For the seventh time in nine games this year, the Bucks’ offense I couldn’t score 21 points. on sunday. They are tied for 20th in the league with just 178 points on Sunday Night Football. Points are hard to come by for Tampa Bay this year. But all is not lost on the offensive side of the ball.
Last week, the Bucks suffered a narrow loss to Houston, but their defense collapsed in the final seconds of the game, allowing them to score 37 points. And while it didn’t show up on the scoreboard, there were a lot of positives in Week 10’s win over the Titans. And the Bucks definitely should have scored more points.
Execution, or the lack thereof, is to some degree part of every crime. However, the Bucs’ lack of performance in Week 10 directly contributed to him scoring 10 points early on and helping Tampa Bay close out the game much earlier than they ultimately did.
Bucks opening drive
After the Titans opened the game with a 12-play, 55-yard field goal drive that consumed just under 6 1/2 minutes of game time, the Bucks sparked their own offense with a decent drive. Baker Mayfield completed passes of 17 and 20 yards to Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, respectively, mixed in with a pair of ineffective Rashard White runs, and the Bucs went up 2-8 at the Tennessee 35.
At that point, the Bucs were sure kicker Chase McLaughlin was within range of a potential field goal against the Titans. However, right guard Cody Mauch and center Robert Hainsey were quickly lost on the first block of a play-action pass, forcing Mayfield to be sacked and for a seven-yard loss. Mauch was able to recover and push Jeffery Simmons in front of Mayfield, but Hainzu was unable to do the same to Teair Tartt, leaving Mayfield with nowhere to go to get around both pass rushers. There was no.
And please understand that I’m not absolving Mauch’s first loss. Although he was able to keep defenders from making plays, it definitely contributed to the condensed pocket that Mayfield had to work with, which led to sacks. As a result, the Bucs faced a third-and-15 with no field goal range.
Mayfield took a shot on the next play trying to find Deven Tompkins in the end zone. The decision was a bad one, as he threw into triple coverage, and after double-clutching, he tried to force the ball into the field from a flat-footed position, resulting in the throw being an underthrow.
As expected, the result was an interception. However, Mayfield was able to get Cade Otton open underneath for an easy score and get the Bucs back in field goal range. The offensive line’s failure on second down and subsequent odd decisions by Mayfield directly led to a potential 3-pointer.
The moment at the end of the first half
Fast forward to the Bucs’ final drive of the first half. Leading 7-3 and driving, Tampa Bay had the ball at the Tennessee 41-yard line. Facing 3-5, Mayfield was able to find Mike Evans over the middle late in the lead progression, and a very well-thrown ball hit Evans’ breadbasket. But Evans dropped the ball.
This drop is his fourth of the season (by Pro Football Focus – although I would argue he still had a few drinks), and the first of the day – although not the last. If he had caught it, the Bucks would have had a first-and-10 with 42 seconds to play in the Titans’ 31, with all timeouts available.
In this situation, it would be reasonable to expect at least three points from the offensive line. However, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles opted to punt instead, effectively ending the first half.
The second half begins with promise and heartbreak.
The Bucs got the ball to start the second half of the game and had some fireworks on their drive. Baker Mayfield hit a tight window throw to Cade Otton on third-and-3 for six yards and another set of downs. Rathard White followed the play in the backfield and turned what was supposed to be a negative play into an 11-yard run. That would be his longest run of the day. Two plays later, Mayfield made a deep pass to Trey Palmer, who nearly took the ball to the Titans’ 16-yard line with an acrobatic play. Palmer’s catch was helped to the ground just a little, but would be overturned after a challenge by the Titans.
But that’s okay. Mayfield found Mike Evans on the next play and took a 43-yard shot to the Tennessee 8-yard line. It was nice to see Mayfield and Evans connect on deep shots. It’s a play that these two players haven’t really had the same idea about this season.
But here’s the problem. Evans easily defeated Roger McCreary and there was no one to challenge him on his way to the end zone. Although they were able to complete the pass, Mayfield underthrew Evans by a significant amount, and Evans slowed him down to pull the ball, adjusted, and ultimately had to slide to the ground. It didn’t. If Mayfield’s pass goes further into the frame, Evans walks into the end zone and easily scores six points (seven with the extra point).
Two plays later, Evans would return the favor to Mayfield. On second and goal Evans was able to find a soft spot in the end zone and Mayfield was able to target him with a good throw. However, Evans dropped another pass and the Bucs lost a touchdown. Tampa Bay could not find the end zone on the next play and ended up kicking a field goal on fourth down. This is a chance to miss 4 points.
Patience is hard in divisional races – but that’s to be expected
The Bucs introduced an all-new offense this year with an all-new signal caller. The run game is all new. The offensive line only has one player in the same position as last year. It would have been a fool’s errand to expect a team to set the world on fire to start the season in an NFL environment where scoring is down across the board.
However, this attack shows signs of life. The Bucs’ passing game was top 10 in the NFL in EPA/play entering Week 10, and I believe it will still be in the top 10 at the end of Monday’s play. Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans’ connection is highlighted three times above in terms of leaving points on the board (or should I say understatement), but they still connected six times for 143 yards and a score. obtained.
Mayfield and Trey Palmer are getting close to finding the rhythm with the deep shots needed to really get the offense going. Offensive coordinator Dave Canales is still finding his footing when it comes to ordering plays, but there have been some positive moves in each of the past two games. And most importantly, there was one play after another that left the receiver wide open.
The run game is one of the worst in the NFL, and as long as Mayfield’s run game continues, there will always be a ceiling for the offense. sealing Beyond the expanded sample size, that’s the size of the top 12 quarterbacks. but, NFC southbound This is more than enough to put Tampa Bay in position to win the division when things settle down at the end of the season.
Updated NFC South quarterback stats:
Baker Mayfield: 2,143 yards, 14 TD/5 INT, 93.7 rating
Carr/Winston/Hill: 2,526 yards, 13 TD/7 INT, 87.4 rating
Ridder/Heinicke: 2,238 yards, 9 TDs, 7 INTs, 84.1 rating
Young/Dalton: 1,921 yards, 10 TDs, 7 INTs, 78.1 rating— Greg Auman (@gregauman) November 13, 2023
It will require patience from both teams and fans. But this offense looks better in Week 10 than it did in Weeks 1 or 7. And I’m sure we’ll be better in Week 15 than we are now.
The bones are there. The Bucks were just a short walk away from scoring 30 points against the Titans. If they can clean up some of those, this could be a top-six offense in the NFC going forward.