Staff picks for Week 13: Buccaneers at Jaguars

The Buccaneers travel up the state to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars Sunday afternoon. The Jags had hopes of a decent season after this offseason with the acquisition of quarterback Nick Foles. However, the 2019 season has evolved into nothing but headaches for them.

The Jaguars are 0-3 with Foles as a starter this season. He returned Week 11 after suffering a broken collarbone in Week 1 so Jacksonville ran with quarterback Gardner Minshew II who led them to a 4-4 record. He helped Jacksonville become a Top 10 passing offense overall, throwing for 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions with a 92.8 rating. There have been calls for head coach Doug Marrone to allow Minshew to go back under center, but Foles will be the guy to start again this week.

The Bucs are going to throw many different looks at Foles and the Jacksonville offense to give them more problems. After giving Matt Ryan and the Falcons headaches both offensively and defensively, Tampa Bay may look to do much of the same on Sunday. Quarterback Jameis Winston overcame some errors early on in the game and wide receiver Chris Godwin showed up in a big way. The same can be said for the Bucs defensively as rookie linebacker Devin White seemed to be all over the field as well as second year defensive tackle Vita Vea who was in on offense and caught a touchdown. And let’s not forget about the job their secondary did against the Falcons’ receivers.

Here are this week’s staff predictions for Week 13 between the Bucs and the Jaguars.

Gil Arcia (6-5)

Score Prediction: Bucs 29, Jaguars 20

Why: The Buccaneers played one heck of a game collectively last week in Atlanta. While it looks promising following the victory, there are still some things that Tampa Bay needs to fix. The good news is that they will be playing a team that has struggled both offensively and defensively. If the Bucs limit their turnovers, then they should leave Jacksonville with a W. But I think turnovers will keep the game closer than what it should be.

James Yarcho (3-8)

Score Prediction: Bucs 31, Jags 17

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Why: The Jaguars have struggled since the return of Nick Foles. For whatever reason, the offense isn't clicking the way it did with Minshew. With their lack of receiver depth, the Jags would have to heavily rely on Leonard Fournette - and the Bucs' defense is well equipped to shut that part of their game down. The Bucs finally get back to back wins in an easy victory this week.

Evan Winter (7-4)

Score Prediction: Bucs 23, Jags 21

Why: (No breakdown from Evan this week. He’s feeling a but ill. Get well soon, bud!)

Bailey Adams (5-6)

Score Prediction: Bucs 30, Jaguars 20

Why: Call me crazy, but I think the Bucs are figuring some things out, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The young secondary seems to be growing, though it certainly helps when the pass rush is getting home. Through Week 12, Jacksonville’s offensive line is ranked 24th in adjusted sack rate (according to Football Outsiders). That should be good news for Tampa Bay’s front seven, and the secondary should benefit as a result. The key, of course, is containing D.J. Chark. Offensively, the Bucs should be able to put up some points. This Jaguars defense isn’t what it used to be. The unit is allowing 24 points per game on the year, but has allowed 42, 33 and 26 points in its last three games. All of this points to Bruce Arians and his team being able to finally win back-to-back games for the first time all year.

Kyle Marks (3-8)

Score Prediction: Bucs 34, Jaguars 20

Why: The Buccaneers offense is good just about every week and when it’s on, it’s down right potent. I fully expect another good performance for the offense and believe it or not, I’m counting on the defense to do well against a poor Jaguars offense. Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul should be able to get pressure against an offensive line that’s near the bottom third of the league. Better yet, the Jaguars will have to rely heavily on Fournette’s abilities which plays right into the backwards built Buccaneer defense that plays the run very well.

David Harrison (4-7)

Score Prediction: Jaguars 22, Bucs 23

Why: While both teams are 4-7, the Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off a loss, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a win. Coming off losses, the Jaguars are scoring an average of 26 points the following week. Following wins, the Buccaneers are surrendering an average of 33 points. On the flip side, the Jaguars are allowing opponents an average of 21 points per game when they lose the week prior, and Tampa Bay is scoring 24 points per game coming off of a win. Math got me to the right pick last week, and it’ll do it again this week. As the Buccaneers eke out a one point victory.

Week 12’s Community Poll Results

Week 13 Community Poll