Tampa Bay Bucs sports blog JoeBucsFan.com gives their Keys to the Game between the Bucs and the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 9:
1. Protect Josh McCown: In McCown's previous three starts, he was a ghastly turnover machine. Most of the time when he threw interceptions, it was because he was under duress and tried to force passes. Really tried to force passes. The Falcons have a worse defensive line than the Bucs when it comes to a pass rush. So protecting McCown and giving him time to throw may prevent more ugly turnovers.
2. Keep Bobby Rainey in the Game: For reasons that few if any can grasp, Doug Martin has slipped and is no longer an effective running back. Bobby Rainey is. The reason Rainey was benched earlier was that he was fumbling. That was not the case last week when he ran for 80 yards in the first half in Cleveland. If Rainey can get chunks of real estate on the ground, it will do wonders for McCown and the passing game.
3. Feed Mike Evans: Evans last week with two touchdowns had his best game as a rookie. One of his touchdowns was a beautiful Willie Mays-like over-the-shoulder catch. Evans has steadily improved each week and is hot. The Bucs need to get the ball to Evans as much as possible.
4. Put Matt Ryan on the ground: Falcons stud quarterback Matt Ryan is not fleet of feet. The Bucs, slowly but surely, are showing signs of life on the defensive line. If Ryan is not hit or hassled or even put on the ground, he has a chance to slice the Bucs apart. Making Ryan uncomfortable as possible will be huge.
VIDEO: Bucs vs. Falcons traffic report
