-First things first, happy Halloween. I hope everyone has a safe, candy-filled day filled with more treats than tricks. That'd be more than most opposing offenses who have faced the Bucs defense could say. Just watch the below video and tell me Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles isn't actually a mad scientist.
They're giving a different meaning to the term 'Sunday (and Monday) Scaries' wouldn't you say?
-Though the Giants only have one win this season, they've kept games close all year. As tempting as it could be to overlook this game in favor of the rematch against the Saints behind it, Head Coach Bruce Arians isn't biting. On Saturday, he mentioned that New York is definitely better than their record would indicate.
"I don't think there's any doubt," said Arians. "Just think of having Saquon [Barkley] in some of those ballgames. They've been to the wire a number of times and haven't gotten it done offensively or defensively, but they're knocking on the door. In your first year as a head coach, that's pretty impressive."
The Giants have a struggling offense, but they've recorded the eighth-most sacks of any team in the league with 18.0. Bucs quarterback Tom Brady hasn't been sacked in the last two games and the Bucs' offensive line has given up the second-fewest sacks this season with 8.0. One of the reasons for that success has come in the form of rookie right tackle Tristan Wirfs. He has had some of the toughest tests you can get as a rookie, or as any player really, in his first seven professional games. But it's been a learning experience for him – one that he sees as a positive.
"I think each person I've gone against kind of helped me with a different thing," said Wirfs on Saturday. "There are different things that I've got to get ready for [and] moves that they show me. When I was going up against Shaq [Barrett] in camp, there was stuff that I had never seen before. Just remembering those things and when you watch the tape, [learning] what you would do differently in that scenario. It's been cool just learning as I go every game. It's been fun."
This game also pins Wirfs against another of the 'Big Four' offensive linemen to come out of the 2020 draft class. Tackle Andrew Thomas was taken by the Giants before Wirfs, and his unit is tied for 25th in sacks allowed this season. Though they won't be directly across the line of scrimmage from each other, we'll get a direct comparison and perhaps further proof that the Bucs made the right choice with their first pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Bucs Tweet of the Day:
