The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will welcome a new face to the National Football League on Sunday. T
he New York Giants have announced rookie Daniel Jones will replace Eli Manning as the starting quarterback.
The Duke product was chosen sixth overall in the 2019 NFL draft –– just one selection after the Buccaneers took LSU linebacker Devin White.
This will be just the second time a quarterback besides Manning has started for the Giants since 2004 (Geno Smith started once in 2017). Manning’s 232 starts to rank him sixth all-time among NFL quarterbacks.
The Buccaneers have infamously struggled against rookie quarterbacks this decade –– compiling a 2-12 record since 2011 –– including a 1-1 split in 2018. The Buccaneers outlasted Baker Mayfield in overtime in Tampa before falling to Lamar Jackson in Week 15 at Baltimore.
Jones was a three-year starter at Duke, recording a career college passer-rating of 122.9. He completed 59.9% of his passes for 8201 yards, 59 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions. He also racked up 1329 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground –– a dimension of his game the Buccaneers will surely have to account for on Sunday.
The Tampa Bay defense is off to a hot start under new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. They rank eighth in total yards per game at 304.0 and are tied with the Chicago Bears for sixth in run defense at 68.5 yards per contest.
Even more impressive, the upstart unit comes in at fourth in yards per-play allowed at 4.6. Last year’s team allowed a generous 6.1 yards per play which was “good” for 31st in the NFL.
While two games is an incredibly small sample size, the turnaround the team has made on defense has been remarkable.
Sunday’s game against the Giants will mark the last time the Buccaneers play at Raymond James Stadium until Nov. 10 when they host the Arizona Cardinals.
A full seven-week stretch featuring road trips to Los Angeles, New Orleans, London, Nashville, and Seattle –– totaling more than 20,000 miles.
