A pair of surprise stories for different reasons will square off on Sunday as the NFL heads to Germany for the first time when the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers clash on Sunday at Allianz Arena.
Both teams lead their respective divisions, with Seattle winning four straight games, while the Bucs ended a three-game losing streak last Sunday, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 16-13.
Match preview
When it mattered most last weekend, the Super Bowl champions from two seasons ago came up big, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter in a tough encounter against the Rams.
In 2022, the Bucs have had a hard time containing the run, allowing an average of 4.6 yards per carry this season, while they are dead-last in the running game themselves, averaging just three yards per carry and slightly over 60 a game.
Over the past two seasons, they have been one of the most potent aerial attacks in the league, but that has not been the case this year, with the Bucs currently possessing a 79.8 quarterback rating.
Defensively, head coach Todd Bowles has been able to count on a solid secondary that has only allowed seven touchdowns and 6.9 yards per attempt, while posting four interceptions against wide receivers.
Their five losses so far this year are more than they suffered in either of their previous two regular-season campaigns, yet they are tied with the Atlanta Falcons for first in the NFC South with a record of 4-5.
The four Tampa Bay victories this season have come against teams in their conference, while they have two wins and a loss versus the NFC South.
Seattle continue to beat the odds in 2022, winning their sixth game of the year last week, 31-21 over the Arizona Cardinals.
The NFC West leaders are 6-3 on the season, as they have shown they do not need Russell Wilson to be a successful NFL team.
Pete Carroll has been able to count upon a dependable passing attack throughout the year, with the Seahawks throwing two touchdown passes a week ago and totalling 275 yards through the air with a 106.9 passer rating.
Their defensive line have made life difficult for opposing quarterbacks to get comfortable in the pocket, with Seattle boasting 27 sacks so far this season, tied for the fourth-most in the NFL, two fewer than Tampa.
Overall, the Seahawks' secondary is a far cry from the Legion of Boom (LOB) side that terrorized opposing pass catchers in the early 2010s, as this current team have allowed a 94.1 QB rating this year, plus 13 passing scores and 7.3 yards per attempt.
They will be relieved to face a weak rushing attack this weekend, as Seattle have not been good against the run this year, allowing 4.8 yards per carry.
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Team News
Tom Brady threw 58 passes in their victory against the Rams last Sunday, hitting Cade Otton for a late touchdown to earn the win, Leonard Fournette averaged a mere 2.1 yards on the ground, while Mike Evans and Chris Godwin combined for 12 catches for 76 yards.
Vita Vea had a pair of sacks for the Bucs against LA, while Keanu Neal and Carlton Davis had five tackles each to lead the way.
Shaq Mason was limited at practice on Thursday because of an ankle sprain, Russell Gage did not practice all week due to a pulled hamstring, Nick Leverett has an illness and Cameron Brate might be recovered from his neck injury.
Seahawks pivot Geno Smith has a passer rating of 107.2 this season, while Kenneth Walker ran for 109 yards and a pair of scores against Arizona.
Smith has been able to count on an experienced receiving corps this year, with Tyler Lockett averaging 66.4 yards per game through the air, while Noah Fant caught five passes last week for 96 yards and DK Metcalf had five grabs for 37 yards against the Cards and a major score.
Marquise Goodwin saw limited practice time this week as he is dealing with a sore groin, Ryan Neal has a problem with his ankle, Poona Ford is sick and Cullen Gillaspia is expected to sit out because of a knee injury.
Head To Head
Tampa have captured three of their previous five meetings against the Seahawks since 2009, though Seattle won a thriller the last time out in 2019 when Russell Wilson hit Jacob Hollister for a 10-yard TD catch in overtime, winning 40-34.
The Seahawks lead the overall series by a 9-5 margin, which included a Doug Baldwin TD grab in 2013, which forced overtime as former kicker Stephen Hauschka kicked the game-winning field goal.
We say: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-20 Seattle Seahawks
Brady could be nearing the end of his career, and if there is one thing we should have learned about him by now it's to never count him out.
While his receiving corps have let him down, we expect the G.O.A.T. to take matters into his own hands if need be and find a way to win against an upstart Seattle team, who have struggled in the cover game all year.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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