Buccaneers: Winners and losers from week eleven win
Winners
O.J. Howard
On his birthday, O.J. Howard continued to prove why he was worth a first round pick. After inexplicably not getting a target last week against the Jets, Howard bounced back with three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. He also continued to contribute positively as a blocker, where he’s been an asset all season.
Howard now has seventeen catches for 279 yards and four touchdowns on the season, and any time he’s gotten targets he’s produced big plays. Rookie tight ends don’t typically look as polished as Howard is at age 23, and his best days are definitely still ahead. With Jameis Winston likely to return soon, I expect Howard to have a few more big games before the season is over.
Gerald McCoy
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One casualty of the Buccaneers disappointing season has been Gerald McCoy. As has been the case countless times over the course of McCoy‘s career, a lack of edge pressure allows offenses to key in on McCoy and take him out of games. That wasn’t the case this week against the Dolphins, though. McCoy had three tackles and a sack and was a constant terror in the Miami backfield. He out-shined draft classmate Ndamakong Suh, who finished the game without a sack or solo tackle.
McCoy now has five sacks this season, and three over the last two weeks. For the most part the Buccaneers’ front seven played strong for the second straight week, so it’s possible that Mike Smith has figured out a way to maximize the talent of his defensive tackles and linebackers. The true test will be this next week against the Falcons, where McCoy will need another dominant game.