Between the Bills and the Buccaneers, the home team has won 11 of the 13 previous matchups.
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1. Get ready for the blitz.
Look for Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles to get creative with his blitz packages. Quarterback Josh Allen knows to look for nose tackle Vita Vea among the Buccaneers' defense. “Obviously, they've got Vita Vea inside who makes it hard for your interior offensive linemen to hold their ground,” Allen said. “He's big, he's powerful. They do a good job in the run game, and then in the back end, they've got some corners that will get up there and press you, some longer guys that can run. Then they get tough. They show a lot of different looks.”
Bills quarterback Josh Allen, left, greets Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield after the Bills' victory on Oct. 26, 2023, at Highmark Stadium.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
2. Baker’s got attitude.
A former No. 1 overall pick, Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield doesn’t mind showing his personality on the field. His fire can be a spark for the team, so watch out if he gets feisty. Bills coach Sean McDermott loves the opposing quarterback’s passion. “He's got it, yep, he's got it,” McDermott said. “And we've got to bring that. If you want to beat him, you got to bring that. But even aside from playing Baker, it's an every week thing. Want to be good at something? You got to bring a certain attitude and a certain passion and a certain commitment to the table.”
3. Keep it clean.
In the Buffalo Bills’ three losses, they have had a combined eight turnovers – two or more in each loss. Outside of those losses? They have only one turnover all season. Allen said that’s been a focus this week as the Bills wash away the Miami loss. “Turnovers are part of the game, they're going to happen, but limiting them and doing whatever we can to make sure that we're doing everything in our power to end every drive with a kick,” he said. “So, yeah, there's another opportunity this week to go out there and make some plays.”
4. Batten down the hatches.
Sunday is going to be quite windy. The Bills need to be ready in Highmark Stadium, and there’s a chance of precipitation as well. Plus, home-team advantage has been a real thing in this series. Between the Bills and the Buccaneers, the home team has won 11 of the 13 previous matchups. If the Bills want to protect their turf against Tampa Bay, they could get new receiver/returner Mecole Hardman Jr. involved in the return game. “Excited about that,” McDermott said about Hardman. “You look at position flexibility. He brings some of that. The speed element is real, having gone against him.”
