The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will make their longest road trip of the season in Week 15, traveling to Los Angeles to face the Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, December 15. Kick-off will be at 1:25 p.m. local time, 4:25 p.m. return. in Tampa. The 7-6 Buccaneers will try to extend a three-game winning streak and, in doing so, ensure they stay ahead of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South. The 8-5 Chargers will look to solidify their hold on one of the AFC Wild Card spots.

The Buccaneers hope to come out of their Week 11 bye on a hot streak and have come to fruition so far and they are looking for another late-season run that has become common since their current streak of four straight playoff seasons (working on number five). began in 2020. As of this season, the Buccaneers are 19-5 in regular season games played in December or January, with the second-most wins and second-best winning percentage in the NFL. behind the Buffalo Bills.

This weekend could present the biggest challenge of the Bucs’ post-bye schedule. The three teams they beat have a combined seven wins this season, and the three teams on the other side of the West Coast trip all have losing records. The Chargers, meanwhile, have won five of their last seven games, losing only to Baltimore and Kansas City, the latter thanks to a last-second field goal last week.

Of course, the Buccaneers know how little wiggle room they have in their quest to stay ahead of Atlanta and win a fourth straight division title, so every game is just as meaningful. Or, more precisely, the one we have is always the one that matters most.

“It’s just the next one,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “That’s the most important thing. Obviously it’s a good challenge for us, just based on how they’re playing right now. We have to bring our best game, but it’s every Sunday.”

The Chargers made a big turn in the offseason and managed to lure Jim Harbaugh away from Michigan and back to the NFL, and he built on his reputation for being able to build a winner quickly. Los Angeles has adopted its rugged mentality as its approach to winning games.

“(They’re) tough-minded,” said Harbaugh’s counterpart in Tampa, Todd Bowles. “They’re huge up front – on both sides of the ball – they stop the run and pass the ball. They do a really good job with time of possession. They can play play action and hit you deep. The quarterback can do a lot of things. Their mark is that they don’t fight. We have to play clean football.

It didn’t hurt Harbaugh’s efforts that he inherited one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, fifth-year player Justin Herbert. Herbert has only thrown one interception this year, but he has one of the strongest arms in the NFL and can move the ball down the field with ease. He’s also willing to extend plays and take hits in order to make things happen when he’s forced out of the pocket.

“He does a great job taking care of the football and understanding the offense,” Bowles said. “If it’s not there, he can use his legs; if it’s there, he has an arm like a cannon. He can shut it down. He trusts his receivers – they do a good job of mixing things up .”

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles defense led by the rotation of Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Joey Bosa and rookie Justin Eboigbe is allowing just 15.9 points per game, the fewest in the NFL. Safety Derwin James is defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s chess piece, alternately lining up deep, in the slot or on the edge to rush the passer. The Chargers defense is eighth against the pass, seventh in sack rate, sixth in interception rate and first in red zone touchdown efficiency.

“They’re playing really, really hard,” Mayfield said. “Obviously they’ve got some great players. I think Derwin James is playing some of the best ball of his career right now. They’re using it really well and obviously the guys up front – they’ve got some stars up there. I think that the secondary overall, they play very well, don’t leave much behind They’re obviously well coached, they fly to the ball, keep things in front of them, steal and play for each other.”

The Buccaneers, who score 27.9 points per game, fifth-best in the NFL, may need to establish the ground game if they want to exceed the Chargers’ scoring ceiling. Tampa Bay has rushed for over 150 yards in each of its last three wins and is averaging 5.14 yards per carry, while the Chargers’ defense ranks 22nd while allowing 4.58 yards per carry. Whatever the formula for success, the Bucs hope to find it in Los Angeles on Sunday and take another step toward a division title.

