Tag: Chargers vs. Buccaneers

Who are the experts taking in Chargers vs. Buccaneers?

Chargers’ Justin Herbert looks to become the first rookie quarterback to defeat Tom Brady at home.

The Los Angeles Chargers are considered seven-point underdogs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 of the 2020 regular season. The over/under is set at 43.5 points, per BetMGM.

That means oddsmakers are taking bets on whether the two teams will combine to score more than or fewer than 43.5 points.

Our official score prediction for the game is a 24-20 win for the Buccaneers, with a combined total of 44 points. So if we were putting money behind our prediction, we’d bet the over.

As for game picks, analysts are split between the two.

Expert Pick
Nate Davis (USA Today) Buccaneers
Mike Jones (USA Today) Buccaneers
Mike Clay (ESPN) Buccaneers
Dan Graziano (ESPN) Chargers
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Chargers
Jared Dubin (CBS Sports) Chargers
Frank Schwab (Yahoo Sports) Chargers
Bleacher Report Buccaneers

Sunday’s game will begin at 10:00 a.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.

Prediction poll for matchup between Chargers vs. Buccaneers

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert looks to pick up his first professional win.

The Los Angeles Chargers are set to face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 10:00 a.m. PT at Raymond James Stadium.

The Chargers are hoping to bounce back after dropping two consecutive games, both of which came down to the final play. For the Buccaneers, they are looking to extend their winning streak to three games.

Rookie quarterback Justin Herbert will look to pick up his first professional victory. Tampa Bay will present Herbert’s toughest challenge yet, as the team boasts one of the league’s top defenses.

Los Angeles’ defense has been doing a great job of limiting touchdowns, but it won’t help if the offense isn’t scoring points and they continue to make mistakes, putting them an unideal field position to defend quarterback Tom Brady and company.

I expect both defenses to perform well and Herbert to have an up and down performance due to the missing pieces along the offensive line. But in the end, the Buccaneers will squeak one out in a close battle, beating the Bolts by the score of 24-20.

With that, who do you think will win Sunday’s contest?

Check out the poll below and let us know what you think.

Chargers badly need OL Bryan Bulaga, Trai Turner on field vs. Buccaneers

The Buccaneers defense could cause a long day for the Chargers offense.

The Chargers acquired right tackle Bryan Bulaga and guard Trai Turner to help with the ongoing woes along the offensive line. Unfortunately, the two have only played one drive together since joining the team due to their perspective injuries.

Their absences have been felt, especially last Sunday where the unit allowed 21 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, eight quarterback hits and two sacks to a Panthers defensive line that had not acquired a sack in the first two games of the season.

Bulaga dealt with a knee injury at the beginning of the season, but he hurt his back early on in the Week 3 matchup. Meanwhile, Turner has been dealing with a groin issue that he sustained at practice during the week leading up to the contest.

Bulaga and Turner’s statuses remain in doubt as the two have yet to practice this week ahead of their bout with the Buccaneers.

This would be the game where L.A. could really use them to protect rookie quarterback Justin Herbert.

Tampa Bay has 12 sacks, which is third most in the league. They also have a 56.3% pass rush win rate, which is second best, and an 18.6% opposing quarterback contact rate that’s fifth best, per ESPN.

If Bulaga and Turner are unable to go, the Chargers will throw out Trey Pipkins at right tackle and Tyree St. Louis or Ryan Groy at right guard. All three players have struggled in the pass protection department.

Herbert has shown that he has the mobility to evade pressure, but he won’t be able to do it on every single play if he’s under constant duress. If he is, the game plan and blocking scheme will have to quickly change or it could be a long day for the Chargers.

If you’re in the red, you’ll get the Chargers vs. Buccaneers on TV

A lot of the West Coast will see the Week 4 matchup on national television.

The Los Angeles Chargers (1-2) are preparing to go to battle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) in hopes of getting back on track.

