The Pewter Plank
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Buccaneers: Week four winners and losers

By Michael Horan

TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 1: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks for tight end O.J. Howard for a 58 yard touchdown pass during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants on October 1, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 1: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looks for tight end O.J. Howard for a 58 yard touchdown pass during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants on October 1, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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Losers

Nick Folk

I know, I know, he won the game. Nick Folk is one of the few kickers in history to make a game winning kick and still manage to wind up on the loser list. With the clock running out, the Bucs kicker made his final kick from 34 yards out to seal the win, but had he been more consistent earlier in the game the Buccaneers wouldn’t have found themselves trailing late in the game.

Folk sailed three different kicks on the day. The first was an extra point following O.J. Howard’s big touchdown in the first quarter, which should have put them up 14-0. The second miss came early in the second quarter, a 46 yarder that hooked right. On the first possession of the second half, Folk missed a 49 yarder wide right. Neither of his field goals were “easy”, but they’re still kicks you expect your professional kicker to make. The fact that the Buccaneers don’t have any consistency from range in their kicker is concerning and will come back to haunt them later in the season.

Pass rush

For what feels like forever the Buccaneers have been trying to establish a pass rush on defense and for whatever reason they just can’t manage to make it work. Schiano tried and failed, Lovie Smith tried and failed, and now Dirk Koetter and Mike Smith are trying and failing. We’ve seen the Bucs invest a second round pick in Noah Spence, and free agent contracts to Chris Baker and Robert Ayers, but against the Giants nobody was able to get home.

Playing behind arguable the weakest offensive line in football, Eli Manning was sacked zero times by the Buccaneer defense. Zero! The Bucs won, but their missing pass rush is extremely disturbing given how weak the competition was. Gerald McCoy was doing his usual thing in the middle, but as is usually the case he wasn’t able to do it alone. For the Buccaneers to beat Tom Brady on Thursday they absolutely need Noah Spence, Robert Ayers and Jacquies Smith to step up the pressure on the edges and get real pressure on the quarterback.

Next: Buccaneers extra points: 2017 Review

Who were your winners and losers, Buccaneer fans? Did Nick Folk’s kick to win the game make up for his earlier misses? Are you worried about the pass rush? Sound off in the comments below.

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