Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Buffalo Bills preview: Date, kick-off time, news, prediction and how to watch the NFL on DAZN

Two elite teams go head to head in Week 12, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) roll into town to face the Buffalo Bills (6-3) in a matchup loaded with intrigue and playoff implications.

The Bucs have stumbled when facing elite opposition, dropping games against the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions in their last three outings.

The Bills, fresh off a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Miami Dolphins, are eager to reassert their dominance and remind the league why they should be among the most feared teams in the league.

Both teams lead their respective divisions, but they will be acutely aware that they need to get back to winning ways to maintain their edge.

Buccaneers offense

Quarterback Baker Mayfield rediscovered his swagger in Week 10, threading the needle for three passing touchdowns, albeit in a losing effort. He'll be desperate to carry that form over and help his team topple one of the Super Bowl favourites.

His supporting cast has been a revolving door of depth players who have filled in for injured stars.

At running back, Rachaad White has carried the load in place of Bucky Irving, who has been sidelined since Week 4 with foot and shoulder injuries. With Irving likely out again, White and Sean Tucker must breathe life into Tampa's ground game once again.

At wideout, Mike Evans is on IR, and according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Chris Godwin will miss his fourth straight game.

In their place, expect sensational OROY candidate Emeka Egbuka to be heavily involved once again, with help from wideout Tez Johnson and tight end Cade Otton.

Bills defense

Tasked with slowing down that group will be a Buffalo defense that is still reeling from their shock defeat at the hands of the Miami Dolphins in Week 10.

In that game, as has been the case in so many others, the Bills' inability to stop the run was apparent. They have allowed a league-worst 5.5 yards per carry and surrendered more touchdowns on the ground than any team except the Tennessee Titans.

While no one player is wholly culpable, Buffalo needs linebacker Terrell Bernard to step up. After missing three tackles against the Dolphins, his missed rate now stands at 18% for the year.

Bills offense

Offensively, Buffalo looked lost for the first three quarters in Week 10 against Miami, shut out entirely by a defense that few other teams have struggled to score upon.

Unsurprisingly, Josh Allen's chances of retaining the MVP took a hit after that result, and he'll be doing everything within his power to make amends on Sunday against the team led by the quarterback taken six spots ahead of him in the 2018 NFL Draft.

He may have to do so without his starting tight end Dalton Kincaid, who head coach Sean McDermott said is week-to-week after limping off late in last weekend's game.

That means more pressure - and possibly more targets - for wide receivers Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and tight end Dawson Knox. It's a less-than-stellar cast, but Allen has a knack for getting the best out of a mediocre group of pass catchers.

Coleman, in particular, has a point to prove after being called out by legendary former wideout Steve Smith last week.

Tailback James Cook, who burst out of the gate on his way to winning the Offensive Player of the Month award in September, must be at his best once again against a relatively stingy Buccaneers D.

Buccaneers defense

Opportunities to make big plays won't come easily against a Tampa defensive line anchored by man mountain Vita Vea at defensive tackle.

And on the rare occasions when Vea is taken out of the play, linebacker Lavonte David and safeties Antoine Winfield and Tykee Smith patrol the second level waiting to mop up what would otherwise become larger gains.

However, Cook is such a critical part of the Bills' offensive identity that you can rest assured he will be heavily involved.

Tune in

Catch every second of this AFC slugfest live on DAZN with NFL Game Pass. It's your front-row seat to what should be a titanic showdown.

And with DAZN's latest offer, watching this and every game just became even easier, with a subscription for the rest of the season starting from just £34.99.

Date and Time

• Sunday, November 16
• 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT / 6:00 pm GMT

Where is the game played?

Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

All-time series

The Buccaneers lead the series 8-5-0, but the Bills won 24-18 when the two sides last met in October 2023.

Prediction

The Buccaneers are short-handed, playing in front of what will be a hostile Buffalo crowd. The Bills, on the other hand, will come out firing, eager to prove last week's shock result was an anomaly.

Bills 27 - 21 Buccaneers

How to watch Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Buffalo Bills on DAZN

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