The Baltimore Ravens come to Raymond James Stadium this Monday night boasting the NFL's number-one rushing offense and top-ranked rush defense. That suggests pretty strongly that they are winning in the trenches, and the Ravens definitely have a reputation for playing a very physical brand of football.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are ready for that type of physical battle, all of which will be amplified by playing in front of a nationwide prime time audience. Pro Bowl tackle Tristan Wirfs said the Buccaneers Week Six game in New Orleans was of the same variety, as is always the case against the Saints, and they handled their business in the Superdome with a 51-27 win.
"We're all used to it. We're all used to physical games; especially playing up front we all know," said Wirfs. "[The Ravens] have got some big guys up front, they've got some twitchy guys up front. We've got to be on our Ps and Qs and be ready for a fight under the lights."
The Buccaneers took over the line of scrimmage in the second half in New Orleans, running 27 times for 220 yards in the final two quarters to finish with 277 on the day, the third-highest single-game total in franchise history.
"That's a pretty good feeling, especially when you don't have to pass the ball in the fourth quarter when they know it's an obvious pass," said Wirfs. "That's never fun at all. Being able to run the ball and kind of finish on our terms, that was a big thing we emphasized. You guys probably heard it from a bunch of guys – being able to finish with the ball in our hands. We were able to do that, so that was big."
On the other side of the line, the Buccaneers' defense recorded four of its five sacks of Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler in the second half while only allowing 25 rushing yards. The recent returns to action of injured defensive linemen Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey have turbocharged the pass rush, particularly from the inside, and the Bucs have recorded a league-high 15 sacks over the past three weeks. Kancey made his 2024 debut on Sunday in New Orleans and immediately contributed a sack and two tackles for loss.
Kancey is glad that he was able to return to the lineup for the Bucs' national showcase game on Monday night.
"These are games that people want to show up in and show the type of player you are, the type of team you are," he said. "You let everybody know, put everybody on notice what we're about. We know when everybody's watching on Monday night, why not make plays?"
The Bucs know they have another physical battle on their hands in Week Seven. They're ready to fight under the lights.