Those in the red area on the TV map, will get the game on CBS, courtesy of 506 Sports.

If you’re in the green area, you will get the matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. Those in the yellow area will see the Batlimore Ravens take on The Washington Football Team. In the orange will be the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals.

Ian Eagle and Charles Davis will have the call.

The Buccaneers are currently seven-point favorites over the Chargers. Sunday’s matchup will begin at 10:00 a.m. PT.

4 key things to know about Chargers’ Week 4 battle with Buccaneers

The Los Angeles Chargers travel to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Chargers will hit the road to take on the Buccaneers on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 10:00 a.m. PT.

Here are four things to know about the Week 4 battle:

Beating Brady has been difficult task

The Chargers have faced quarterback Tom Brady multiple teams throughout the years, but they’ve all came while wearing a Patriots jersey. Brady now dons the red, white and black. Even though he’s on a different team, he has still made it tough on opposing defenses, passing for 753 yards and six scores in the first three games of the season. The Bolts haven’t beaten Brady in 12 years, and this weekend it won’t be an easy task to break that streak, given the fact that Tampa Bay is loaded with play-makers.

Get your popcorn ready

Among the slew of skilled position players that the Buccaneers have is wide receiver Mike Evans. Evans currently leads the NFL with four touchdown receptions. However, the 27 year old wide out will draw the attention of cornerback Casey Hayward, who has held his Panthers’ D.J. Moore to 2/65/0, Chiefs’ Sammy Watkins to 1/11/0, and Bengals’ A.J. Green to 5/51/0 through three games.

Stingy defense

Rookie quarterback Justin Herbert will have arguably his toughest challenge yet. Stacked at all three levels, the Buccaneers have recorded 11 sacks while also notching two interceptions in each of the last two games as well. Through three games, Tampa Bay ranks fourth in the NFL in total defense, and eighth in scoring defense.

The future is now, old man

When Brady (43) takes the field, it will be his 287th start. Herbert (22) was three years old when the veteran quarterback made his first start. The age difference between the two is 20 years, seven months and seven days. Brady has never lost to a rookie quarterback at home in his NFL career. Only four first-year quarterbacks have beaten him.

What Buccaneers said about Chargers QB Justin Herbert, WR Keenan Allen

The Los Angeles Chargers offense will have a tough task facing a dominant Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.

As the Buccaneers are gearing up to take on the Chargers, a lot of their focus will be put on wide receiver Keenan Allen.

Allen has been on a tear the past two weeks, totaling 20 catches for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Tampa Bay is aware of how well he is playing, and the team is looking to take him out of the equation this weekend.

Bucs CB Carlton Davis, who will get some matchups against Allen, was asked about the targets that the wideout is receiving, he said, “I love the action. I love the smoke.”

“He’s a really great player. I like his game a lot. He’s a dog out there, too. He’s a little bit smaller than me, but he’d be out there blocking and he plays real tough. So hopefully we can shut him down and get a W,” WR Mike Evans said.

The other player for Los Angeles who has been playing well is the guy who is distributing the wealth to Allen, rookie QB Justin Herbert.

HC Bruce Arians had praise for Herbert, saying that he is poised, and the biggest thing is that he’s athletic. “You got to maintain the pocket or else he’ll burn you for a run,” Arians said.

The 22-year-old Herbert is set to face off against 43-year-old Tom Brady, marking the first time since at least 1950 that there was an age gap of 20+ years between opposing starting quarterbacks.

Chargers taking hot-hand approach with backfield

Chargers running back Justin Jackson should be back in the mix.

The Chargers have flourished on the ground in the first three games of the season, averaging 151.7 rushing yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry.

The majority of the work has been comprised by running backs Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley while Justin Jackson has missed the past two contests with a quad injury.

After two weeks of being sidelined, Jackson is heading towards making a return this Sunday against the Buccaneers.

