The Bucs' point differential is minus-9. The Bengals are 3-2 and they're minus-4. Gotta close those tight games.
Pro Football Talk - 24th (down from 23rd):
With the Chiefs and Saints coming to town in successive weeks, the Bucs could be at .500 when they head to Minnesota later this month for a Thursday nighter.
NFL.com (Elliiot Harrison) - 24th (down from 23rd):
Tampa Bay was on a bye last week, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. The Bucs have lost three in a row, most recently blowing a late lead to the Redskins in the waning moments at home. A huge problem has been the back seven's inability to get receivers' butts on the ground. The defense has allowed 625 yards after the catch, second only to the awful Saints defense.
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) - 27th (down from 26th):
Wonder what Greg Schiano made his players do during the bye? Work, probably.
Fox Sports (Brian Billick) - 25th (down from 22nd):
I was a big fan of Doug Martin during the evaluation period leading up to the draft, and I still like what he brings to the Bucs offense, but I feel he may be better served in a complementary role to LaGarrette Blount. Let Blount pound early, and Martin clean up late.
We need to see improvement from Josh Freeman and the offense following the team's bye week.
Pro Football Weekly - 23rd (down from 22nd):
New-look "D" should be salivating for turnover-prone Chiefs.