucs would benefit from another pass-catcher stepping up with the type of production that keeps opposing teams honest.

Front-Loaded – Jason Pierre-Paul made his 2019 debut on Sunday in Tennessee and his impact was, shall we say, immediate. On his very first snap of the season, Pierre-Paul dropped Ryan Tannehill for a four-yard sack. The veteran pass-rusher, who spent the first six games on the reserve/non-football injury list due to a neck injury suffered in a May car accident, ended up playing 71% of the defensive snaps and finished with that one sack plus three tackles, three tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. Pierre-Paul's presence seemed to help the entire front, as both Shaq Barrett and Carl Nassib – the two starting outside linebackers – also recorded sacks, in Barrett's case his first in three games after his incredible nine-sack September. Pierre-Paul's return did not mean a less important role for Nassib or Barrett, and indeed there were snaps when all three were on the field at the same time. Pierre-Paul led the Buccaneers with 12.5 sacks last year after coming over in an offseason trade with the New York Giants, and he appears set on picking up right where he left off. Also a vocal leader on the field and on the sideline, Pierre-Paul's return looks like it will be a boon to a defensive front that was already performing quite well.

KEY MATCHUPS

1. Seahawks T Duane Brown vs. Buccaneers OLBs Shaq Barrett/Carl Nassib/Jason Pierre-Paul

Speaking of that trio of outside linebackers who all got to Tannehill on Sunday, they should make it a busy day for Brown, the Seahawks' very solid left tackle. The Buccaneers move all of their linemen around, so Brown might see any one of those three on any given play. Barrett has done a good job of winning his one-on-one opportunities this year, Pierre-Paul has a veteran's repertoire of pass-rush moves and Nassib is a high-motor player who has a sack in each of his last two games. The 6-4, 315-pound Brown, now in his 12th NFL season, has the experience to match Pierre-Paul and is a good athlete who excels particularly in pass protection. Given Russell Wilson's deadly accuracy and mistake-free decision-making, the Bucs may need a significant amount of pressure to slow him down, but Tampa Bay's edge rushers also must be careful not to let Wilson get around them to the outside because he is even more dangerous on scramble plays.

2. Buccaneers WR Mike Evans vs. Seahawks CB Shaquill Griffin

Evans lined up wide on both sides and sometimes in bunch packages during his 11-catch, 198-yard, two-touchdown performance in Tennessee, which means he's probably going to stress everyone in Seattle's secondary at some point. He made several of his big downfield plays while lined up to Jameis Winston's right, and when he's in that spot he's going to be under the watch of Griffin, who plays left cornerback for the Seahawks. Seattle doesn't typically move one corner around to stick with a particular opposing receiver, so Evans should see Griffin whenever he's on that side of the field. The third-year corner leads Seattle's defense with eight passes defensed so far. At 6-0 and 198 pounds, he gives up five inches and about 30 pounds to Evans, who also happens to be extremely good at using his big frame to make contested catches down the sideline. That said, Griffin had one of the top vertical leaps at his NFL Scouting Combine and he also logged a 4.38 40-yard dash so he has the speed to catch up when the long-striding Evans gets past him early in the route.

3. Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett vs. Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis

Of course, Griffin gets plenty of practice matching speedy receivers in training camp when he covers Tyler Lockett (4.40) and D.K. Metcalf (4.33). When the Seahawks drafted Lockett in the third round in 2015 some scouts thought his top contributions would come as a big-play kick returner, given his speed but relative lack of size (5-10, 182). Instead, Lockett has developed into a very good all-around receiver and is now Russell Wilson's number-one target. He is 12th in the NFL with 615 receiving yards and is tied with Metcalf (and tight end Will Dissly, now on injured reserve) for the team lead with four touchdown catches. Tampa Bay's pass defense has taken a good amount of heat this season but appeared to be providing noticeably tighter coverage last weekend in Nashville. Titans wideouts accounted for just 10 catches for 62 yards on the day. Davis was particularly active, frequently getting his hands on the football. In addition to three pass deflections, including one in the back corner of the end zone, Davis also had two interceptions that were overturned by penalties. The second-year cornerback will have a size advantage on Lockett but will have to be wary of the receiver's top-end speed.

