Todd Bowles reveals 'gut feeling' of 5-1 Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, through the first six weeks, have been as good as any team in football, and their 5-1 record backs that up.

Given the state of the NFC South, the Buccaneers already appear to be in a great spot within the division, but this team has NFC and Super Bowl aspirations, and yes, we get it, it is only through six weeks, but Tampa Bay has all the ingredients to be a legit contender.

And for Todd Bowles, when asked if he has a gut feeling that this version of the Buccaneers can be a special team in 2025, he played a straight bat.

“I have a gut feeling off the field that it's a special team, but football is week to week, and you got to go out and prove that,” Bowles said. “You can feel as good as you want, this league will bring you down and make you feel terrible. And you can feel terrible, and they can bring you up to feel great.

"So that gut feeling has not hit me since I've been coaching. But week to week, you have a confidence of trusting your guys and knowing they can go out there and do a good job as long as everybody's on the same page."

Buccaneers get chance to prove NFC credentials vs. Lions

Bowles says that his team has to go out and prove that they are special weekly, and there is no bigger test in football right now than the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, which is what awaits the Buccaneers in Week 7.

Go on the road and win that, yeah, people will see this team as special, and if not, on the way to being as such. But it won't be easy with the Buccaneers dealing with a host of injuries, and it is looking like Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving won't be suiting up, and Mike Evans isn't a sure bet either.

So, Baker Mayfield will need to beat the Lions with most of his top weapons missing, and while beating the San Francisco 49ers with no key weapons is one thing, the Lions are a different proposition.

The Buccaneers have the potential to be special; let's see if that potential can be realized against Detroit.

Chiefs Draw Strong Message From Raiders’ Pete Carroll

The Las Vegas Raiders

snapped their four-game losing streak with a 20-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on October 12 at Allegiant Stadium. Moreover, this victory over arguably the worst team in the NFL came at the right time, considering their opponent in Week 7 is the Kansas City Chiefs.

While the Chiefs aren’t the Chiefs of old, they are still the Chiefs. As a result, it was important for the Silver and Black to head into this game riding positive momentum.

Despite the Raiders‘ offense being more conservative and leaning on the running game, they did have bright spots running the ball with Ashton Jeanty and Michael Mayer, who returned from his concussion,

was a big target in the middle of the field for Geno Smith.

Ahead of the critical game against the Chiefs as they look to climb back to .500, head coach Pete Carroll spoke about the upcoming clash and the importance of going into the contest off a win.

“It’s always really valuable,” Carroll told reporters on October 13. “I mean, yeah, it’s positive and it feels good and all that. It happens to be Kansas City that’s next, you know, and so we’ll do everything we can to prepare and come off this game clear-minded and really drilled into the challenge

that they bring.

“It’s a tremendous program that Andy’s been running for a long time, and we’re going to have to play really well to have a chance, but if we prepare well, we’ll have a chance, and that’s all we could ask for.”

Pete Carroll Praises Raiders Defense

The Chiefs are 3-3 and not the force they used to be, but if the Raiders want to have a puncher’s chance at securing a win, their defense will need to replicate their Week 6 performance

in which they had six sacks. As a result, gave high praise to the group for their showing against the Titans.

“We have a winning group there,” Carroll added. “We have

that the defense can really play like that. That isn’t a surprise. I think had the scores been a little bit more in our line, you know, been ahead and all, you would have recognized it even sooner. Remember that just a couple of weeks ago, we were a fraction of a second off on a field goal to win that game, too. We were just a hair late or whatever it was that gave them a chance to block a kick.

“We’re so much closer to being on the other end of it than it has appeared. That’s why this game is important to us — to get this win and at home and all the rest of it. It is important as we take our next step forward. Hopefully, we can capitalize on it.”

Maxx Crosby Was All Over for the Raiders

Furthermore, Raiders star Maxx Crosby was one of the players who recorded two sacks against the young quarterback. After the win on October 12, the veteran spoke with the media to discuss the entire defensive line’s performance.

“Yeah, it’s awesome,” Crosby told reporters. “You know the standard we set for ourselves in that room is top tier. Love those guys, man. We have a ton of young guys and guys proving themselves, with a ton of energy. It’s a blessing being able to go to work with them every day.”

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