The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to get their first win of the 2014 preseason on the road against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Saturday.
How to watch Buccaneers vs. Bills 2014 online, TV schedule, radio and more
Two bottom-feeders from a season ago look to right the ship in 2014. Week 3 of the preseason ought to be a good indicator of each team’s chances.
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Both teams struggled to last-place finishes in their respective divisions a season ago and will look to improve upon disappointing campaigns. That goal will begin to take greater shape in Week 3 when the starters figure to see more work than they will during any other preseason game.
More on the matchup: The Bucs drafted wide receiver Mike Evans to complement Vincent Jackson, and it appears he'll take on that No. 2 role in order to do just that. In addition, Chris Owusu has already done enough to earn the third receiver spot. Now, head coach Lovie Smith will look to get the receivers and quarterback Josh McCown on the same page. He'll have plenty of opportunity to do it, with the first team potentially seeing significant action on Saturday.
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On the defensive side of the ball, questions remain whether anyone on the defensive line aside from Gerald McCoy will step up and contribute to the pass rush. The defense ranked 27th in touchdowns allowed through the air with 30, and gave up 6.5 yards per passing attempt.
On the other sideline, the Bills will look to get back to the basics of running the football -- which they did well in 2013 by ranking second in total yards on the ground -- and stopping the run, which they struggled to do as the 28th-ranked rush defense.
Perhaps the offense can play a part in helping to alleviate some of that defensive pressure by staying on the field and creating more balance through the air. Buffalo addressed that need in the draft with wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Though the rookie has looked strong, he’s banged up and is day-to-day with bruised ribs. His status for the game on Saturday is unknown.
As the offensive line begins to take shape, head coach Doug Marrone announced earlier in the week that left tackle Cordy Glenn was cleared for team drills after missing the first three weeks of training camp with an illness. Finally, the Bills will aim to see if quarterback EJ Manuel can improve his decision-making. As Dan Lavoie of Buffalo Rumblings points out, he's already taken a step forward:
Frankly, I was really impressed. Outside of a few small mistakes, Manuel did an excellent job choosing his targets and delivering the ball to the right spot. Despite the team failing to score when it counted in the red zone, I consider this the best performance I’ve seen Manuel deliver in his career thus far.
Here’s the full breakdown of how to watch Saturday’s action wherever you are:
Game Date/Time and Location: Saturday, Aug. 23, 4:30 p.m. ET at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y.
TV schedule and distribution map: NFL Network; The506.com
Live coverage and updates:
Bills blog: Buffalo Rumblings / Follow Buffalo Rumblings on Twitter
Buccaneers blog: Bucs Nation / Follow Bucs Nation on Twitter
Radio schedule: Tampa Bay, 620 WDAE; Buffalo, WGR 550
Watch Online: Verizon subscribers can watch games live with the NFL Mobile app (subscription required). NFL Game Pass offers live online broadcasts to users outside the USA.
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