The Tampa Bay Buccaneers reside atop the lackluster NFC South despite losing two straight and three of their last four games.
The Buccaneers (6-8) bid to change the narrative and bolster their postseason aspirations on Sunday night when they visit the Arizona Cardinals (4-10) in Glendale, Ariz.
While Tampa Bay’s record leaves a bit to be desired, coach Todd Bowles said his primary focus remains the same: win the division and go from there.
“Any division you win, regardless of whether you’re 17-0 or whether you’re 4-13, you win the division and you have a division banner,” Bowles said. “Then you try out for your next goal to get to the Super Bowl. Our first goal is to win the division, so we’re trying to do that. If we can win the division, then we’ll try and focus on getting playoff games and winning the Super Bowl.”
The Buccaneers looked like a team capable of doing just that last Sunday … well, in the first half. Tampa Bay scored the first 17 points of the game before committing four turnovers in the second half of its 34-23 setback to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tom Brady threw for 312 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions last Sunday. The uneven performance notwithstanding, the 45-year-old certainly has the respect of Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury dating back to when the two were teammates together with the New England Patriots in 2003.
“The total commitment, lifestyle, sleep, eat, study, work that he’s put into that, it’s insane,” Kingsbury said. “When I got there, I thought I worked hard. Then I watched what he did and put into it and it was on a whole different level. There’s a reason he’s the best there ever was.”
While Brady is set to make his 331st career NFL start, Cardinals third-string quarterback Trace McSorley is in line for his first on Sunday night.
McSorley, 27, gets the nod with Colt McCoy still in protocol after he sustained a concussion in the third quarter of Arizona’s 24-15 loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday. McSorley replaced McCoy last Sunday and was 7-for-15 passing for 95 yards with two interceptions.
“Definitely excited about that. He’s the GOAT. There’s no two ways to put that,” McSorley said of playing against Brady. “But I just have to focus on what I can control. I’m going against their defense, not against him. So that’s the way I try to look at it. But it is cool to kind of look back and realize I’m starting against him the first time.”
What isn’t cool is Arizona has lost four in a row and six of seven to be officially eliminated from postseason contention.
Injuries have played a significant role in that, with traditional starter Kyler Murray out for the season with a torn ACL sustained in the Cardinals’ 27-13 loss to the Patriots on Dec. 12.
As for the immediate, McCoy, defensive lineman Zach Allen (hand), offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum (knee, ankle) and cornerbacks Antonio Hamilton (back) and Byron Murphy Jr. (back) failed to participate in practice on Wednesday.
Tampa Bay, in turn, saw safeties Keanu Neal (toe) and Antoine Winfield Jr. (ankle), linebackers Genard Avery (abdomen, oblique) and Carl Nassib (pectoral), nose tackle Vita Vea (calf), cornerback Jamel Dean (toe) and offensive tackle Donovan Smith (foot) fail to practice on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media