The Pewter Plank
FanSided

Buccaneers: Winners and Losers from Bucs 2017 Week 9 loss to Saints

By Michael Horan

NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach Dirk Koetter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts during the first half of a game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 5, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach Dirk Koetter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts during the first half of a game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 5, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
ORCHARD PARK, NY – OCTOBER 22: Josh Robinson #26 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrate after David recovered a fumble during the fourth quarter of an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills on October 22, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NY – OCTOBER 22: Josh Robinson #26 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrate after David recovered a fumble during the fourth quarter of an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills on October 22, 2017 at New Era Field in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

Winners

Lavonte David

The Buccaneers probably shouldn’t bother handing out team MVP’s after the season, but if they do, Lavonte David should probably be the guy. He was certainly the best Buccaneer on Sunday versus the Saints, though the bar was extremely low. David led all Bucs in tackles with six, and forced a fumble on Alvin Kamara (one of the few times they were able to stop him all game).

David’s day could have been even better if he’d been able to hold on to an interception on the Saints’ first drive. The play came on third down though, so David still gets some points in my eyes for the pass breakup. On the season David has been one of just a few Buccaneer defenders capable of making a splash play, and his strong season will go forgotten thanks to the rotten team he plays on.

Must Read: Week 9 Immediate Observations and Reactions

Peyton Barber

Few teams in the NFL have struggled to run the football more than the Buccaneers, and that continued to be the case against the Saints. Doug Martin struggled mightily, getting seven yards on eight carries, and was benched midway through the game for Peyton Barber. To get an idea of how low the bar for winners was this week, Barber finished with a mediocre line of 34 yards on 11 carries, a 3.1 yard per carry average.

Despite the numbers, Barber ran hard and had a few quality runs, and he was easily Tampa Bay’s best back on the day. I think it’s safe to expect Barber to be a bit more involved against the Jets next week, or at least for him to be quick off the bench.

Home/Bucs News