PLAYER NOTES
–RB Peyton Barber has an ankle injury he suffered in Sunday’s win over the Browns and did not practice Wednesday. Barber is the Bucs’ leading rusher.
–DT Gerald McCoy has a calf injury and did not practice Wednesday. He did not play in Sunday’s game against the Browns.
–DE Vinny Curry has an ankle sprain and did not practice on Wednesday. He is expected to miss his second straight game at Cincinnati.
–RT Demar Dotson has knee/shoulder injuries and did not practice Wednesday. But he has not missed a start this season and is expected to play at Cincinnati.
–LB Kevin Minter, the former Cardinals and Bengals linebacker, will back up Devonte Bond at the strong-side linebacker spot.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Bucs CB Carlton Davis is coming off perhaps the best game of his rookie season against the Browns. Davis has been plagued by injuries that forced him to miss two games. But he’s been effective in zone or man-to-man coverage. His length showed up during the Bucs win over the Browns with a key pass breakup. The Bucs secondary is young, but the former Auburn star is growing fast.
GAME PLAN: The Bucs managed to do a better job of eliminating explosive plays in their overtime win over Cleveland. They are pretty beat up on defense. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy may not play. Middle linebacker Kwon Alexander is lost for the season with torn ACL. The secondary is young. That’s not a good recipe against the Bengals and quarterback Andy Dalton, who gets rid of the ball as quick as anybody this side of Tom Brady. Defensive coordinator Mark Duffner has simplified a few things for the Bucs, but you’ve got to believe that will include some Cover-2 to keep the Bengals in front of them.
Offensively, the Bucs would like to run the football and rookie Ronald Jones II may get that chance. Starting running back Peyton Barber has an ankle injury and could be a game-time decision. Quarterback Jameis Winston has been up and down since returning from the suspension. He has to do a better job of protecting the football against an opportunistic Bengals defense. Look for the Bucs to pass first and try to open up the run game.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Bengals WR A.J. Green vs. Bucs CB Brent Grimes. Green is off to a fast start with 40 catches for 611 yards and five touchdowns. Grimes has played better of late but has not looked like the 2017 version yet.
–Bengals DT Geno Atkins vs. Bucs C Ryan Jensen. Atkins is one of the premier pass-rush defensive tackles in the NFL and can wreck the game. The Bucs have liked having a big body in front of Jameis Winston like Jensen.
