On the surface, the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn’t be more different. Tampa Bay is stuck at .500 at 3-3, and the Raiders are currently in sole position atop the best division in football. Derek Carr is top ten in almost every passing category, and Jameis Winston is third in interceptions and 26th in passer rating. The two teams face off this week, but how could they possibly be similar?
Comparing the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Statistically
In all actuality, the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have pretty similar stat-lines. The Raiders are 11th in total offense, averaging 396.6 yards a game. And Tampa Bay? They’re 12th, averaging 395.3 yards a game. That’s right, the two teams are within a yard per game of each other.
If this is true, then how come the teams are so far apart? There’s a really simple answer. Turnovers. The Buccaneers turn the ball over and the Raiders don’t. Beyond that, the Raiders are taking the ball away and the Buccaneers are not.
Turnovers
So far this season, the Raiders have forced 13 takeaways, while only giving the ball away five times. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have given the ball away nine times, while only forcing 12 takeaways. This is huge, because the ability to hold on to the ball has allowed the Raiders to average five more points per game than the Buccaneers do.
Both teams are moving the ball pretty well, but the difference is that the Raiders are finishing drives and the Buccaneers are not. Derek Carr only has one more touchdown than Jameis Winston, but Winston has six more interceptions than Carr.
Young Receivers
Believe it or not, these teams have more than young quarterbacks in common. For instance, they both feature young wide receivers. In the 2014 NFL Draft, the same draft that saw Oakland select Khalil Mack and Carr, the Buccaneers selected wide receiver Mike Evans. So far in 2016, Mike Evans is having a fantastic season. His 40 catches for 545 yards are top ten, and his six touchdown grabs are tied for first in the NFL. Tied with whom, you may ask? None other than Oakland’s Michael Crabtree.
While Crabtree is having a phenomenal season, it’s the young Amari Cooper, selected by the Raiders in the same first round that saw the Buccaneers select Jameis Winson, that’s having a breakout season. Cooper has also caught 40 passes this season, but he has 69 more yards than Evans. So far he only has one touchdown grab this season, but that’s because it’s become apparent that Michael Crabtree is Carr’s favorite redzone receiver.
Workhorse Rushers
The Raider Nation is very familiar with a certain running back on the Buccaneers, as Doug Martin had his first statement game against the Raiders. Back in 2012, Martin rushed for 251 yards and four touchdowns against the Silver and Black. Last season, Martin’s 1,402 yards were second only to Adrian Peterson. Who else made the top ten? A young rusher from Florida by the name of Latavius Murray.
Last year, Oakland’s Latavius Murray was sixth in the NFL with 1,066 rushing yards. The signing of center Rodney Hudson gave Murray a boost, but the rest of the Raider rushers struggled. Murray had to be a workhorse last year and despite being successful as an individual, the Raiders were 28th. This off-season, they addressed that by adding rookie rushers Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington to the mix.
The Buccaneers may have taken note, because with Martin being injured, they have leaned on veterans Charles Sims and Jacquizz Rodgers to help carry the load. This has been an effective strategy, as Tampa is sitting at eleventh in the league in rushing, despite not having access to their feature back.
In Summation
It might be easy for people to forget, but these Raiders are a young team. They’ve played well, but that could disappear at a moment’s notice. The difference in ability and skill on these two teams isn’t as big as their records would suggest, and if one team shows up hungrier than the other, that team is probably going to win.