GAME AND BROADCAST DETAILS

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (8-5)

Sunday, December 15, 4:25 p.m. ET

SoFi Stadium (capacity: 71,599)

TV broadcast team: Adam Amin (play-by-play), Mark Sanchez (analysts), Kristina Pink (reporter)

Radio: 98Rock (WXTB, 97.9 FM), flagship station

Radio broadcast team: Gene Deckerhoff (play-by-play), Dave Moore (analyst), TJ Rives (reporter)

Spanish Radio: 96.1 Caliente

Spanish Radio Broadcast Team: Carlos Bohorquez (play-by-play), Martin Gramática (analyst), Santiago Gramática (reporter)

ALL-TIME BUSINESS SERIES

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers will meet for the 13th time on Sunday, and if the series stays true to its recent form, it should be a high-scoring contest… for at least one of the two teams. The average winning team score in the series is 30.2 points, with the Buccaneers winning the last three games by margins of 34-24, 28-21 and 38-31.

That three-game winning streak allowed the Buccaneers to close the series gap a bit after the Chargers (long based in San Diego before moving to Los Angeles in 2017) won eight of the first nine. It’s still an 8-4 series advantage for the Chargers, largely built on a six-game winning streak dating back to 1976, Tampa Bay’s inaugural season. Tampa Bay’s first victory in the competition came in 1996 and is one of the most notable victories in franchise history.

The Buccaneers had a new head coach in 1996, but Tony Dungy’s team got off to an 0-5 start and was still just 2-8 when traveling to San Diego that week. 12. The day before the game, the Buccaneers’ “Big Three” defensive leaders – Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch – were sitting in their hotel room watching an ESPN broadcast. calling “The Yuks”. They vowed to turn things around for the franchise that night, and the next day, they overcame an early 14-0 deficit to win 25-17, with Lynch making a key interception for the Bucs. 1996 won five of their final seven games, paving the way for the franchise’s long-awaited revival the following year.

The NFL’s expansion to 32 teams and corresponding realignment in 2002 led to a new schedule format relying on rotating division matchups. For the Buccaneers and Chargers, that means just one meeting every four years, alternating between the two teams’ stadiums. This trend actually changed in 2008 and 2012, when the league changed the location of some games to prevent teams from having too many coast-to-coast flights in the same season. Because of this, the Bucs hosted the Chargers in 2008 and 2012, losing the first 41-24 but winning the second 34-24. The Bucs won that 2012 game by 10 points despite losing in the yardage battle, 426-279, in part because Leonard Johnson returned an interception 83 yards for a touchdown.

The most recent meeting between the two teams took place in 2020 in Tampa, and it was an early-season duel between two teams adjusting to new quarterbacks. The Buccaneers had made the most dramatic move possible in free agency, signing longtime Patriot Tom Brady, while the Chargers used the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft on Oregon’s Justin Herbert. These two put on a show, combining for 659 passing yards and eight touchdown passes. Brady’s team won by throwing five of those scoring passes, but not before the home team had to recover from a 24-7 deficit in the second quarter.

Before that, the most recent game in the series in California was in 2016, the Chargers’ final season in San Diego. It was an exciting game that saw three lead changes, a pick-six from Lavonte David, a big day from tight end Cameron Brate (six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown) and a game-clinching interception from Keith Tandy on the goal line. with three minutes remaining. The Bucs held on for a 28-21 victory.

• Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin got his first NFL regular season action with the Chargers in 2019. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bills, McLaughlin signed with the Chargers in October and went on to play four matches. He made six of his nine field goal attempts and all seven PATs during that span.
• Before joining the Buccaneers in 2014, Director of Player Personnel Mike Biehl spent 13 seasons with the Chargers (in San Diego), eventually becoming assistant director of college scouting.
• Tampa Bay Tight Ends coach Justin Peelle was selected by the Chargers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played the first four of his 10 NFL seasons in San Diego, recording 40 catches for 270 yards and four touchdowns.
• Buccaneers cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross spent time with the Chargers as a player and coach. He played the 13th of his 14 playing seasons with San Diego in 1996, playing in 16 games with two starts, contributing 78 tackles and two interceptions. He returned to the team 11 years later and spent two seasons as a secondary and quality control assistant coach.