4. Buccaneers G Ali Marpet vs. Seahawks DT Jarran Reed

Reed, a second-round pick in 2016, had a total of three sacks over his first two seasons before exploding for 10.5 last year. He doesn't have one yet in 2019, but that's primarily because he spent the first six games serving a suspension handed down by the NFL. Reed returned two games ago and stepped directly back into the starting lineup, giving the Seahawks' defensive front a force up the middle. The 6-3, 306-pound Reed primarily plays the three-technique position but also lines up at nose tackle in some packages, and at some point he'll be matched up against Ali Marpet, the Bucs' outstanding left guard. Tampa Bay's rushing attack has been reasonably good for much of the season but Winston has been sacked 16 times in the last three games. Marpet will battle to make sure that Winston doesn't feel pressure directly up the middle, which can be particularly disruptive for a quarterback.

INJURY REPORT

Key:

DNP: Did not participate in practice

LP: Limited participation in practice

FP: Full participation in practice

NL: Not listed

Buccaneers:

· TE Cameron Brate (ribs) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: LP; FRI: FP. Game Status: Questionable.

· G Alex Cappa (forearm) – WEDS: LP; THURS: LP; FRI: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· ILB Jack Cichy (elbow) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: Placed on injured reserve

· CB Carlton Davis (shoulder) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP; FRI: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· T Demar Dotson (hamstring) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: LP; FRI: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· TE O.J. Howard (hamstring) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP; FRI: DNP. Game Status: Out.

Seahawks:

· DE Ziggy Ansah (ankle) – WEDS: LP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· S Marquise Blair (shoulder) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· T Duane Brown (biceps, knee) – WEDS: LP; THURS: LP. Game Status: Not listed.

· RB Chris Carson (not injury related) – WEDS; LP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· DE Jadeveon Clowney (knee) – WEDS; NL; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· S Quandre Diggs (hamstring) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP. Game Status: Doubtful.

· CB Trey Flowers (neck) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· S Lano Hill (elbow) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: LP. Game Status: Doubtful.

· G Mike Iupati (knee) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· DT Quinton Jefferson (oblique) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP. Game Status: Doubtful.

· T Jamarco Jones (knee) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· WR Tyler Lockett (not injury related) – WEDS: LP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· S Bradley McDougald (back) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· CB Neiko Thorpe (tooth) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· LB Bobby Wagner (not injury related) – WEDS: LP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· QB Russell Wilson (knee) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· DT Al Woods (neck) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

· LB K.J. Wright (knee) – WEDS: LP; THURS: FP. Game Status: Not listed.

WEATHER FORECAST

Partly cloudy, high of 53, low of 42, 10% chance of rain, 79% humidity, winds out of the S at 3 mph.

GAME REFEREE

Head referee: John Hussey (18 seasons, 5th as a referee)

BETTING LINE

· Favorite: Seahawks (-4.0)

· Over/Under: 51.0

INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS

Buccaneers-

Points Scored: K Matt Gay, 58

Touchdowns: WR Mike Evans/WR Chris Godwin, 6

Passing Yards: QB Jameis Winston, 2,072

Passer Rating: QB Jameis Winston, 82.1

Rushing Yards: RB Ronald Jones, 314

Receptions: WR Chris Godwin, 47

Receiving Yards: WR Chris Godwin, 705

Interceptions: five tied w/1

Sacks: OLB Shaq Barrett, 10.0

Tackles: LB Lavonte David, 53

Seahawks-

Points Scored: K Jason Myers, 52

Touchdowns: RB Chris Carson, 5

Passing Yards: QB Russell Wilson, 2,127

Passer Rating: QB Russell Wilson, 115.5

Rushing Yards: RB Chris Carson, 659

Receptions: WR Tyler Lockett, 46

Receiving Yards: WR Tyler Lockett, 615

Interceptions: S Tedric Thompson, 2

Sacks: five tied w/ 2.0

Tackles: LB Bobby Wagner, 75

TEAM STAT RANKINGS

Buccaneers-

Scoring Offense: 5th (28.0 ppg)

Total Offense: 15th (370.7 ypg)

