Fans may have taken the Buffalo Bills for granted, with the expectation of victory and the foregone conclusion that the AFC East would simply be theirs to grasp. Coming off a rocking loss to the lowly Miami Dolphins and watching the now 8-2 New England Patriots take the division lead away, perhaps fans will find themselves sobered.
No success can be taken for granted, especially not in this 'any given Sunday' league we think we know so well. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter this game as underdogs, and the Buffalo Bills would do well to remember what that's like.
As two of the 2018 NFL Draft's best buddies go head to head once again, either team could take the 'W' home with them. Baker Mayfield, or Josh Allen? These predictions are here to help you find out.
Prediction #1 - Joshua Palmer excels in return
After missing a month with knee and ankle injuries, Bills WR Joshua Palmer finally returns to stretch the boundary and open up opposing defenses. He's a welcome addition. The Bills offense has had it's struggles, but the loss of TE Dalton Kincaid last week may be the greatest challenge they must overcome this season, for the second time. Fortunately, Palmer can help.
One thing that does happen with Kincaid out is the creation of opportunities for some of Buffalo's larger wide receivers. Kincaid took roughly half of the snaps when healthy, and there's a void there. Downfield blocking opportunities to create big plays are often the job of Kincaid- Josh Palmer is an ideal replacement. He may not be the same physical prototype, but his speed and hands will be vital on Sunday. Buffalo will use him often.
It's easy to forget following his missed games, but Palmer does bring excellent downfield receiving ability to the table. The Bills didn't have an outside receiver they trust to get deep and make a play during his absence, and it limited the offense. Keon Coleman is simply not ready for that role yet. If Joshua can separate deep against Tampa Bay's secondary, he'll be the most important player on the field.
Prediction #2 - Buccaneers offense stagnates
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a powerful team, capable of beating their opponent a thousand different ways. Fortunately for the off-balance Buffalo Bills, the Bucs are missing their fastball. Bucky Irving is inactive for Sunday, dealing with a foot and shoulder injury. He misses his sixth straight game now and the Tampa Bay offense isn't the same without him.
As their leading rusher in yards per game by a wide margin, Bucky Irving makes up for a majority of their ground game. His 48.3 receiving yards per game this season are also second-best on the roster. Irving is an irreplaceable player in the Buccaneers offense, and it shows.
To make matters worse for the Buccaneers, they're still missing WR Chris Godwin Jr. as he closes in on a return from his fibula injury. Godwin stretched the field for Tampa Bay, and Emeka Egbuka cannot be everywhere at once.
The Tampa Bay offense is powerful despite this, but one-dimensional. They've gone from averaging 27.5 points per game through six weeks to scoring only 1.7 offensive touchdowns per game in the past three. Despite it's flaws, the Bills offense averages double that amount.
Prediction #3 - Final score
At their best, the Buffalo Bills would seem the better of the two, but the Bills' swathe of injuries reduced them to the mortal status of a regular football team. Tampa Bay, too, are a powerhouse felled by injuries. The loss of Irving has plagued them for over a month, and it won't end just yet.