Buccaneers trying for their first win at Buffalo while making fourth trip north to play Bills

BetMGM NFL Odds: Bills by 5 1/2.

Against the spread: Buccaneers 5-4; Bills 4-5.

Series record: Buccaneers lead 8-5.

Last meeting: Bills beat Buccaneers 24-18 at Orchard Park, New York, on Oct. 26, 2023.

Last week: Buccaneers lost to Patriots 28-23 at home; Bills lost to Dolphins 30-13 at Miami.

Buccaneers offense: overall (17), rush (25), pass (14), scoring (11).

Buccaneers defense: overall (20), rush (11), pass (24), scoring (14).

Bills offense: overall (2), rush (1), pass (12), scoring (6).

Bills defense: overall (14), rush (30), pass (3), scoring (11).

Turnover differential: Buccaneers plus-8; Bills plus-2.

Buccaneers player to watch

WR Emeka Egbuka. The rookie standout is having an exceptional season. Egbuka caught six passes for 115 yards and one TD last week. With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin sidelined, Egbuka has become Baker Mayfield's No. 1 option.

Bills player to watch

RB James Cook. With the Josh Allen-led passing attack struggling to establish a rhythm, the Bills’ offense has become overly reliant on the ground game. Buffalo is 5-0 this season and 13-1 overall, including playoffs, when the fourth-year player tops 100 yards rushing.

Key matchup

Allen vs. Buccaneers pass rush. Allen has struggled under pressure this season, especially with his receivers having difficulty getting open downfield. And Tampa Bay’s defense is among the NFL’s more relentless attacking the pocket, currently having the league’s sixth-highest blitz rate. Allen has been sacked 20 times already this season — six more than last year.

Key injuries

Buccaneers: WR Mike Evans (clavicle) and WR Jalen McMillan (neck) remain out. OLB Haason Reddick (knee, ankle) isn't expected to play. LG Ben Bredeson (hamstring) missed practice Wednesday. ... RB Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder) and WR Chris Godwin (fibula) were limited in practice Wednesday and are still working their way back after missing several games.

Bills: TE Dalton Kincaid is trending toward not playing after hurting his hamstring. ... WR Josh Palmer (knee/ankle) is trending toward returning after missing three games. ... DE A.J. Epenesa is expected to return after missing a game with a concussion. ... WR Khalil Shakir's status bears monitoring after being limited in practice due to ankle and rib injuries. ... Rookie DT T.J. Sanders (knee) has resumed practicing and eligible to be activated off IR.

Series notes

The Buccaneers make just their fourth trip to Buffalo, where they’ve yet to win. The first eight games of the series were played in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs not traveling north until a 33-20 loss on Sept. 20, 2009. Among their more memorable meetings came on Dec. 12, 2021, when Buffalo rallied from a 24-3 halftime deficit in a 33-27 OT loss at Tampa Bay. Despite the loss, the second-half surge carried over to Buffalo closing the season with four straight wins and claim its second AFC East title at 11-6.

Stats and stuff

Mayfield has thrown at least three TD passes in 12 games since the start of the 2023, tied for the most in the NFL over that span. He has 16 TDs and only two interceptions. ... Egbuka has three 100-yard games. He’s fourth among rookies with 40 catches and first with 677 yards receiving. Egbuka is one of four players since 1971 to record 40 receptions and average at least 16.5 yards per reception through their first nine career games, joining Ja’Marr Chase in 2021, Justin Jefferson in 2020 and Evans in 2014. ... Rookie WR Tez Johnson had two TD catches last week and his fifth straight game with at least 40 yards receiving. ... TE Cade Otton tied his career high in catches (nine) and finished with his second-most yards receiving in a game in his career (82) last week. ... RB Sean Tucker became the first running back to eclipse 50 rushing yards against the Patriots this season when he had 53. ... NT Vita Vea tied a career high with seven quarterback pressures vs. New England. ... Bills coach Sean McDermott has 99 career wins, including playoffs, since being hired in 2017. He has can become the NFL’s sixth coach to reach 100 in his first nine seasons, joining Paul Brown, George Seifert, John Madden, Joe Gibbs and Mike McCarthy. ... Allen’s 284 career TDs (including rushing and receiving) rank second behind Peyton Manning (288) for most by a player before turning 30. Allen celebrates his 30th in May. ... With a lost fumble and interception against Miami, Allen has had seven giveaways in his past six starts. His career record is 45-30 when committing a turnover and 19-19 when committing at least two. ... Buffalo’s 13 points against Miami marked just the eighth time since 2019 they’ve scored that many or fewer. ... The Bills dropped to 16-17 when not scoring a rushing TD since 2019. ... Cook and Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor are the NFL’s only two players with five 100-yard outings this season. ... CB Maxwell Hairston has interceptions in consecutive games — and after spending the first six weeks on IR due to a knee injury. His two interceptions are tied for the NFL rookie lead.

Fantasy tip

An injury-depleted receiving group hasn’t prevented Mayfield from being productive. He’s coming off his second three-TD outing of the season and faces a Bills defense that has the potential of missing several key pieces along the line and in the secondary.

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