That was full blown pain. The loss, it’s whatever. If the Buccaneers were going to lose a game in this upcoming stretch, this was the one to lose. The real pain comes in the form of Mike Evans writhing in pain in the end zone after re-injuring his hamstring and watching all the wind come out of the Bucs’ sails - but to make it worse, they lose Chris Godwin to an ankle injury that will probably end his season.
Godwin was the league’s leading receiver and on pace for a career year and to see it end like that, in the final minute of a game that was already over, was brutal. Sick to your stomach, kicked in the gut, and spit on kind of brutal.
Hard to find any winners in this one, but here are the winners and losers from the Bucs’ week seven loss to the Ravens.
Rachaad White
The three headed monster at running back worked for a while, with the Bucs surpassing the Ravens’ average rush yards allowed in a game by the early second quarter. It was late in the game where White showed where he’s most valuable - in the passing game.
White finished with two touchdowns on six receptions for 71 yards while also finishing as the team’s leading rusher with 40 yards on 4.0 yards per carry. With the top two receivers for the Bucs out, Rachaad has to be a big part of the passing game moving forward.
Cade Otton
Speaking of guys that are going to have to step up, what a night for Cade Otton who finished as the team’s leading receiver with eight receptions for 100 yards. Otton was huge for the Bucs after Evans went down with his hamstring injury and is really starting to find a groove lately.
I know some fans are irritated by some of his drops, but eight receptions on ten targets was a good night - and the Ravens were out there trying to kill him. Some hard shots to the head and one at his knee, but Otton is a tough dude. He’s going to be sore tomorrow, but he’s going to be a big part of the gameplan against Atlanta next week.
Yaya Diaby
Another solid outing for Diaby, who finished with two sacks in this one. Not a banner night for the defense, but Diaby is starting to heat up now. He finished with five tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and was flying around the field.
Need to see him do it again against Kirk Cousins next week, but you’re starting to see him make more and more plays now that the front seven is getting healthy and back together.
Baker Mayfield
Things fell apart for Baker after Evans left the game. Another terrible second quarter and this time the Bucs couldn’t recover. Two interceptions in three pass attempts, both solely on Mayfield for making bad decisions and even worse passes.
For a player that I was just pumping up as a potential MVP candidate, five interceptions in the last two games is not what MVP’s do. Now he’s without his two biggest playmakers and I’m not sure how this offense is going to recover.
Bucs Fans
You may have seen the last reception Chris Godwin makes in a Buccaneers uniform. We knew it was a possibility going into the year that this was Godwin’s last with the team, but that reality is starting to sink in. You were witnessing one of the best receiver seasons in team history in progress. You were witnessing an offense that could have wound up being the best in team history. Now, you’re stuck watching a Bucs team play the Falcons without Evans or Godwin on the field - and you’re stuck without Godwin for the rest of the year.
I bet the fans that left early were glad they did so they didn’t have to witness Godwin be carted off. It was painful enough to watch on tv.
Todd Bowles
A lot of people unfairly criticize Bowles for things. This time, in my opinion, it’s warranted. The starters on this team had no business being on the field with less than a minute left in a 10-point game. None. I know Bowles talked about how they’re competitors and they wanted to win and all that - it was over, dude. Everyone knew it was over, but you left those players out there.
It was far more likely one of those players got hurt than the offense score twice in 47 seconds. And you can sit there and say that they wanted to be in, they wanted to finish and all that - it doesn’t matter. It’s your job as the head coach to veto them and say, “Look - I respect that you want to be out there, but this game is over. We already lost Mike, we can’t lose you too. We have Atlanta in six days and that’s way more important.”
You sit Baker, you sit Chris, you sit Wirfs. You throw in the towel. I don’t care how competitive they are, it’s your job to do what’s best for the team. Now, the Bucs lose their leading receiver for the rest of the season on top of losing their greatest offensive player of all time for who knows how many weeks. How do you expect to beat Atlanta without them? How do you expect to make the playoffs without Chris? That was a dumb, inexcusable decision and I’m not sure the Bucs can recover from it.
