Buffalo Bills at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview

By Darrell Laurant | Saturday, September 17, 2005 | ( 0 )

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Are the Buffalo Bills and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers really that good? This week could go a long way toward answering that question.

Both teams scored convincing victories last week - Tampa Bay's perhaps the more impressive, because it occurred on the road against a Minnesota team picked to win the NFC North. Rookie RB Carnell Williams made a splashy debut with 148 rushing yards in 23 carries, including a 73-yard burst that sealed the deal in a 24-13 victory. On the other side of the ball, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense created five turnovers, including two interceptions from Brian Kelly. Brian Griese played an effective game at quarterback, throwing for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns to TE Alex Smith. He also threw a touchdown to Vikings' DB Darren Sharper, who hauled a first-period interception 88 yards, but Griese managed to shrug that off.

The Buffalo Bills also looked good defensively in a 22-7 victory over visiting Houston, led by defensive ends Chris Kelsay and Aaron Schobel and a secondary that held Texans' QB David Carr to 70 yards passing. Like Griese, new QB J.P. Losman was unspectacular but steady, directing five scoring drives on the Bills' first five possessions, hitting 17 of 28 passes and even running for 31 yards. Willis McGahee added 112 overland yards for Buffalo.

It will be interesting to see how Losman and a revamped Buffalo offensive line will fare against a veteran Buccaneer defense with a corps of All-Pro 30-somethings - Derrick Brooks, Simeon Rice and Ronde Barber. Chances are Losman will remain somewhat under wraps, Griese won't remind anyone of Peyton Manning, and the game will be low-scoring.

Curiously, it's been five years since these teams last met, with Tampa Bay winning 31-17 in 2000. This year's game is at 1 p.m. EDT.

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