Bucs look to rebound from 1st loss, head to Seattle to face Seahawks
Tampa Bay (3-1) at Seattle (3-1)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, CBS.
BetMGM NFL odds: Seahawks by 3.
Against the spread: Seahawks 3-1; Buccaneers 2-2
Series record: Seahawks lead 9-6.
Last meeting: Buccaneers beat Seahawks 21-16 on Nov. 13, 2022, in Munich, Germany.
Last week: Seahawks beat the Cardinals 23-20; Buccaneers lost to the Eagles 31-25
Buccaneers offense: overall (14), rush (8), pass (15), scoring (14).
Buccaneers defense: overall (7), rush (5), pass (14), scoring (22).
Seahawks offense: overall (15), rush (16), pass (13), scoring (6).
Seahawks defense: overall (16), rush (8), pass (20), scoring (3).
Turnover differential: Seahawks plus-1; Buccaneers even.
Buccaneers player to watch
TE Cade Otton. With Mike Evans sidelined by injury, the defense will focus on rookie WR Emeka Egbuka and veteran Chris Godwin. Otton has 26 catches for 207 yards and three touchdowns in five games that Evans has missed.
Seahawks player to watch
Kenneth Walker III. The fourth-year running back had his second-best rushing performance of the season in last week’s win against the Cardinals, rushing for 81 yards while adding a 29-yard catch. He’ll be hard-pressed to repeat that feat, though, against Tampa Bay’s top-10 rushing defense.
Key matchup
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs. Buccaneers CB Zyon McCollum. In a banged-up secondary, the Buccaneers are counting on McCollum, their highest-paid cornerback, to limit Smith-Njigba. McCollum played every snap last week against the Eagles and helped hold A.J. Brown to two catches for 7 yards.
Key injuries
Buccaneers: WR Mike Evans (hamstring) isn’t expected to play. Mayfield (knee/biceps), RB Bucky Irving (foot/shoulder), CB Jamel Dean (hip), NT Greg Gaines (pec), DB Christian Izien (quad), CB Benjamin Morrison (hamstring), WR Sterling Shepard (foot) and S Tykee Smith (ankle) didn’t practice Wednesday. … TE Ko Kieft (leg) and G Cody Mauch (knee) were lost for the season. … RT Luke Goedeke (foot) is on injured reserve.
Seahawks: S Nick Emmanwori (ankle) and WR Cody White (shoulder), neither of whom has played since Week 1, were both full participants during Wednesday’s practice. T Josh Jones (ankle), DE Demarcus Lawrence (quadricep), S Julian Love (hamstring) and CB Devon Witherspoon (knee) did not participate.
Series notes
The Buccaneers have won five of their past seven games in the series. … Seattle won four straight, and seven of eight games, to begin the series back in 1976. … The Seahawks most recently beat the Buccaneers in 2019, in a 40-34 overtime victory. Russell Wilson tied a career high with five touchdowns in that game.
Stats and stuff
After becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to have a game-winning score in the final minute of the first three games, the Buccaneers fell short of a comeback against Philadelphia. … The Bucs have rushed for more than 100 yards in 18 games since start of last season. … They’ve held 12 straight opponents to under 100 yards rushing and haven’t allowed a running back to rush for 50 yards. … QB Baker Mayfield leads the NFL with 77 touchdown passes since 2023. … Mayfield has a 101.9 passer rating in the final two minutes of a game since 2023, fourth highest in the league. … RB Bucky Irving had season-high 165 scrimmage yards last week. … WR Emeka Egbuka leads all rookies with 282 yards receiving and four TDs. … WR Chris Godwin had three catches for 26 yards in his first game in 11 months. … DT Vita Vea is coming off his fifth multi-sack game in his career. … K Chase McLaughlin hit a 65-yard field goal last week, tied for second longest in NFL history and longest in an outdoor stadium. … The Seahawks are seeking to win at four of their first five games for the first time since 2020, when they opened the season with five consecutive victories. … The Seahawks went 6-3 in games after a win last season under coach Mike Macdonald. … Seattle went 10-7 last season and hasn’t had a losing season since 2021 under Pete Carroll … The Seahawks went 6-6 against NFC foes in 2024. … Seahawks QB Sam Darnold’s 70% completion rate is eighth best in the league. … Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the Seahawks in receiving yards in 2024, is second in the NFL in that category entering Week 5. He’s had at least four catches and at least 79 yards in each of his four games to begin the season. … S Coby Bryant had his second interception of the season last week, picking off Arizona’s Kyler Murray. LB Ernest Jones IV tied his career high with his second interception of the season as well. The Seahawks have seven interceptions as a team this season, tied for second most in the NFL. The Jacksonville Jaguars have nine interceptions. … Seahawks K Jason Myers converted 3 of 4 field goals on Sunday, including a 52-yarder to win the game.
Fantasy tip
Give Godwin a start, or at the very least pick him up off the waiver wire and stash him on your bench. Considering the rash of injuries Tampa Bay has on offense, Baker Mayfield is looking for a solid No. 2 receiving option outside of rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka.
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