Grading the Buccaneers offense at the first quarter mark
By Ryan Doyle
With one-quarter of the 2018 season in the books, let’s take a look at the Buccaneers offensive grades. Which unit is playing at their best? Which group needs to step up?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense has been on a roll to start the season. The beatdown in Chicago aside, Ryan Fitzpatrick was at the helm of an elite offense through four weeks.
To open up the season, the Bucs passing attack was unmatched. Fitzpatrick couldn’t be stopped. Despite a lackluster rushing attack, Tampa Bay’s talented receiving corps overmatched the Saints and Eagles secondary.
For the last two weeks, the Bucs offense has taken a step back. Fitzpatrick threw a trio of interceptions against the Steelers, and the Tampa defense put the offense in an impossible situation against the Bears.
It’s been an up-and-down start for sure, but Tampa’s offense is the reason they escaped a daunting schedule with two wins.
The expectations were meager for the Buccaneers this season. Not many thought they would win a game with Fitzpatrick under center. To be .500 at this point in the season should be considered a victory, regardless of how bad the team looked in Chicago.
The biggest concern for Tampa’s offense is the running game. Peyton Barber hasn’t been able to carry the load on the ground. With Ronald Jones getting his first NFL action this past week, it might be a while before the Bucs ground game finds any success.
Here are the offensive grades through after one-quarter of play.