The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-0 to close out the preseason.
It was a disappointing night for the offense, as they couldn’t score a single point and failed to move the ball all night. Tampa Bay reached midfield once and didn’t run a single play in Jaguars territory.
Still, there are plenty of takeaways after the poor showing, and several players made a strong last impression ahead of roster cuts on Sunday.
11 gut reactions to Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 19-0 preseason loss to Jacksonville Jaguars
1. Ayden Garnes continued his dominant preseason. On the opening drive, he sniffed out a screen to make a tackle for no gain followed by a pass broken up. Garnes is a lock to make the roster as a backup cornerback
2. Anthony Nelson came through with a sack on the first defensive drive of the game just a week after recording 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The OLB5 job is his, and Nelson will have a spot on the 53-man roster.
3. Elijah Roberts had two total tackles and a QB hit to close out a strong preseason. He flies under the radar as a rotational lineman, but Roberts is a disruptive force who will be an important contributor for the defensive line.
4. David Walker still hasn’t gotten home for his first sack, but he’s lived in the backfield throughout the preseason. Walker has flashed an impressive bag of pass-rush moves and has generated countless pressures. He’s got a relentless, high motor, and should make a big impact this season.
5. The Buccaneers’ defensive line generated pressure all night long. They got home for four sacks and made Jacksonville’s quarterbacks uncomfortable throughout the contest. It’s an encouraging sign after Tampa Bay’s pass rush was such a weakness last season.
6. After two outstanding preseason games, Jalon Daniels came back down to earth tonight. It wasn’t a terrible outing, but it failed to live up to the standard he has set throughout the preseason. He finished 8-of-15 for 57 yards, and took three sacks. Daniels was let down by his receivers and offensive line on multiple occasions, but he was responsible for a fumbled snap that led to his first turnover, and the Bucs were held scoreless through seven drives with him in the game. Daniels had a chance to run away with the QB2 job, but he didn’t quite do that.
7. Jake Browning and Connor Bazelak didn’t fare much better. Browning finished 2-for-4 for two yards, along with two sacks taken while Bazelak finished 2-for-2 with five yards.
8. The Buccaneers’ backup offensive line continues to be a major weakness. They allowed four sacks tonight after allowing three last week. They’ll need to keep the starters healthy, because if they’re forced to count on reserves as they often did last year, the offense might be in trouble.
9. The Buccaneers’ rushing attack was ineffective, though part of that was due to the previously mentioned offensive line woes. Josh Williams rushed for 21 yards on eight carries (2.6 yards per carry), while Sean Tucker rushed for 15 yards on five carries (3 yards per carry). The two are battling for the RB3 job, and neither did much to separate themselves.
10. Zac Robinson’s offensive play-calling felt vanilla and anemic throughout the night. There were several unsuccessful runs on second-and-long that set the offense up in obvious third-down passing situations. Teams tend to hold their cards close to their chest during preseason, but the conservative tendencies are still a bit concerning.
11. The Buccaneers special teams got outclassed by the Jaguars. They allowed a 63-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter to allow Jacksonville to put the dagger in. The Bucs need to clean up their return coverage quickly after they struggled so badly in that area last season.
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