3 keys to beating the Seahawks

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to rebound from their first loss of the season this weekend when they travel to the West Coast to face the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.

Currently, the Seahawks are 3.5-point favorites ahead of the game, which makes this one a fairly even matchup between the two 3-1 teams.

Against the Eagles, Tampa Bay had a similar script to its previous games, albeit to a much higher degree. They fell behind early, climbed back into it, and had a chance to tie the game with multiple opportunities down one score.

Unfortunately, the Buccaneers fell short, as Baker Mayfield threw an interception in the red zone, while the Tampa Bay offense turned it over on downs for the team’s final two possessions.

Now, they’ll look to get back on track against a Seahawks team that has gone 3-1 to start the year with three straight wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, and Arizona Cardinals.

Here are three keys to a Buccaneers win over the Seahawks on Sunday.

Pressure on Sam Darnold

Things are setting up well for the Buccaneers on Sunday… if they can get pressure on the quarterback.

So far this season, the Seahawks have had a quality downfield passing attack. Sam Darnold has completed 70 percent of his passes, which ranks him seventh in the NFL. He’s also consistently throwing the ball downfield, averaging 9.0 air yards per pass, which ranks fifth in the NFL.

Now, Darnold has generally been a quarterback who has held on to the ball longer than others. That trend has carried over to this year, where Darnold is currently middle of the pack, averaging 2.72 seconds per throw.

When operating out of clean pockets, Darnold functions at a much higher level. But, if the Buccaneers can get pressure like they did in the second half against Philadelphia, they can make things uncomfortable and shake up a good Seattle offense.

Shore up the special teams woes

The Buccaneers have been beaten by special teams issues several times this season.

Last weekend, it was a blocked punt that resulted in an Eagles touchdown early in the game. In a one-possession game, that swing becomes quite a factor. Riley Dixon also shanked a punt for just 18 yards, with the Eagles getting a six-play, 67-yard touchdown drive to follow.

Then there’s the blocked field goal from Week 3 against the New York Jets that nearly cost the Buccaneers the game. Before that, it was another blocked punt in Week 2 that gave the Texans a score in a one-possession game.

It feels like there’s one costly mistake by the special teams unit on a weekly basis that has cost the Buccaneers this season. That needs to improve on Sunday against another 3-1 team in what could very well be a fifth-straight one-score game.

Get some stability in the run game

It looks like star running back Bucky Irving won’t go for the Buccaneers, but Tampa Bay cannot allow itself to get away from the run game and become one-dimensional.

Seattle currently has the No. 6 run defense in the country at 89.8 rushing yards allowed per game, which is one spot below the Buccaneers. They’re fourth in yards allowed per attempt at 3.6 yards. So, it’s going to be a challenge to run on the Seahawks’ front.

But, Seattle has also been a good defense in the air, allowing the fourth-worst passer rating for opposing quarterbacks. If the Buccaneers are to get their passing game going, they cannot abandon the run.

That puts more on the plate of backup running backs Rachaad White and Sean Tucker, as well as the Tampa Bay offensive line.

However, if the Buccaneers can be efficient enough with four yards a carry, they’ll keep options open offensively against a tough defense.

What are your keys to this week’s game? Talk about it in the comments!