Biggest culprit in terrible Buccaneers Week 6 loss to the Steelers
By John Paul
While many in both the media and on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to ignore the biggest issue the team has, it continues to get seemingly worse with each game.
That problem which will inevitably continue to lead to losses if the offense can’t score 28+ points every game is the non-existent secondary.
In yet another example of how ineffective the Bucs secondary is at stopping opposing QBs, the Steelers two QBs combined for over 200 yards and two touchdowns with relative ease.
Now, this may not seem like an outstanding amount of production until you realize those two QBs were Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky; one a rookie with a barely a start under his belt and the other is constantly under consideration for the worst QB in the league today.
On top of their poor QB talent, the Steelers boast almost no offensive weapons that are consistently on level with what the Bucs. Despite knowing they only have a few quality receivers, the Bucs still struggled to cover anyone.
On multiple occasions throughout the game, the Bucs’ secondary allowed the Steelers to catch first downs on 3rd and long situations, crippling any defensive momentum the team tried to gain.
Most times, Steelers receivers and opposing receivers all season, have been catching passes with very little pressure, often getting to take multiple steps after catches before they’re even hit.
This lack of focus on the secondary has been an issue for the Bucs the last two seasons and the Bucs’ coaching staff either seems unconcerned with it or completely unaware of it as an issue. Regardless of which of those two options it is, both should be concerning for Bucs fans.
With the Bucs’ Week Seven matchup against a Carolina Panthers team that will either have Baker Mayfield or PJ Walker at QB, it will be interesting to see if the Bucs can finally make some changes to the way they guard the passing game.
This will certainly be a must-win game for the Bucs after their embarrassing defeat yesterday, and the secondary’s performance should absolutely be the thing people have their eye on.
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