Ryan Jensen Back at Practice
Buccaneers’ Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen began a 21-day practice window Wednesday. He suffered a major knee injury on the team’s second day of training camp and is now eligible to rejoin the Bucs’ active roster at any time during the three-week period on injured reserve. During the open media portion of practice this week, Jensen participated in a one-on-one drill with Robert Hainsey and John Molchon. Read also : Watch: Cowboys Cheerleader Goes Viral Before Release. Head coach Todd Bowles stressed that the team has not decided on a specific return date for Jensen and the staff plans to monitor his progress on a day-to-day basis. Regardless of his status, Jensen’s fit on the field has been a vision of inspiration and motivation for the team.
“The goal is to get healthy – this is part of his rehabilitation now,” Bowles explained. “We’re not even thinking about him going into the pad at this point. He’s day-to-day. As it goes, we’ll get more reports, but right now he’s happy to run out there and do something. That’s good for him and It’s a good promotion, and it’s a promotion for men.”
Facing a Surging Panthers’ Team
On Sunday, the Bucs will have to match the Panthers’ physicality. The game may be heavily reliant on dungeons. After cruising to a 2-7 start, the Panthers have since fired Head Coach Matt Rhule and traded for both star running back Christian McCaffrey and starting receiver Robbie Anderson. Carolina has gone through a revolving door at quarterback, with Sam Darnold now back at the helm following the release of Baker Mayfield and an injury to PJ Walker. With slick running back Chuba Hubbard and north-south running back D’Onta Foreman, the Panthers’ offense is predicated on their ground game. Against Detroit last Sunday, Carolina rushed for a record 320 yards in beating the Lions. Darnold’s movement serves as an extension of the run game with the threat of a drag-and-run zone read. To see also : Tilda Swinton Won’t Star In ‘Parasite’ Series & Is Happy To Be A “Cheerleader”. On the other side of the ball, Carolina’s defense has made strides. The unit has allowed an average of 18.1 points per game in its last six contests. The team’s defense is led by Brian Burns, a pass rusher who ranks sixth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks and a tackle threat, and Shaq Thompson, who has amassed a team-high 116 tackles, eight tackles for loss and four pass breakups. defended. With repeat performances at all three levels, the Bucs should remain disciplined in Week 17’s marquee games.
“They did a great job of stopping the run and turning it over and getting off the field,” Todd Bowles said. “They’ve done a great job running the football. Sam [Darnold] has done a great job running the field, too. The running backs are playing well — they’ve got playmakers everywhere. They have a lot. confidence, and they were playing good football.”
The Panthers are 6-2 in 2022 when their rushing attack eclipses the 100-yard mark, and the club has averaged just under 200 yards in the aforementioned eight games. Gap control will be a focal point for the Bucs next Sunday.
Urgency
Playoff aspirations hang in the balance in Week 17 of the New Year’s Day combine. With the win, the Buccaneers clinched the NFC South. Instead, the Panthers were eliminated from the playoffs with the loss. See the article : Kyle Allen of Texas: Davis Mills is a ‘super talented player’. With so much on the line, Sunday’s race is likely to prove to be a physical one. After two disappointing losses to the 49ers and Bengals, the Bucs led an impressive comeback against the Cardinals on Christmas. They will now face the Panthers, who have won three of their first four games and have been led by a rushing attack.
“We understand what’s going on here,” Chris Godwin said. “We’ve been pretty up and down all season, but it’s time to turn it on. If we want to get through to the postseason, we’re in control of our destiny now, so we’ve got to go and take advantage. This team is our team. beat them early, and they were playing hard, so we had to go out and bring it.”
An unlikely theme reared its head during the Bucs’ 2022 playoffs: inconsistency. The slow start forced the Bucs to become one-dimensional in the faceoff, which led to fatigue on the defense. The Buccaneers dominated the Bengals in the first two quarters but fell apart in the second half. Tampa Bay has yet to play a full 60-minute game. With the playoffs coming up, Sunday gives the Bucs a chance to right the ship against a division foe.
