Another crushing loss to the Atlanta Falcons and the Buccaneers are now in need of a lot of help to stay in the NFC South race - something that looks unattainable with the Chiefs and 49ers in the next two weeks. Atlanta, on the other hand, is well on their way to a 6-0 division record and are firmly in control of their own destiny.
We knew things were going to be a little rough without Godwin and Evans, but the offense started out strong thanks to Rachaad White and Bucky Irving. Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep up with Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta offense.
Here are your winners and losers from the Bucs’ 31-26 loss on Sunday.
Cade Otton
He continues to be a strong asset to the Bucs’ offense, finishing as the leading receiver for the second straight week. Otton had nine receptions on ten targets for 81 yards and two touchdowns. The Falcons couldn’t find a way to stop him - which makes you wonder why Baker didn’t target him more in the second half.
Rachaad White and Bucky Irving
This duo was extremely effective for the Bucs until they went away from the rushing attack. The two combined for 63 rushing yards and 78 receiving yards - a total of 141 of the Bucs’ 432 yards - as well as a touchdown.
Both were on the cusp of 5 yards per carry as well as averaging 6.5 yards a reception. The Bucs have to continue to lean on these two and not abandon the run game so quickly. Even when they’re down, Coen has to make sure these two are getting the ball in their hands.
C.J. Brewer
Two big sacks and some fantastic run stops from Brewer on Sunday, who was filling in for the injured Greg Gaines. With that kind of playmaking ability, the Bucs are going to have to start working him into the lineup more often. The defense is reeling and desperate for playmakers - so Brewer might be the jolt of energy they’re looking for.
Baker Mayfield
This loss isn’t solely on Mayfield and his 330 yards and three touchdowns are great - but for the third straight game, Mayfield turned the ball over multiple times. Both interceptions against Atlanta were bad decisions and easily avoidable. Ryan Miller is not the receiver to target in a jump ball situation against Jessie Bates, then underthrowing Jalen McMillan led to an interception by A.J. Terrell. Both these interceptions killed promising drives with the game still well within reach,
Speaking of McMillan, Baker also missed a wide open Jalen on what would have been a 67-yard touchdown. McMillan got behind the defense and there was no one close - yet the pass went behind McMillan and fell incomplete. When you’re without your two biggest threats, those are the plays that you have to make.
The Officials
Look, refs were not the reason the Bucs lost this game - but that was rough. There were multiple holding calls that were missed on Atlanta that would have likely ended up as sacks - or at the very least, rushed passes that would have been off target.
That said, the most egregious example was Antoine Winfield Jr. making yet another goal line play that forced a fumble of Kyle Pitts as he crossed into the end zone. After review, the call on the field of touchdown stood because - for some inexplicable reason, there was no goal line camera angle. However, watching the replay you can clearly see the ball behind Pitts’ leg with his leg behind the goal line - meaning it should have been ruled a fumble and the ball awarded to the Bucs as a touchback. Instead, the Falcons tied the game at 14-14. The McMillan miss was on the Bucs’ ensuing possession. That’s a 14-point swing in what ended up a five point game.
Todd Bowles
Bowles was brought to Tampa for his defensive prowess. This season, the Bucs’ defense has been one of the worst in the league across the board. Passing defense, rushing defense, points allowed, third down - the Bucs are bad at all of it.
Injuries play a factor, sure - but was Jamel Dean really playing well before he went down? This might be the worst we’ve seen the defense play since the Mike Smith era and there’s no end in sight. There’s too much talent for them to be this bad. The shortcomings of K.J. Britt as the inside linebacker are glaring, the pass rush was non-existent (again) and it seems like nothing ever changes.
For a defense that blitzed Lamar Jackson like crazy, Bowles looked like he went out of his way to not blitz Cousins. Maybe the thought process was to have more people in coverage in order to compensate for the struggles in coverage - but there were no adjustments when that wasn’t working. Instead, Cousins had all day to sit back there and pick apart the defense like he did the first time. How on earth is this defense going to stop Patrick Mahomes when they can’t rush the quarterback and they can’t cover?
