Week 2: Bills vs. Buccaneers
at
Sunday, Sept. 18th
1:00pm ET
Stats Matchup
A battle of two teams that barely play each other is set for week 2. The Bills and Buccaneers meet for the eighth time in history, all eight have been in Tampa Bay where the two teams last played in 2000. Both teams are coming off of impressive opening day wins. The Bills dominated the Texans at home while the Bucs went up to Minnesota and pulled out an upset win.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Matchup: Buffalo (1-0) vs. Tampa Bay (1-0)
Place: Raymond James Stadium
Television: CBS
Announcers: Bill Macatee and Rich Gannon
Spread: Bucs by 2
Series: Bucs lead 5-2
Last Meeting: Bucs 31-17 in Tampa Bay (2000)
Bucs Offense: Rush (8th); Pass (19th); overall (12th)
Bucs Defense: Rush (2nd); Pass (17th); overall (5th)
Bills Offense: Rush (5th); Pass (26th); overall (19th)
Bills Defense: Rush (t-14th); Pass (1st); overall (1st)


INJURY UPDATE

The Bills are fairly healthy as they came out of the opener with no new injuries. Chris Villarrial missed most of the opener with a sprained ankle but he should be good to go in Tampa Bay. Roscoe Parrish and Tim Euhus remain out for the Bills. Angelo Crowell may miss his second straight game with a groin injury.

The Bucs also came out of their opener relatively injury free. They may be without starting left guard Matt Stinchcomb for the second straight game with a back injury. They do have to deal with the arrest on suspicion of DUI of backup CB Torrie Cox early Tuesday morning.
Bills Daily Injury Page

KEY MATCHUPS

RB Willis McGahee and QB J.P. Losman vs. LB Derrick Brooks:
The main cog in a very good Bucs defense is Brooks. He constantly leads the team in tackles, so McGahee will likely get to know him real well. Losman must also watch him since he can get to the quarterback also.

CB Nate Clements vs. WR Joey Galloway:
A battle of two former Buckeyes as Clements faces another tough test against a solid veteran.

CB Terrence McGee vs. WR Michael Clayton:
This will be another solid one on one matchup to watch as the two young, up and coming players go at it.

WR Lee Evans vs. CB Ronde Barber:
Evans takes a shot against one of the league's best in Barber. Evans needs to use his speed to beat Barber.

LBs London Fletcher and Takeo Spikes vs RB Cadillac Williams:
The rookie lit up the Vikings a week ago. The two main cogs in the middle of the Bills defense will have to do a good job of tackling to keep the Cadillac from leaving the driveway.

LT Mike Gandy vs. DE Simeon Rice:
Gandy graded out very well in his first start at left tackle, this week comes one of the best pass rushers in the game. If he performs well again, the question mark at the position could be gone for good.

GAME PLAN

When The Bills Have The Ball: They need to do some of the same as a week ago. They need to strike a good balance of passing mixed with running to keep the tough Tampa Bay defense on their heels. The Bucs will likely blitz more so Losman needs to be on his toes and not make mistakes to win, that's a tougher task this week.

When The Bucs Have The Ball: They will try to lean on the running of Williams to tire out the tough Bills defense in the Florida heat. That will give them the upper hand to move the ball more effectively as the game progresses. That should also open up some passing lanes for Brian Griese.

BILLS DAILY PREDICTION

It could be easy to get carried away off of one, very impressive win on opening day but you can't. The Buccaneers face a much tougher challenge and it will be Losman's first real game in a hostile environment. The going will be much tougher this week but the team quickly moved forward after the win, not resting on their laurels. We think they'll be ready and the defense will give them enough chances to pull out the win:
Bills 13, Bucs 10

Season Prediction Record: (1-0)
Season Record Against The Spread: (1-0)

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