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Buccaneers’ Rookie WR Ted Hurst Predicted to Have Big Game Against Panthers
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- Buccaneers’ Rookie WR Ted Hurst Predicted to Have Big Game Against Panthers
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to keep their season for at least one more week, they will have to go on the road and beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
For the Bucs to beat the Panthers, they need significant contributions from a number of players who will be thrust into larger roles in Week 7.
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The game is an absolute must-win for Tampa. Check out my five keys to victory and my prediction for the game .
Tampa should benefit greatly from getting quarterback Baker Mayfield and cornerback Benjamin Morrison back from injuries this week. Both have missed the Bucs' last three games but will return to the field to face Carolina.
The significance of Mayfield's return cannot be overstated. Tampa's franchise QB dislocated his thumb late in Tampa's Week 3 loss and hasn't played since, missing his first three games as a member of the Bucs.
Morrison should provide a boost to Tampa's secondary, and they need all hands on deck to slow down Carolina's lethal passing attack. Cornerbacks Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish have been excellent, but will have their hands full with the Panthers' electric receiving duo of Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker. Morrison is incredibly talented, but he has struggled to stay on the field since the Bucs drafted him in the second round last year.
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While Tampa is returning two key players, the team will be without three of its other most important starters.
The Bucs' top receiver, Emeka Egbuka, is out with a concussion and a foot injury. Joining him on the sidelines will be starting right tackle Luke Goedeke and star safety Antoine Winfield, who is missing his third straight game with a rib injury.
With those guys out, Tampa will need several players to step up and fill their shoes.
One of those players is rookie WR Ted Hurst, who hasn't received a bigger opportunity to make an impact than he will have against the Panthers.
With Egbuka out and fellow WR Jalen McMillan still on the shelf, Hurst and Chris Godwin Jr. will likely be Tampa's top two receivers on Sunday. Head coach Todd Bowles said a couple of weeks ago that he believes Hurst will have a breakout game in the very near future.
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There will be no better time for it than against the Panthers.
ESPN's Seth Walder thinks Hurst will step up in Egbuka's absence and is predicting a big game for the rookie.
Carolina's Ailing Secondary
Walder believes Hurst will take advantage of an ailing Carolina secondary. The Panthers are using backups at both outside cornerback spots, with starters Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson both on injured reserve. He also thinks Hurst's deep-threat ability brings a home-run threat on every play.
Walder predicts Hurst will see six targets against the Panthers, catching four for 79 yards and a touchdown.
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"I've had my eye on predicting a breakout game by Hurst for a few weeks now, and I think it will finally happen against the Panthers . Hurst has a vertical route profile, running either a go route or deep fade on 21% of his routes -- 11th-highest rate among wide receivers with at least 60 routes this season. That means high variance and high upside in any given week.
"So why a big game this Sunday? Well for starters, there seems to be a good chance quarterback Baker Mayfield will be back from his thumb injury . Emeka Egbuka is also out, which should lead to even more targets for Hurst. The Panthers also have backup cornerbacks in both outside spots. And on top of all that, Carolina plays an above-average amount of single-high coverage, which helps with deep outside shots."
If that is Hurst's line for this game, the Bucs will gladly take it.
The third-round pick has yet to catch more than three passes or gain more than 40 yards in a game. If he can go 4-79-1 on Sunday, I like Tampa's chances of winning even more.
