6 winners (and 3 losers) from Buccaneers win over Raiders

For the third time in three games, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are dancing their way into Victory Monday. Sunday's win over the Las Vegas Raiders falls somewhere between the blowout win over the Giants and the near-miss against the Panthers, but a win is a win even if it's ugly.

Tampa Bay did more than string together a third straight win; the Bucs wrestled back control of the NFC South and a Top-4 seed in the NFL Playoff picture. Atlanta's loss to Minnesota means the Bucs have a full-game lead on the Falcons for first place, which should be applauded but not yet celebrated.

Four games remain on the schedule and the pressure is as high as its been all season given what's at stake. The Bucs have zero margin for error from here on out, which means the guys who stepped up on Sunday need to keep leading the charge while those who failed to carry their weight must work on correcting that before it's too late.

6 winners (and 3 losers) from Buccaneers win over Raiders

Winner: Lavonte David, LB

A lot has been made about Mike Evans making a Hall of Fame case over the last few years, but in the shadow of that conversation is an even stronger one about Lavonte David. The ageless wonder once again proved how valuable he is to the Bucs on Sunday, helping the team get out to a quick start by coming firing out of the gates on defense.

David laid the boom stick on Aidan O'Connell on Las Vegas' first offensive drive and later forced a fumble to help offset a turnover by Baker Mayfield.

David is in his 13th season and has made it known he wants to be a lifer with the Buccaneers. It's more than just a ceremonial wish, as he's still playing at a high enough level that he's actively having an impact on games the same way guys half his age are.

Sunday was yet another reminder of just how spoiled Bucs fans are to still have David playing as well as he is.

Winner: Bucs' secondary

It's no secret that the Buccaneers' defense has been both bad and banged up all season long. The secondary has been hit the hardest in both departments, as injuries have piled up and magnified poor play, something that wasn't the case at all on Sunday.

The Bucs held Las Vegas to under 200 yards passing, forcing a slew of turnovers even though video replay ended up overturning a few. More importantly Tampa Bay's secondary held Brock Bowers to under 50 yards, which is outrageous considering the circumstances.

Bowers came into the game averaging 101 yards over his last three games with 40 total targets and 27 catches including two touchdowns. He ended Sunday with 49 yards on three catches and the closest he came to scoring was on a pass interference play in the first half.

Tampa Bay shut down one of the hottest receiving threats in the NFL right now, which is a massive feather in the cap of a defense that has largely struggled in that department. Not only did the Bucs take Bowers out of the game, but they did so being down to fill-in linebacker options like Vi Jones and Antonio Grier. It was a masterful performance for a young unit that had a lot to prove and did exactly that on Sunday.

Loser: Calijah Kancey, DE

It was a tough day for the Buccaneers run defense but Calijah Kancey had one of the worst plays of the afternoon. While chasing down Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell in the fourth quarter, Kancey shoved him well after the ball had been released from his hand.

The hit was dirty, and while it wasn't flagged, it did force O'Connell off the field with a season-ending knee injury. It was a pretty bad look for a player who has otherwise been fantastic for the Bucs this season.

Loser: Baker Mayfield, QB

It was a tale of two halves for Baker Mayfield, but how truly attrocious he looked in the first half cannot and should not be overstated or overlooked. After throwing two touchdowns to start the game, Baker committed three turnovers that let a 2-10 Raiders team back into the game in ways that should have never happened.

Not only were the turnovers rough, but Baker started to look spooked after taking some hits and forced some awful throws as a result. Balls were being batted down at the line of scrimmage, he didn't look comfortable in the pocket, and turned into the worst version of himself in a way that can't happen again.

Tampa Bay started to pull away once Baker and the offense settled down late in the game, but we've seen what it looks like when this happens against good teams. The Ravens and Chiefs were pretty unforgiving of his mistakes, and so too were the lowly Panthers for that matter.

The victory over Detroit in Week 2 has been paraded around as a badge of honor -- rightfully so -- but it's hard to imagine things ending up the same way if the Bucs run into the Lions in the playoffs and Baker has the kind of game he had against the Raiders on Sunday.

Winner: Jalen McMillan, WR

We've waited all year for rookie Jalen McMillan to have the sort of game he did against the Raiders. He finished with 59 yards and two touchdowns, gettings the ball four times while having Baker look his way seven times.

McMillan's flashiest play of the day was the dagger he scored late in the fourth quarter. Watching him high step into the endzone was cathartic for a number of reasons, not the least of which was how great it was to see him punctuate his big day that way.

He's started to settle into a WR2 role behind Mike Evans and is showing the promise that the Bucs saw in him back in the NFL Draft. He has a long way to go before he's a true fixture on offense but he took a giant step toward that with his big day against the Raiders.

Loser: Bucs' pass protection

There's no excusing how bad Baker Mayfield looked, but part of the blame needs to be shared by the offensive line. It was a bad day upfront, as the Bucs let Baker get sacked four times for a loss of 27 yards, but let him get pressured all afternoon.

To their credit, Maxx Crosby only recorded a single quarterback hit all afternoon and his name was barely spoken. But where the Bucs stopped Crosby they failed to protect against Tre'von Moehrig and K'Lavon Chaisson who combined for a sack and recorded 12 total tackles.

Penalties were a major factor as well, with each lineman committing at least one foul each. The Bucs got away with a win but this is the sort of sloppy play that will cost them next week against a much better Chargers team.

Winner: Rachaad White, RB

Everyone has rightfully been obsessing over how great Bucky Irving is, which has sort of made Rachaad White a bit of an afterthought in the minds of some fans. He reminded everyone why he's RB1 in a big way against the Raiders, and let it be known that the Bucs still have a stable of talented running backs.

White went for 90 yards and a touchdown as the Bucs' lead back on Sunday and turned in some nasty highlight reel plays to boot.

Irving left with an injury in the first half which gave White a bigger slice of the backfield pie, and he feasted on the opportunity.

Winner: Cade Otton, TE

The offense was a little all over the place on Sunday, but when the dust settled it was Otton who emerged as the leading receiver on the afternoon.

Otton finished the game with 70 yards on three catches and missed a touchdown before halftime that ended up an interception. Baker Mayfield airmailed a pass over his head and into the arms of a Raiders defender, but the same couldn't be said when they connected in the fourth quarter to help set up a final touchdown.

He stepped up in a big way when Mike Evans was out, but the fact that Otton is still a major piece of the offense says a lot about how much he's trusted. Being the leading receiver on the afternoon is a huge endorsement of his talent and shows how highly Liam Coen and Baker Mayfield think of him.

Winner: Buccaneers' Playoff Chances

Tampa Bay secured two victories on Sunday: beating the Raiders and surging past the Atlanta Falcons to reclaim first place in the NFC South.

Coupled with the Bucs' win was a 42-21 blowout loss by the Falcons, an outcome that propels Tampa Bay back to the top of the division and in a position to control its destiny the rest of the way. All the Bucs have to do is win out and they're in the playoffs for the fifth straight year, and the fourth as division champions.

As Baker Mayfield said after the game, the job isn't finished yet. Tampa Bay has a tough matchup against the Chargers next week followed by a potential trap game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Meanwhile the Falcons get a golden opportunity to bounce back with games against the Raiders and Giants, wins that could put them back in first place if the Bucs slip up.

Still, a team that was 4-6 just a few weeks ago is back in control of a Top-4 seed in the NFC. Tampa Bay now has a 67 percent chance of making the playoffs after Sunday's win, which is an incredible turnaround from where things were not that long ago.

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