Saturday, 4 a.m.
If there really is a difference to the Tampa Bay Bucs, they win win this game.
They are playing well. They are at home. The Colts are on a losing streak. The secondary is growing up. The defensive line is strong. The quarterback is making (slightly) more good plays than bad ones. The wide receivers are game-breakers. The kicking game is solid.
So, yeah, if the Bucs are at least an average team, they win this game.
Period.
Do you trust team yet? Has three wins in their last four games convinced you that there is a difference to these Bucs? Have they convinced you that you can trust them to take it to the field?
The Colts, who won five of six earlier in the year, have lost four of their last five games (and scored less than 20 points in three of their last four). They threw for 309 yards last week, but before that, they had five straight games with less than 200 yards throwing.
If the Bucs can control the passing game, as they have the last two weeks in wins over the Falcons and Jaguars, they should be able to score enough to get within one game of .500.
When they were 3-7, would you have thought that was possible?
Predictio: Tampa Bay 27. Indianapolis 20.