Saturday, 4 a.m.
What we have here is the movable object against the resistible force.
The Tampa Bay Bucs’ secondary, toasted and tattered, has a fresh new challenge from the bench of the New York Giants. It’s Tommy DeVito, thrower of all of 178 passes in his pro career, who will start at quarterback in place of Daniel Jones for the 2-8 Giants.
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It should be quite the challenge. DeVito hasn’t thrown much, and the Bucs’ defensive backs haven’t stopped anyone. You can imagine how disappointed Jones is to have picked this week to get benched.
Of course, the Bucs are at a crossroads of their season.The Bucs are 4-6, riding a four-game losing streak. But the Giants’ game starts a seven game swing where only one team (the Los Angeles Chargers) has won more games than the Bucs. If the Bucs can get on a run, they have a chance to catch Atlanta.
The Bucs remain a flawed team. There isn’t enough pass rush, and the secondary is weak, and the receivers are hurt. Still, they have been competitive in their losses. They should be able to get past the Giants, or you can stop taking them seriously
Prediction: Tampa Bay 24, New York 14.
In other NFL games:
Kansas City 31, Carolina 17.
Washington 28, Dallas 14.
Miami 27, New England 17.
Green Bay 24, San Francisco 23.
Baltimore 21, L.A. Chargers 17.
And in the college games.
USF 24, Tulsa 21.
FSU 3, Charleston Southern 2.
Ole Miss 34, Florida 17.
Miami 30, Wake Forest 21.
Ohio State 27, Indiana 20.