The Seattle Seahawks looks great and Sam Darnold might just be the truth. Baker and the Buccaneers are headed to the Pacific Northwest, undermanned and fresh off their first loss of the year. Can the Buccaneers bounce back in Seattle this week? Let’s get into it.
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Game Information
Matchup Information
- Location: Lumen Field; Seattle, Washington
- Date: Sunday, October 5th, 2025
- Kickoff: 4:05 PM EST
Quarterback Matchup
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield (10-7; 2024 – 264.7 YPG | 41 TD | 16 INT)
- Seattle Seahawks: Sam Darnold (14-3; 2024 – 254.1 YPG | 35 TD | 12 INT)
Betting Odds
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Analysis & Breakdown
Broken Buccaneers
Tampa Bay’s coming into this game off their first loss of the year, battered, bruised and beat up. The Buccaneers have a laundry list of injuries and it all begins with their star wide receiver, Mike Evans. Evans suffered a hamstring injury in Week 3 and remains on the shelf for at least two more games. The Buccaneers have now lost six straight games without Mike Evans on the field, with Baker under center for the last four. He’s a key piece of this offense and it’s why he’s never finished with fewer than 1,000 yards in a single season.
Outside of Mike, the Buccaneers look like they’ll be without their explosive young running back; Bucky Irving. Irving was spotted in a boot this week and will be undergoing an MRI this week for a lower leg injury. On the defensive side, both Jamel Dean and Haason Reddick remain questionable for Week 5 with Calijah Kancey on the IR. Good news is Chris Godwin made his return to the field last week, bad news is he only caught three of his 10 targets because only three were ‘catchable’.
Baker and Godwin have some timing issues to figure out but with their history, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t take long.
Sam Darnold is the Truth
Sam Darnold might just be him. This year’s he’s the top graded quarterback after four weeks, completing 70% of his passes for 905 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. The Seahawks have won three in a row, two of three being on the road. This week they come home to face a Buccaneers team missing a few of their top guys.
After winning 14-games with the Vikings last year, Darnold was allowed to walk and it looks like he’s found a home here in Seattle. His chemistry with the Hawks top pass catcher, Jaxson Smith-Njigba has been undeniable. Jaxson’s on pace to have his best year yet, recording 26 catches so far this year for 402 yards and touchdown. He’s seeing a 35.4% target share through four weeks and it’s no surprise after what we saw last year with Jettas and Darnold.
Last year Jettas caught 103 balls for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns. Jefferson saw 30% of Darnold’s targets last year and this year it’s the same thing, just with a new receiver.
Sunday’s Best Bets
Chris Godwin o53.5 Receiving Yards | BetOnline
The Buccneers have lost six straight games without Mike Evans, four being during the Baker era here in Tampa. The team struggles when their WR1 isn’t on the field and that’s exactly why they’ll need that much more from Chris Godwin this week. Godwin returned to the field for the first time since dislocating his ankle in Week 7 of last year.
Godwin immediately played 81% of the team’s offensive snaps and was peppered with 10 targets. Unfortunately, only three of his 10 targets were catchable balls and Godwin finished the game with three receptions for 26 yards and no scores. Both Godwin and Emeka Egbuka saw 10 targets last week, accounting for a combined 50% of Baker’s targets.
Godwin’s got four 1,000 yard seasons under his belt, multiple seasons with 80+ catches and was averaging 82.3 receiving yards per game last year, prior to his injury. He played just seven games in 2024, recorded 50 catches, 576 receiving yards and FIVE touchdowns. Godwin lead the Buccaneers in targets, yards, catches and was second in touchdowns. He was one of Baker’s favorite targets and it’s why he saw 10 targets in his first game back.
The Seahawks have held strong against opposing wide receivers but they’ve struggled against the slot. Seattle’s giving up 46% of receiver production to guys lined up in the slot, the 5th highest rate in the league. Godwin spent a significant portion of last week’s game out wide, but we know what he’s capable of doing from the slot and now with another week of practice; I’m looking for Godwin to explode.
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