Buccaneers: What Are the Most Important Improvements After the Bye?
Turnover Differential
The one thing that the Bucs need to improve on after the bye is the turnover differential. The Bucs are 2-3 and they have a -5 turnover ratio. I bet if they had a positive differential they easily could’ve beaten the Rams and the Cardinals and Broncos games would’ve been much closer.
Winston already has ten turnovers in five games after only having 16 total last year. Winston didn’t have a turnover for the first time this year on Monday night and guess what, they actually won. Jameis had a turnover free streak in the middle of last season. Let’s hope he does it again.
Now to the defense.
They have to actually get turnovers to win the turnover battle. It all starts up front and the pass rush has been subpar this season. Hopefully with the bye this week they could get healthy and start getting after the passer. Robert Ayers has only played in a game and a half and he has been desperately missed. Especially after the loss of Jacquies Smith the Bucs have been banking on two undrafted free agents to start on the line. McCoy and McDonald missed last week as well, and the Panthers gashed the Bucs with Cameron Artis-Payne and Fozzy Whittaker.
The Bucs aren’t going to be facing Derek Anderson every week, and dumb passes aren’t going to be easy to come by. The pass defense has been better the past two weeks but they have to keep it up if they want to keep winning. There are a few things the Bucs have to work on but getting turnovers and not giving them are crucial to this team’s success.