At Wednesday’s media availability, coach Anthony Lynn said Jackson is “going to work today.” Lynn added the team will have a package of plays for the third-year back going forward, and if he plays well, he’ll stay in and play more frequently.

To some, this may come as a surprise when considering how well Kelley has played in the RB2 role. But the team’s intentions were to include Jackson in the rotation when he regained full health.

Jackson is a bit more of a pass-catcher than Kelley, which helps his case. Kelly, on the other hand, is more of a downhill runner and has been their goal-line guy.

Fantasy owners of either Jackson or Kelley should be intrigued to see how the touch total shakes up this weekend against the Buccaneers, assuming the former Northwestern product will be a full go.

This also all depends on the offensive production. If Los Angeles is able to control the game script, unlike in Week 3, then there will be more opportunities for the backs.

Chargers open up as 7-point underdogs vs. Buccaneers

The Los Angeles Chargers are hoping to pull off the upset against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Los Angeles Chargers (1-2) have opened up as seven-point underdogs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) in Week 4 of the 2020 regular season, per BetMGM.

The Chargers dropped their second consecutive game to the Carolina Panthers last weekend, 21-16. The Bolts clawed their way back in, and had the hook-and-ladder play between WR Keenan Allen and RB Austin Ekeler happened, it would’ve been a different outcome.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers won their second straight game, defeating the Denver Broncos by the score of 28-10. Led by QB Tom Brady’s three-touchdown performance and the defensive dominance, which featured six sacks, Tampa Bay took care of Denver with ease.

Sunday’s matchup will begin at 10:00 a.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.

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Pair of Chargers matchups in 2020 listed as revenge games to watch

Get your popcorn ready.

The 2020 NFL schedule was released on Thursday evening.

Along the way there will be some matchups that might serve as opportunities for players to seek revenge after some offseason movement.

NFL Media’s Dan Hanzus ranked the top “spicy revenge” games for this upcoming season.

The Chargers are listed for two player-on-team revenge games, with those coming in Week 4 against the Buccaneers and in Week 11 against the Broncos.

The first revenge game comes on Sunday, Oct. 4 as Hanzus believes the Chargers are out to get revenge on quarterback Tom Brady, who chose to sign with the Buccaneers rather than becoming the face of the franchise in Los Angeles earlier this offseason.

The Bolts were runner-ups in the Brady sweepstakes, but they were able to land their quarterback of the future in the draft with former Oregon QB Justin Herbert.

Here is what Hanzus had to say about the future contest between L.A. and the Brady-led Buccaneers:

How’s this for a sliding doors scenario? Tom Brady, determined to stay in the same conference as Bill Belichick and drawn to the comforts of living and working in Southern California, chooses the Chargers over the Bucs in free agency. The NFL looks a lot different, doesn’t it? Their interest in Brady not reciprocated, the Bolts pivoted and invested the 2020 NFL Draft’s No. 6 overall pick in Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert. Are we headed toward a scenario where Brady and Herbert go head-to-head? The Chargers were spurned by the G.O.A.T. in March — they’ll want to punish him for that decision in October.

Seven weeks later, the Chargers travel to the Mile High City to take on the Broncos where they will meet up with running back Melvin Gordon, who signed with Denver on a two-year deal.

Los Angeles refused to pay Gordon last offseason, which ultimately lead to his lengthy holdout that lasted for 64 days. The 27-year old will be eager to perform at a high level in order to make the Bolts feel some regret for not re-signing him.

Talk about your all-time backfires: Melvin Gordon wanted to be paid like one of the best running backs in the league. The Chargers said, “Nah.” Gordon held out … and held out … and held out … for 64 days in total last year, then struggled while attempting to play himself into shape in the middle of the season. Gordon lost millions in 2019 salary and torpedoed his 2020 value in the process. Whoops. The Broncos signed the running back to a two-year deal, and now Gordon will get two opportunities a year to stick it to the team that wouldn’t break the bank for him.