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The Bucs Will Win If... The Raiders Will Win If...

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 28, 2008

The Bucs Will Win If...
They can avoid a slow start. This has been a problem for the Bucs all year, and though they have shown the ability to bounce back and often do, they don't want to give up an early lead to the Raiders. If Oakland jumps to a lead, it will keep the ball on the ground and attack the middle of the Bucs' defense. That has proved to be a winning formula for rival teams the past few weeks, so the Bucs want to take an early lead and force the Raiders to lean on QB JaMarcus Russell and not on their running game.

The Raiders Will Win If...
They can shut down the Jeff Garcia-to-Antonio Bryant passing combination. Garcia and Bryant aren't the Bucs' only offensive weapons, but the Bucs likely will lean on them during the early going. If the Raiders can shut that tandem down and produce a score or two of their own, the Bucs will be forced to alter their game plan. The Bucs can do that, but if they don't have Bryant making big plays for them, their chances of scoring are going to be greatly diminished, and that will open the way for the Raiders to pull off the upset.

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