TAMPA, Fla. — Quarterback Mike Glennon brings life and excitement to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense. But can he bring wins?

Glennon will make his third start of the season Sunday when the Bucs face the Baltimore Ravens at Raymond James Stadium. He passed for 302 yards and two touchdowns in the 27-24 upset of the Steelers in Pittsburgh two weeks ago, including a game-winning scoring pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson with seven seconds left.

Last Sunday, Glennon threw two touchdown passes and the Buccaneers built an 11-point lead against the Saints, only to see New Orleans win in overtime.

Mentally, Glennon is advanced for a second-year player at that position. He also shows some poise beyond his years.

“I noticed it even when he got pushed into it last year,” Jackson said. “He was prepared. He had that look in his eye like, ‘Hey, I studied hard, I worked hard on the mechanics of playing quarterback.’ Obviously, in this league, that means learning our playbook and our system.”

Glennon hasn’t received the permanent title of starting quarterback as Josh McCown recovers from a torn thumb ligament, but he is getting closer to earning the nod.

Glennon is 57-for-98 (58.2 percent) for 672 yards with five touchdown passes and two interceptions this season. Before the injury, McCown was 43-for-68 (63.2 percent) for 420 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions.

“This is what I’ll say about Mike: Mike has played two great games,” coach Lovie Smith said. “Odds are Mike will start for us this week. He’s had two opportunities to play, and he’s played well.

“This year, with another year under his belt, the coaching staff has done a great job with him and he’s put in the time and effort. If you work hard at your craft, you should be able to step out there on that field and feel confident. That’s what you see in Mike. He’s sees what the defense is, he’s a lot more confident with his reads, he’s trusting players around him and he’s playing aggressive. It’s fun to play with him.”

Glennon still needs a lot of improvement, but every snap is a chance for him to dispel myths, to win over his teammates, his coach and the position for the future.

“For me, I’ve seen Mike play two games and he’s made all of the throws in both of the games,” Smith said. “Deep, short, comebacks, the passing tree. … He’s had to scramble out of the pocket. A knock against Mike is that he’s not supposed to be mobile. But the touch pass in the (Saints) game, of course, not many people can throw that. So there’s not a whole lot of negative comments I can give you on Mike’s play right now. He’s done a super job with just about everything we’ve asked him to do.”

That said, the Bucs (1-4) are off to a slow start in Smith’s first season. McCown made some poor decisions with the football that contributed to losses to the Carolina Panthers and St. Louis Rams, and the defense has been surprisingly inept.

The Saints’ last five possessions Sunday went touchdown, touchdown, field goal, interception and game-winning touchdown.

“Well, disappointed, that’s what’s going on with it,” Smith said Monday of the Bucs’ defense. “We had some players out and missed some of those guys. But we have an 11-point lead and we lose it. On the road, at home, it really doesn’t matter. You have an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter and you lose it, it’s not a good thing, period. I think to a man we all realize that and we’ll keep working to get it corrected.”

In two division games on the road, the Bucs allowed 56 and 37 points. The result is a defense that ranks 30th in the NFL in total yards per game (412.4). Only Jacksonville has surrendered more points than the 31.2 average per game permitted by Tampa Bay.

The Bucs should get some players back on defense that will help them. Middle linebacker Mason Foster, who has not played since dislocating his left shoulder in Week 2 vs. the Rams, is practicing and should play Sunday against the Ravens.

With Dane Fletcher filling in for Foster, the Bucs had too many breakdowns on defense. Last week, Smith moved Danny Lansanah to middle linebacker in nickel passing downs and left him on the field with outside linebacker Lavonte David, who called all the defensive signals.

The Ravens will offer another tough challenge: a vertical passing game with quarterback Joe Flacco, wide receivers Steve Smith and Torrey Smith and a commitment to running the football.

NOTES: Among those missing practice Wednesday were WR Vincent Jackson (rib), CB Johnthan Banks (neck), S Dashon Goldson (ankle) and QB Jake McCown (thumb). … WR Mike Evans (groin) was limited in practice.