Cousins And Crew Will Bash Baker And Buccs

Buccaneers vs. Vikings, 1:00 ET

Our first football Sunday of the new season is here! You like that?! Sorry, given that this is a story that involves Kirk Cousins, I feel like I'm obligated to make a mention of that quote at least once. This is an interesting game with two teams that feel like they are on very different paths, but it should be a fun game to watch. The Buccaneers travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in their season opener.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going from the greatest quarterback in football history to Baker Mayfield, a guy that is on the fourth team of his short career. It just hasn't quite worked out anywhere because Mayfield struggled to find ground in Cleveland, had a short, but unproductive time in Carolina, and then finished last year with the Rams. Now he is under center trying to replace a legend for a team that won a Super Bowl just three years ago. Mayfield did look fairly solid in the preseason, but so do many rookies and other guys that end up not being effective when the game matters. The Buccaneers really don't have much in the running game department, but they still have two really solid receivers on the outside with Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. How often Mayfield can get them the ball is the question. He's had good receivers most of his career, and I'm not really sure that this offensive line is better than what he's had before. However, the Minnesota defense wasn't exactly good last year so it is possible that Mayfield will have time to get what he wants.

TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 26: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drops back to pass during an NFL preseason football game against the Baltimore Ravens at Raymond James Stadium on August 26, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

The Vikings were 13-4 last season and came back over and over again in games to get to that record. They even set the record for the largest comeback in NFL history. Is that going to happen again? Certainly not. They really can't afford to keep falling behind in games and hoping to come back. The defense has to make some stops and the offense can't make stupid mistakes. They have the best receiver in the game, and are now paying TJ Hockenson like he is the best tight end in the game. I have to imagine that Hockenson will get the second most targets on the team this year, but the Vikings will likely be throwing often. They no longer have Dalvin Cook in the backfield, but his replacement, Alexander Mattison, has been on the field quite a bit over the past few years so it really shouldn't be that big of a drop. The Vikings should be able to attack the Buccaneers defense that isn't as good as it was a couple of years ago. They also should be able to force Mayfield into a turnover or two.

This game is likely to come down to who will turn the ball over less. With the Vikings at home, I expect that they will control the ball better. They also have more continuity between the two teams. Not only do they have most of the same offense, they have the bad taste of losing a playoff home game in their mouths that they'll want to get rid of immediately. Mayfield isn't that good of a quarterback - there is a reason he has bounced around so much. I'm taking the Vikings to cover this game at -6.

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