Buccaneers at Chargers: Highlights, score and recap

In a battle of two teams heading in the right direction, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will head west to take on the San Diego Chargers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reeled off two improbable victories the past two weeks and will head to San Diego full of confidence. A week after doing something that is nearly impossible, beating the Kansas City Chiefs at home, the Bucs held the Seattle Seahawks to five points at home. They will need another great defensive effort on Sunday, as they take on Philip Rivers and  the Chargers.

Despite their record, the Chargers are actually a very good football team. They gave away a handful of victories earlier in the season, and had it not been for that, they could be right up at the top of the AFC West. They have already beaten some great teams this season, and at 5-6, they are still technically in the AFC playoff race.

The game will feature one of the better young quarterbacks in Philip Rivers and one of the great veterans in Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston. The latter is one of the more confident players we have seen in recent years. He is the kind of player that people rally around, and on Sunday, he will get to take another step towards making the Bucs a contender again.

This game has the potential to be a high-scoring affair, as both teams can score in bunches. The Bucs will face a much softer defense than the one they faced last week, but they will also be facing a stronger offense. San Diego should be able to win the game at home, but this one is certain to go down to the wire.

Three Stars Prediction

1. Philip Rivers

Despite his age, and the fact that a bunch of his weapons are currently hurt, Philip Rivers continues to put up numbers. He has done a nice job working with guys like Tyrell Williams and Hunter Henry this season, while Antonio Gates has looked like he took a dip in the fountain of youth some weeks. He is going to get his yards on Sunday, the only question is which weapon he will feature the most.

2. Mike Evans

This guy may be one of the top-5 receivers in the game, and he is still so very young. He and Winston are one of the better young quarterback-wide receiver tandems in the league, and he continues to get better every week. He scored twice against an elite defense last week, and he just may do the same this week against a soft San Diego secondary.

3. Melvin Gordon

It has been a roller coaster season for Gordon, who is getting close to the 1,000-yard mark this season. He struggled mightily as a rookie but has been leaned on as a workhorse in his second season with the Bolts. The Buccaneers posed a tough challenge on Sunday, but if he can get it going with the run game, the Chargers should be able to come away with the victory.

Next: NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best QB of All-Time

Odds

The odds makers like San Diego in this one, as they will come into Sunday’s game as a 3.5 point favorite. The over/under is set at 47.5, so expect there to be some touchdowns put on the board inside Qualcomm Stadium this weekend.

Next Week

The Chargers will hit the road in Week 14, as they take on a Carolina Panthers team that will play on Sunday night. The Bucs will return home to take on the New Orleans Saints in a huge NFC South matchup.