The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their hold on first place in the NFC South with their 16-13 defeat at the hand of division-rival Atlanta in Week Seven. Now they hope to snap a two-game losing streak against another team that is currently running second in its own division, and they'll have a nationwide audience watching them try.
The Buccaneers and Bills play on Thursday Night Football on October 26 at Highmark Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast by Prime Video. Tampa Bay will be trying to win its third road game in as many tries, while the Bills are returning home after a 29-25 road loss to the New England Patriots. Both teams have lost two of their last three games.
The Buccaneers will be looking to get their offensive back in gear after they scored just 19 combined points, and one touchdown, in its two consecutive losses. That offense did respond with a clutch game-tying drive in the final minutes of the loss to Atlanta, but it stalled inside the 10 and had to settle for a field goal, which allowed the Falcons to then drive for the winning score. Baker Mayfield threw for 275 yards and hit Mike Evans on a 40-yard touchdown but Tampa Bay's rushing attack continued to struggle to make yards.
Tampa Bay's defense, meanwhile, continued its stingy ways in the red zone on Sunday, allowing just one touchdown in five trips into that area by the Falcons. The Buccaneers have the NFL's best red zone defense so far this season, allowing touchdowns on just 22.1% of the possessions that breach their 20-yard line. Safety Antoine Winfield led the way, tipping away a third-down pass in the end zone on one drive and hustling to force a fumble by Desmond Ridder before he could get across the goal line on a keeper.
The Bills came into Week Seven ranked third in scoring, averaging 28.8 points per game. Quarterback Josh Allen has thrown for 1,841 yards and 15 touchdowns in seven games while also rushing for another 148 yards and four scores. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is averaging nearly 100 receiving yards per game and has found the end zone six times. The Bills are converting almost half of their third down tries, which is an area where Tampa Bay's defense is struggling.
The Bills' defensive lineup has taken some hits, with cornerback Tre'Davious White, linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle Da'Quan Jones all landing on injured reserve in recent weeks. Still, Buffalo also came into Week Seven ranked third in points allowed, at just 14.8 per game. In Week Seven, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was able to complete 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions against the New England defense. Defensive line Leonard Floyd, signed in June to complement edge rusher Von Miller, leads the team with 6.5 sacks. Miller, who signed with Buffalo in the 2022 offseason, just recently returned to action from the torn ACL that knocked him out last November. He's played in the Bills' last three games but doesn't have a sack yet.
After returning from Buffalo, the Buccaneers will enjoy a 'mini-bye' over the long weekend, then begin preparing for a Week Nine trip to Houston.
