Buccaneers game grades: 2017 Week 2 win over Chicago Bears
SPECIAL TEAMS
This should be the last time I write the name Roberto Aguayo in anything related to the Buccaneers, but before we move forward we have to acknowledge the past.
There was a time for this franchise when kicking even an extra point was a high-stress situation.
This isn’t all because of Aguayo of course, but ever since Matt Bryant left for Atlanta, the Bucs simply have not had any consistent kicking.
Nick Folk was brought in this off-season to push Aguayo, or take over for him. He took the second option.
His time as a Buc started with a made 42-yard field goal which gave his team a 3-0 lead.
He followed this up with two made extra points following scores by Mike Evans and Jacquizz Rodgers.
This of course, all led to what Tampa fans surely thought was a weird feeling. On the team’s third touchdown of the game following McClain’s interception, Folk missed an extra point kick.
Fans were disappointed, and dare I say, surprised.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a good thing to be surprised by a missed kick. Enjoy it.
Folk would make two more field goals before the game was done, including a booming 50-yarder late in the second quarter.
Of course, if you’re talking about the Bucs’ punting game, there has been significantly less stress involved there.
Bryan Anger is arguably the NFL’s best punter, and the punt coverage group had some critical success this week.
In the first quarter, Anger punted to electric rookie Tarik Cohen along the sideline. Cohen let the ball bounce a bit, and when no Tampa players touched the ball dead, he decided to try and surprise them all by fielding the kick.
Instead, he surprised his team and coaches by failing to field it after touching it. This led to a recovery by Buccaneers linebacker Cameron Lynch, and one play later it resulted in the 13-yard scoring toss from Winston to Evans.
Nothing much could be said about the return game, although Reedy did have a solid 17-yard punt return.
Made kicks helped the team build its lead, and the fumble recovery on Cohen’s mistake really ramped up the Bucs’ momentum at a crucial time in the game.
GRADE: B+
Next: Winners and Losers from Bucs Win Against Bears
These were this week’s grades as I saw them. My scale isn’t the same as your scale though, so tell me how you think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers position groups or individual players did against the Chicago Bears.
Find me on Facebook, Twitter, or at walkingtheplankpodcast@gmail.com to give your part of the conversation.
Next week, the Buccaneers are on the road to face the Minnesota Vikings, come back to The Pewter Plank all week leading up to the first road game of the season.
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