Another crushing loss to the Atlanta Falcons and the Buccaneers are now in need of a lot of help to stay in the NFC South race - something that looks unattainable with the Chiefs and 49ers in the next two weeks. Atlanta, on the other hand, is well on their way to a 6-0 division record and are firmly in control of their own destiny.
We knew things were going to be a little rough without Godwin and Evans, but the offense started out strong thanks to Rachaad White and Bucky Irving. Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep up with Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta offense.
Here are your winners and losers from the Bucs’ 31-26 loss on Sunday.
Cade Otton
He continues to be a strong asset to the Bucs’ offense, finishing as the leading receiver for the second straight week. Otton had nine receptions on ten targets for 81 yards and two touchdowns. The Falcons couldn’t find a way to stop him - which makes you wonder why Baker didn’t target him more in the second half.
Rachaad White and Bucky Irving
This duo was extremely effective for the Bucs until they went away from the rushing attack. The two combined for 63 rushing yards and 78 receiving yards - a total of 141 of the Bucs’ 432 yards - as well as a touchdown.
Both were on the cusp of 5 yards per carry as well as averaging 6.5 yards a reception. The Bucs have to continue to lean on these two and not abandon the run game so quickly. Even when they’re down, Coen has to make sure these two are getting the ball in their hands.
C.J. Brewer
Two big sacks and some fantastic run stops from Brewer on Sunday, who was filling in for the injured Greg Gaines. With that kind of playmaking ability, the Bucs are going to have to start working him into the lineup more often. The defense is reeling and desperate for playmakers - so Brewer might be the jolt of energy they’re looking for.
Baker Mayfield
This loss isn’t solely on Mayfield and his 330 yards and three touchdowns are great - but for the third straight game, Mayfield turned the ball over multiple times. Both interceptions against Atlanta were bad decisions and easily avoidable. Ryan Miller is not the receiver to target in a jump ball situation against Jessie Bates, then underthrowing Jalen McMillan led to an interception by A.J. Terrell. Both these interceptions killed promising drives with the game still well within reach,
Speaking of McMillan, Baker also missed a wide open Jalen on what would have been a 67-yard touchdown. McMillan got behind the defense and there was no one close - yet the pass went behind McMillan and fell incomplete. When you’re without your two biggest threats, those are the plays that you have to make.
The Officials
Look, refs were not the reason the Bucs lost this game - but that was rough. There were multiple holding calls that were missed on Atlanta that would have likely ended up as sacks - or at the very least, rushed passes that would have been off target.
That said, the most egregious example was Antoine Winfield Jr. making yet another goal line play that forced a fumble of Kyle Pitts as he crossed into the end zone. After review, the call on the field of touchdown stood because - for some inexplicable reason, there was no goal line camera angle. However, watching the replay you can clearly see the ball behind Pitts’ leg with his leg behind the goal line - meaning it should have been ruled a fumble and the ball awarded to the Bucs as a touchback. Instead, the Falcons tied the game at 14-14. The McMillan miss was on the Bucs’ ensuing possession. That’s a 14-point swing in what ended up a five point game.
Todd Bowles
Bowles was brought to Tampa for his defensive prowess. This season, the Bucs’ defense has been one of the worst in the league across the board. Passing defense, rushing defense, points allowed, third down - the Bucs are bad at all of it.
Injuries play a factor, sure - but was Jamel Dean really playing well before he went down? This might be the worst we’ve seen the defense play since the Mike Smith era and there’s no end in sight. There’s too much talent for them to be this bad. The shortcomings of K.J. Britt as the inside linebacker are glaring, the pass rush was non-existent (again) and it seems like nothing ever changes.
For a defense that blitzed Lamar Jackson like crazy, Bowles looked like he went out of his way to not blitz Cousins. Maybe the thought process was to have more people in coverage in order to compensate for the struggles in coverage - but there were no adjustments when that wasn’t working. Instead, Cousins had all day to sit back there and pick apart the defense like he did the first time. How on earth is this defense going to stop Patrick Mahomes when they can’t rush the quarterback and they can’t cover?
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