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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the road again on Sunday and play against the New York Jets at 1 p.m. ET Jan. 2 at MetLife Stadium. These two teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous games.
You can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely the Buccaneers' strategy against the Carolina Panthers last week. Tampa Bay put the hurt on Carolina with a sharp 32-6 win. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Tampa Bay had established a 29-6 advantage. Their RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn filled up the stat sheet, punching in one rushing touchdown. That touchdown -- a 55-yard rush in the first quarter -- was one of the highlights of the contest.
Tampa Bay's defense was a presence as well, as it embarrassed Carolina's offensive line to sack the QB seven times for a total loss of 45 yards. Leading the way was DT William Gholston and his 2.5 sacks. Gholston now has 4.5 sacks this year.
Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, New York beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-21 last week. New York QB Zach Wilson did work as he passed for one TD and 102 yards on 22 attempts in addition to rushing for one TD and 91 yards. Wilson ended up with a passer rating of 117.60.
The Buccaneers are now 11-4 while the Jets sit at a mirror-image 4-11. Tampa Bay has clinched a playoff berth as the current fourth seed in the NFC. New York has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Tampa Bay is the favorite in this one, with an expected 13-point margin of victory. The smart bettors have been the ones to keep their money on Tampa Bay's opponents whenever they hit the road.
One last thing to keep an eye on: the Buccaneers gashed the left side of the field in their last contest, rushing toward the left sideline for 78 yards on 7.8 yards per rush. That's bad news for the Jets, who had a hard time containing the rush on the left side of the field against Jacksonville.