That was full blown pain. The loss, it’s whatever. If the Buccaneers were going to lose a game in this upcoming stretch, this was the one to lose. The real pain comes in the form of Mike Evans writhing in pain in the end zone after re-injuring his hamstring and watching all the wind come out of the Bucs’ sails - but to make it worse, they lose Chris Godwin to an ankle injury that will probably end his season.
Godwin was the league’s leading receiver and on pace for a career year and to see it end like that, in the final minute of a game that was already over, was brutal. Sick to your stomach, kicked in the gut, and spit on kind of brutal.
Hard to find any winners in this one, but here are the winners and losers from the Bucs’ week seven loss to the Ravens.
Rachaad White
The three headed monster at running back worked for a while, with the Bucs surpassing the Ravens’ average rush yards allowed in a game by the early second quarter. It was late in the game where White showed where he’s most valuable - in the passing game.
White finished with two touchdowns on six receptions for 71 yards while also finishing as the team’s leading rusher with 40 yards on 4.0 yards per carry. With the top two receivers for the Bucs out, Rachaad has to be a big part of the passing game moving forward.
Cade Otton
Speaking of guys that are going to have to step up, what a night for Cade Otton who finished as the team’s leading receiver with eight receptions for 100 yards. Otton was huge for the Bucs after Evans went down with his hamstring injury and is really starting to find a groove lately.
I know some fans are irritated by some of his drops, but eight receptions on ten targets was a good night - and the Ravens were out there trying to kill him. Some hard shots to the head and one at his knee, but Otton is a tough dude. He’s going to be sore tomorrow, but he’s going to be a big part of the gameplan against Atlanta next week.
Yaya Diaby
Another solid outing for Diaby, who finished with two sacks in this one. Not a banner night for the defense, but Diaby is starting to heat up now. He finished with five tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and was flying around the field.
Need to see him do it again against Kirk Cousins next week, but you’re starting to see him make more and more plays now that the front seven is getting healthy and back together.
Baker Mayfield
Things fell apart for Baker after Evans left the game. Another terrible second quarter and this time the Bucs couldn’t recover. Two interceptions in three pass attempts, both solely on Mayfield for making bad decisions and even worse passes.
For a player that I was just pumping up as a potential MVP candidate, five interceptions in the last two games is not what MVP’s do. Now he’s without his two biggest playmakers and I’m not sure how this offense is going to recover.
Bucs Fans
You may have seen the last reception Chris Godwin makes in a Buccaneers uniform. We knew it was a possibility going into the year that this was Godwin’s last with the team, but that reality is starting to sink in. You were witnessing one of the best receiver seasons in team history in progress. You were witnessing an offense that could have wound up being the best in team history. Now, you’re stuck watching a Bucs team play the Falcons without Evans or Godwin on the field - and you’re stuck without Godwin for the rest of the year.
I bet the fans that left early were glad they did so they didn’t have to witness Godwin be carted off. It was painful enough to watch on tv.
Todd Bowles
A lot of people unfairly criticize Bowles for things. This time, in my opinion, it’s warranted. The starters on this team had no business being on the field with less than a minute left in a 10-point game. None. I know Bowles talked about how they’re competitors and they wanted to win and all that - it was over, dude. Everyone knew it was over, but you left those players out there.
It was far more likely one of those players got hurt than the offense score twice in 47 seconds. And you can sit there and say that they wanted to be in, they wanted to finish and all that - it doesn’t matter. It’s your job as the head coach to veto them and say, “Look - I respect that you want to be out there, but this game is over. We already lost Mike, we can’t lose you too. We have Atlanta in six days and that’s way more important.”
You sit Baker, you sit Chris, you sit Wirfs. You throw in the towel. I don’t care how competitive they are, it’s your job to do what’s best for the team. Now, the Bucs lose their leading receiver for the rest of the season on top of losing their greatest offensive player of all time for who knows how many weeks. How do you expect to beat Atlanta without them? How do you expect to make the playoffs without Chris? That was a dumb, inexcusable decision and I’m not sure the Bucs can recover from it.
.png)
.png)
.png)
