The Buccaneers' offense has had several issues during its 0-2 start, but its inability to finish drives has been one of the biggest, and that problem is not getting any easier against Minnesota. Tampa Bay enters Week 3 tied for 26th in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage at just 37.5 percent. The Bucs have been able to move the football at times, but getting inside the 20 has not consistently resulted in seven points.
Now they will face one of the toughest red zone defenses in football. Minnesota has allowed a touchdown on only 14.3 percent of opposing red zone trips through two games, which ranks third in the NFL. The Vikings are also allowing only 12.5 points per game, the fourth fewest in the league. That creates a difficult matchup for
an offense that has already struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities. The Vikings' defense has been especially difficult because of the pressure Brian Flores creates. Minnesota has blitzed at an extremely high rate through the first two games and already has eight sacks. That pressure becomes even harder to handle when the field gets shorter, and quarterbacks have less room to attack downfield.
The Bucs cannot continue settling for field goals and expect to win close games consistently. They are coming off a four-point loss to Cleveland and have yet to put together a complete offensive performance through two weeks. Getting into the red zone is only half the battle. Against Minnesota, actually finishing those drives could be one of the biggest deciding factors in whether Tampa Bay finally gets its first win of the season.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs will face number 1 ranked redzone defense vs Vikings
