Not only are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers exceeding every expectation for this season, they are making a serious case to be considered among the elite teams in the NFC.
The Buccaneers will be looking to provide further proof of their lofty position when they visit the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
The youngest team in the NFL, Tampa Bay was thought to be at least a year away from fielding a potential playoff contender when the season started.
The consensus was that the Bucs had a chance to stay out of the basement in the NFC South, but finishing in front of the Atlanta Falcons and defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints was not in the cards.
Apparently head coach Raheem Morris failed to relay that message to his players, because the young Buccaneers (7-3) are right there with the Saints and Falcons and are poised to make a push down the stretch with some very winnable games on the schedule once December rolls around.
Tampa Bay’s only losses this season have come to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Saints and at Atlanta, and the Bucs will get another shot at both division foes before the season ends.
Last week’s victory looked like a vintage Buccaneers performance, as the defense posted its first shutout on the road since 2003 with a 21-0 victory at San Francisco. Tampa Bay forced two turnovers and sacked Troy Smith six times while allowing only 189 total yards.
The offense was just effective enough, as Josh Freeman threw for 136 yards and two touchdowns and LeGarrette Blount rushed for 82 yards.
The 22-year-old Freeman is not lighting up the scoreboard with his yardage totals, but the second-year starter has 14 touchdowns against five interceptions and has shown a knack for late-game heroics while leading fourth-quarter comebacks in four of Tampa Bay’s seven wins.
The Ravens (7-3) will provide a much stiffer test than the 49ers, however, more on par with the Pittsburgh team that crushed the Bucs in Week 3.
Another team with playoff aspirations, Baltimore is currently leading the AFC North due to its tiebreaker advantage over the Steelers. The Ravens bounced back from a loss at Atlanta in Week 10 with a 37-13 drubbing at Carolina last weekend.
Joe Flacco threw for 301 yards and a touchdown and Ray Rice rushed for a score to pace the offense. The defense did what it does best - capitalize on mistakes. Dawan Landry and Ray Lewis each returned interceptions for touchdowns in the fourth quarter, turning a 23-13 contest into a blowout.
With another showdown with Pittsburgh scheduled for next weekend, the Ravens will have to avoid getting caught looking ahead against Tampa Bay, a team they have not faced since posting a 27-0 shutout on Sept. 10, 2006.