After their disappointing showing against the Detroit Lions in Week 1, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some serious work today against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are not considered a necessarily strong team, but they are good enough that they could easily give the Buccaneers problems. A loss to them would mean right off the bat, the Buccaneers have very long odds at reaching the postseason.
For our full game preview and analysis, see Purple Pain: Bucs Need To Rebound Against Vikings and Bucs Face Challenge In Adrian Peterson. Here’s a brief snippet from one:
Here’s some food for thought heading into week 2 of the NFL season: Since 1990, only 13% of NFL teams that started out 0-2 have made the playoffs. That’s tall odds for a young team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that already has the deck stacked against them in the highly-competitive NFC South. Although there is no such thing as a September must-win-game, this Sundays showdown of 0-1 teams in Minnesota could go a long way to determining the direction of a still-young season.
The Buccaneers, looking to rebound from a stunning defeat in their yard at the hands of a resurgent Detroit Lions team, will travel to Mall of America Field and take on the Minnesota Vikings in a matchup of two clubs searching for an identity in their 2011 campaigns. The Vikings suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the San Diego Chargers in week one and will be looking for redemption in their home opener.
Matchup: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Game Time:1:00 PM
Coverage: FOX (local)
Staff Prediction: Tampa Bay 20, Minnesota 17
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