Buccaneers Report Card Versus The Rams

A report card for the Buccaneers week three loss against the Los Angeles Rams

The Buccaneers suffered a second crushing loss versus the Rams on Sunday, albeit a little bit closer than the one last week versus Arizona. Things looked rough when the Rams stripped Jameis Winston and returned it for a touchdown, and things looked even more rough when Tavon Austin caught a 43 yard touchdown on a late drive that the Bucs could not afford to give up.

The theme of these first three games has been “big plays”, as both the offense and defense have seen plenty of them. The offense seems to get yards in bunches, while the defense gives them up in bunches. The Rams’ offense was constantly backed up but were able to convert long distances thanks to penalties and busted coverages. They had three touchdowns of 40 plus yards.

To the Bucs credit they fought back from each mess up and cut the score to 37-32 with two minutes remaining. Jameis Winston was his usual relentless self and, despite two turnovers, played a great game. It’s an extremely difficult loss for the Bucs to take, who now sit at 1-2 heading into a home game versus the Super Bowl champion Broncos and their stout defense.

Despite the loss there were still plenty of positives for the Bucs to take out of the game; we’ll take a look at how each unit graded out and see who passed and who failed.