The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got back in the win column with Monday night's 30-10 downing of the New York Giants, but now they have a quick turnaround before taking on one of the hottest teams in the NFL. After improving to 7-3 and snapping a two-game losing streak, the Buccaneers' next assignment is a game against the 6-5 Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, November 28.
Indianapolis will ride a three-game winning streak into their matchup with the defending champions after their thoroughly convincing 41-15 dismantling of the Buffalo Bills in Week 11. Jonathan Taylor scored five touchdowns in that road win as he continues to emerge as the NFL's best most dangerous running back, particularly in the prolonged absence of Tennessee's Derrick Henry. Over his last six games, Taylor has rushed for 795 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns. His 15 TDs lead the NFL.
Not coincidentally, the Colts have won five of those six games after a 1-4 start to the season, and they scored 31 points in their only loss in that span. Indianapolis is still two games behind Tennessee and has already lost to the Titans twice, but with their division rival faltering against Houston in Week 11 and struggling to find an effective offensive approach without Henry, the NFC South could still be up for grabs.
Indianapolis clearly struck gold with their selection of Taylor in the second round in 2020. The Colts' offseason trade for former Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz appears to be paying off, as well. Wentz has thrown for 2,484 yards and most notably has an 18-3 TD-INT ratio, as his 0.8% interception rate ranks second in the NFL. Put it all together and the Colts are scoring 28.1 points per game, fifth best in the NFL.
The Buccaneers will be trying to improve upon their 2-3 road record in 2021 while also remaining perfect against AFC opponents. Tampa Bay has already lost more road games than they did in all of 2020, playoffs included. The Bucs have averaged 38.4 points per game in five home contests but just 23.4 in five away games, and their scoring differential on the road has been -4.2 points per game. Last year the Bucs' surprising stumbling block was prime-time games; this year Tampa Bay is 4-0 in prime-time games but is struggling on Sunday afternoons on the road. They will face a stiff challenge in Indianapolis trying to turn that around.
