It's time for another round of "Performance Preview," in which Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix and I make our picks to click for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' next game. This is more than just a brief bit of game analysis, it's a competition. That's right: We're keeping score

The rules are simple: Bri and I each pick one Buccaneers player on Friday and explain why we think they are poised for a big game. We can't duplicate picks so order may matter; I picked first in Week Eight before the bye, so Bri gets the top choice as we return to action in Week 10. Since neither of us would be impartial enough to do the judging after the game, we've asked Team Reporter Casey Phillips to step in as the guest judge each week.

Bri and I both went with offensive picks in Week Eight, perhaps expecting something of a shootout at Ford Field given how well both quarterbacks have played this season. Unfortunately, the Bucs were held to single-digit points in a game for the first time since last September, so the final numbers didn't blow anyone away. That said, my selection was tight end Cade Otton, who had one of his more productive weeks of the 2025 season, while Bri went with Rachaad White, who was largely held in check.

And thus, this is how our very intelligent and knowledgeable (not to mention sophisticated and empathetic) Judge ruled this week:

"Ah Scott if only you had picked a slightly different outside linebacker. I would have also accepted Antoine Winfield or Jamel Dean on the defense. But Bri gets another W since she picked the one offensive player with a touchdown who was also the leading rusher. You know how Sean Tucker loves to play in New Orleans, and Bri was smart to see that coming!"

And, thus, our updated Performance Preview Scoreboard:

Brianna Dix: 5

Scott Smith: 2

Push: 1

Time is running out on me to get back in this race. Let's see if I can fire back in Week 10. But Bri, you're first.

Brianna Dix: WR Emeka Egbuka

With the Patriots coming into town with the league's top-ranked run defense, I am thinking this game has the makings of a pass heavy script for Tampa Bay. With that being said, Emeka Egbuka is primed for a breakout game. With injuries to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr. and Jalen McMillan, he has emerged as the No. 1 receiver on the team's depth chart and has begun commanding double teams (Eagles, Lions) for his contributions between the hash marks. After a prolific start in 2025, where he became the only player in NFL history with 25-plus receptions, 400-plus receiving yards and five-plus receiving touchdowns through his first five games, Egbuka's numbers dipped against the Lions and Saints as he drew additional attention and Offensive Coordinator Josh Grizzard stressed the team's need to scheme him open regardless of coverage down the stretch.

Egbuka has been an ignitor on offense and Baker Mayfield's go-to target through the first half of the season. He has the versatility to play all three receiver spots and I like the size matchup he presents inside against Patriots' nickel corner, Marcus Jones. Egbuka can win at all levels of the field, selling deep routes, which provides opportunities underneath when defensive backs take the bait and open their hips. He plays with a rare understanding of how to con the leverage of coverage for a rookie and runs routes with surgical precision. He is due for another breakout game and I am manifesting that it comes in Week 10. Utilizing his frame to box out defenders, Egbuka gets back on track in the Offensive Rookie of the Year hunt.

Scott Smith: S Tykee Smith

Darn it! I think this is the first time that our order of picking really has mattered, because I absolutely was planning on choosing Egbuka this week. If he is the game's star, I think I should get a half-point or something.

Anyway, with that option off the table, I'm going to the other side of the ball. Patriots fans have to be ecstatic with second-year quarterback Drake Maye and the state of their offense. Maye leads the NFL in passer rating and completion percentage and he's doing so while both pushing the ball downfield and picking up key yards on scrambles. It's a surprising well-rounded game for a quarterback so early in his career.

If there has been one struggle for that offense, it's in pass protection. I'm sure that Maye's mobility and desire to extend plays has been responsible for some of the hits he has taken but 34 sacks in nine games is a lot. Only Tennessee rookie Cam Ward has been sacked more often than Maye so far this season. So who is going to get those sacks? Well, I picked Yaya Diaby last week, Haason Reddick is out for this game and I'm not taking Anthony Nelson the week after he went bonkers. So I have to look to another position, and specifically I'm looking at safety Tykee Smith, who like Maye is having a breakout campaign in his second season.

Maye is still fairly inexperienced and this will be his first game against a Todd Bowles-directed defense. It seems like the kind of game in which Bowles will get creative and mix in a wide variety of blitzes and simulated pressures. I could see Smith and/or Antoine Winfield Jr. and/or Jacob Parrish and/or SirVocea Dennis being sent into the backfield, and I'm rolling the dice on Smith.

And it doesn't have to all come down to sacks. Smith could be heavily involved in keeping Maye from breaking off long scrambles, and while the Patriots' quarterback has not been particularly turnover-prone this year, the Bucs' defense is on a bit of a run in that department. A takeaway and a sack? That's what I'm looking for from Smith on Sunday to get me back in the win column.