Saturday, 4 a.m.
Perhaps you go into a Tampa Bay Bucs game worried about the quarterback.
Mayfield, a middle -of-the-road passer, has had some moments this year. He's gritty and competitive. But he's limited, and he can vex even those who aren't on the Kyle Trask bandwagon.
Perhaps you think about Mike Evans, and whether he'll separate, and if so, if he'll catch the ball.
Perhaps you worry about Rachaad White, running where there no room to run in the NFL's worst rushing attack.
Perhaps you worry about Shaq Barrett, or about Robert Hainsey, or about Cade Otton.
Me? I start my worrying at the cornerback position, where Buc players seem to burst into flame. They haven't been good this year,, and the lack of a pass rush makes them worse . Often, they are not in the picture on the replay.
So can the Bucs handle the backup quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, Gardner Minshew.
It doesn't take long to figure it out. Look at the Bucs' last two losses. They gave up 470 yards and a 147.8 rating three weeks ago. Sunday, they gave up a perfect 158.3 rating in the loss to San Francisco.
Think about that. The Bucs could have started four toddlers, and their grade wouldn't have been higher.
Blame the scheme. Blame the players. Blame everyone. The bottom line is the Bucs simply aren't good.
The question is whether Minshew is good enough to expose them.
In his three wins, Minshew has totaled 155 yards, 127 and 154. His wins are againsts Tennessee, Carolina and New England, hardlyMurderer’s Row row.
What the Colts can do is run the ball. They're averaging 118 yards per game.
The closer the Bucs can come to limiting the Colts to 100, the better their chances.
Prediction: Tampa Bay 20, Indianapolis 17.
In other NFL games:
San Francisco 31, Seattle 20.
Pittsburgh 23, Cincinnati 13.
Atlanta 34, New Orleans 23.
Philadelphia 27, Buffalo 14.
New England 20, N.Y. Giants 10.
And in college games:
Florida 30, FSU 28.
Charlotte 20, USF 14.
Michigan 24, Ohio State 21.
Alabama 34, Auburn 7.