The Pewter Plank
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Buccaneers: Winners and losers following loss to Detroit

By Michael Horan

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 26: Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers talks to Donovan Smith #76 during warm ups prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 26: Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers talks to Donovan Smith #76 during warm ups prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI GARDENS, FL – NOVEMBER 19: Chris Godwin #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on November 19, 2017 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – NOVEMBER 19: Chris Godwin #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on November 19, 2017 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Winners

Chris Godwin

This season has been a brutal disappointment, but there are bright spots here and there to get excited about. One of those is receiver Chris Godwin. It wasn’t Mike Evans or DeSean Jackson or Cameron Brate or O.J. Howard that led the Buccaneers in receiving this week, it was the rookie out of Penn State. Godwin racked up five catches for 68 yards, and was one of the lone sources of big plays in the Bucs passing game. The catches and yards were both tied for career highs that Godwin set against the Jets a few weeks ago.

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With DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans around, Godwin is going to be a distant option in the Buccaneers passing game at least for another few seasons, but games like his most recent one prove that when his number is called he’s ready to make tough catches. The rookie has yet to score a touchdown, so that’s something to look out for over the last three games of the season.

Lavonte David

Another week, another stellar performance from Lavonte David. By far the teams’ MVP this season, David once again led his defense in tackles with fourteen total, thirteen solo, as well as a forced fumble and fumble recovery. David now has a career high five forced fumbles on the season, which is the second most in the entire league for any individual player. His fourteen total tackles were tied for his most in a game this season.

These dominant performances from David have become a regular occurrence, and it’s a shame that his great season is going to go unnoticed thanks to how terrible his team is. The Bucs are also likely to move on from defensive coordinator Mike Smith this off-season, so David will be forced into learning another new defense. Imagine how good he could be with any type of consistent coaching?

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