6 takeaways from Buccaneers at Falcons: Defensive woes continue
By Ryan Doyle
Can the Bucs buy a third-down stop?
The Buccaneers defense was horrid yet again. Defensive coordinator Mike Smith was pictured on the broadcast brushing his fingers through his hair, looking like he has run out of ideas for the defense.
Frankly, it’s becoming comical. In the first half, the Falcons scored on all but one drive. If this game took place at Raymond James Stadium, the crowd would have let out a sarcastic roar.
While the defense had three stops in a row to open the second half, the damage was already done.
Similar to the three stops in a row, Tampa offered their fans hope on every drive. Sticking the Falcons in multiple third-and-long situations, but allowing them to convert. Bucs fans felt a sting on each trip as Ryan found Julio Jones wide open to extend drives.
By the final whistle, Atlanta converted 8-of-13 third-down attempts.
Miscommunication on defense
Far too often, were Buccaneers defenders pointing fingers and trying to figure out where to line up. Even veterans like Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David were visibly confused on Sunday.
While the blame will land on Smith and the coaching staff, the players on the field need to communicate.
More often than not, when receivers are running wide open down the field, there is a miscommunication somewhere. The young secondary continues to look foolish, this week it was by the hand of Matt Ryan.
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On the day, Ryan threw for 354 yards, completing 75.6 percent of his passes with three touchdowns.