Home Game Preview: Baltimore Ravens host Tom Brady, Tampa Bay on Thursday Night Football
Sports

Game Preview: Baltimore Ravens host Tom Brady, Tampa Bay on Thursday Night Football

Roger Gonzalez
baltimore ravens
(© melissamn – Shutterstock)

The 4-3 Baltimore Ravens welcome the struggling 3-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday for Week 8 NFL action.

The Ravens sit atop the AFC North with their 4-3 record and are coming off a 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns. The Bucs, meanwhile, have stumbled out of the gates at 3-4, having just lost 21-3 at the Carolina Panthers in a shocking score.

Where to watch?

This is the Thursday Night Football game that airs exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. ET.

What to know about the Ravens

The turnovers had been the issue for Baltimore, but they improved on that against Cleveland. Sure, they lost a fumble, but Lamar Jackson was much smarter with the ball and did not force anything. You can tell that the point was driven home with the former Louisville gunslinger as there were times where he threw the ball away or took a short run. Now, another key will be playing smart and trying to limit penalties after doing a fine job against the Browns. Three penalties for 53 yards is something any coach will take as their average. As for facing the Bucs, the offense is absolutely reeling. It feels like only a matter of time before they get it together, but on a short week, you have to like the Ravens chances.

What to know about the Bucs

Things are not going well. They are not scoring, struggling to reach 20 points in their recent games. They have 21 points in their last two games combined, a far cry from the over 30 a game they scored en route to winning Super Bowl 55. Without Rob Gronkowski and with all of the injuries, they are just looking to find some bit of gelling. It may take time, but there is a firm belief that they can get it together. On a short week, easier said than done. They need to get healthy, but they also need to dig deep and finish drives. There are too many silly mistakes that are correctable, but there is an urgency.

Prediction

Baltimore 27, Tampa Bay 20

Support AFP




Roger Gonzalez

Roger Gonzalez

Roger Gonzalez is freelancer for Augusta Free Press. A native of Connecticut that grew up in Charlottesville, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech. He currently is a sportswriter with CBS Sports and has written for The Daily Progress, The Roanoke Times and other newspapers before getting into the digital sports journalism world.

Latest News

henry zatkowski uva baseball
Baseball

UVA Baseball: ‘Hoos get past Duke, 6-4, to advance in ACC tourney

staunton
Local

Staunton: New pool house set to open with start of summer swimming season

The City of Staunton is going all out to mark the start of the summer season, with a grand opening for the new Gypsy Hill Park Pool House set for Saturday. The new single-story facility replaces the original 1958 pool house, which had reached the end of its functional life due to structural issues and deteriorating infrastructure. Key...

Larry Bushart
Politics, U.S. & World

Tennessee man jailed for posting anti-Trump meme settles suit against sheriff

The Tennessee man who spent 37 days in jail for posting an anti-Trump meme on Facebook settled his suit against the county sheriff for a lot less than I would have.

fueling up at gas station
Politics, U.S. & World

Gas price forecast: $4.80 a gallon through the summer months

college football
Football

NAACP calling on Black athletes to boycott Southern states over racial gerrymandering

swimming
Etc.

UVA Swimming: DeSorbo announces new associate head coach

prescription drug pills on pile of money
Politics, Virginia

Spanberger tries, and fails, to explain Affordable Medicine Act veto