Passing Offense: 9th (271.4 ypg)

Rushing Offense: 19th (99.3 ypg)

First Downs Per Game: 9th (21.9)

Third-Down Pct.: 21st (37.4%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 29th (10.65%)

Red Zone TD Pct.: 19th (53.9%)

Scoring Defense: 30th (30.3 ppg)

Total Defense: 18th (354.4 ypg)

Passing Defense: 31st (285.9 ypg)

Rushing Defense: 1st (68.6 ypg)

First Downs Allowed Per Game: t-20th (21.1)

Third-Down Pct. Allowed: 10th (36.2%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt: 23rd (5.65%)

Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: 25th (60.0%)

Turnover Margin: 26th (-5)

Seahawks-

Scoring Offense: 11th (26.0 ppg)

Total Offense: 9th (382.9 ypg)

Passing Offense: 13th (252.9 ypg)

Rushing Offense: 9th (130.0 ypg)

First Downs Per Game: 8th (22.0)

Third-Down Pct.: 14th (40.8%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 19th (7.60%)

Red Zone TD Pct.: 2nd (67.7%)

Scoring Defense: 20th (24.5 ppg)

Total Defense: 23rd (376.4 ypg)

Passing Defense: 27th (273.3 ypg)

Rushing Defense: 16th (103.1 ypg)

First Downs Allowed Per Game: t-16th (20.4)

Third-Down Pct. Allowed: t-6th (33.3%)

Sacks Per Pass Attempt: 29th (4.30%)

Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: 7th (48.3%)

Turnover Margin: t-3rd (+7)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

· LB Lavonte David's next start, presumably this Sunday in Seattle, will be the 113th of his career, all with the Buccaneers. That will tie him with another former Buccaneer linebacker and the team's current Director of Football Operations Shelton Quarles for 10th-most in franchise history.

· WR Chris Godwin leads the team with 705 receiving yards through seven games. If he gets 82 or more yards against Seattle he will set a record for the most receiving yards by a Buccaneer by the season's midway point.

· Tampa Bay's defense has held two straight opponents to less than 275 net yards. They haven't had a streak of three such games since 2007.

· The Bucs also lead the NFL in rushing defense, having allowed 480 yards through seven games, or 68.8 per contest. As long as the Seahawks' rushing attack doesn't get more than 126 yards on Sunday, the Bucs will set a new team record for fewest rushing yards allowed through the first eight games of a season.

NOTABLY QUOTABLE

· Head Coach Bruce Arians on the play of Seahawks All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner: "He knows that defense inside and out. He and K.J. Wright are two of the best linebacker-combination guys I've gone against over the years. [I have] a lot of respect. He never slows down – that's the amazing thing. He doesn't get old, and I think knowing that defense inside out really helps. But [I have a] ton of respect."

· Quarterback Jameis Winston on the noisy atmosphere the Bucs' offense will have to operate within at Seattle's CenturyLink Field: "We're just focusing on being great communicators this week. We know it's going to be an awesome atmosphere, but we embrace that. We are going to take that in. There have only been a few games where I've felt that college atmosphere and they say it's real loud in Seattle, so I am excited. A couple of my other teammates that have never played there are very excited, and we are just going to go out there and give it our all."

· OLB Jason Pierre-Paul, who just returned to action in Week Eight, on how good the Bucs' defensive front can be now: "I've played with a lot of great front fours. I don't go with the hype. I'm more of a 'Get the job done' guy. We've got good talent. The talent is there to do what we need to do, but I'm not more of the hype person – I've been on great teams, great front fours and you can't do anything with it unless you do something with yourself."

· Arians on if his team seemed particularly upset after its most recent loss: "Totally, yeah – and I think Lavonte [David] set that tone about it not being acceptable and having the game and then giving it away. Forget the referees – just having the game and giving it away. It's time to stop. I think they all feel that, and it's a very good feeling as a coach to come back on a plane that's angrier about losing."

· Rookie ILB Devin White on if the thinks the consecutive road trips have affected the team's performance: "No. It just feels like we've just got to finish games. If you watch all the games, that don't affect us. We'll be right there the whole time and then something will just happen in the last couple minutes of the game and we don't execute and finish."