Redskins at Buccaneers -- Week 4
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla. (outdoors, grass)
When: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox)
Spread: Buccaneers by 2.5
Records: Redskins (1-2 overall, 0-0 NFC East); Bucs (1-2 overall, 1-0 NFC South)
Past results: Two most recent meetings: Dec. 12, 2010: Bucs 17, Redskins 16; Oct. 4, 2009: Redskins 16, Bucs 13. Series record: Bucs lead 9-8.
What matters: Which Tampa Bay team will show up? The team's offense was electric, but late defensive lapses doomed the Bucs in a 41-34 Week 2 loss to the Giants. It was the opposite in Week 3, with the offense managing only one drive of more than 39 yards while the defense was strong in a 16-10 loss to the Cowboys. The Bucs have the feel of a much better team than the 2011 one that went 4-12, but if they lose to the Redskins to fall to 1-3, the results won't show it.
Who matters: DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim. Coach Greg Schiano has confidence in the reserve, who will figure to see considerably more action with the loss of injured DE Adrian Clayborn. Given the question marks in the secondary, generating an effective pass rush is important if the defense hopes to succeed.
Key matchups: Redskins running game vs. Bucs' run defense. Through three games, Tampa Bay has hardly looked like the team that was last in the NFL in rush defense in 2011. The Bucs lead the NFL in that statistic this year, allowing 47.3 rushing yards per game. They face a stern test against Washington, which has the NFL's second-best rushing offense (180.7 yards per game), with RB Alfred Morris averaging 4.3 yards per carry and QB Robert Griffin III averaging 6.5 yards per rush.
Injuries of note: Clayborn headed to the injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in last week's loss to the Cowboys. Beyond that, the Bucs are as healthy as they have been all season.
Inside stuff: The Bucs continue to search for a long-term solution at punt returner, as candidate after candidate has fallen by the wayside. First, Preston Parker was cut. Then Sammie Stroughter was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury. The team signed Jordan Shipley to give it a try, but he muffed a punt last week against the Cowboys and was waived this week. Now, new signee Roscoe Parrish will be back deep to field punts this week.
Connections: The Bucs fired head coach Raheem Morris after a 4-12 season in 2011. He landed in Washington, where he serves as the Redskins' secondary coach. The Washington receivers coach Ike Hilliard was a Buccaneer player from 2005-08. The ties extend to the front office as well, as former Tampa Bay general manager Bruce Allen is now in the same position with the Redskins.
Stat you should know: Tampa Bay's rushing defense, the NFL's worst a season ago, leads the league at 47.3 yards per game allowed. But its pass defense is in last place, allowing 353.3 yards per game.
Looking ahead: The game against the Redskins serves as the end of the Bucs' three-game swing through the NFC East. The team gets a bye in Week 5, and its next two games are against the Chiefs and the Saints -- teams with a combined record of 1-5. A win over the Redskins could get Tampa Bay on a bit of a roll.
Prediction: Redskins 27, Bucs 20
For more from Tampa Bay Bucs blogger Patrick Southern, follow @CBSBucs on Twitter.
