After starting the season 6-2, tied for the best record through eight games in franchise history, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have come back down to earth with their second straight loss coming off the bye.
Tampa Bay went from a legitimate contender for the No. 1 seed in the NFC to the now No. 4 seed, which would set up a difficult matchup in the wild card round.
There is plenty of blame to go around after the defense struggled for the second consecutive week, allowing the Bills to score 44 points behind six touchdowns from Josh Allen.
So which players did their part, and which players let the team down in another disappointing loss for the Bucs?
Biggest winners and losers from Buccaneers blunder in Buffalo in Week 11
Winner: Sean Tucker
After a strong game against the Patriots last week, Tucker was given a bigger workload this week and took full advantage. He broke out for one of the best games of his career, rushing for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and added 34 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Tucker was the best offensive player on the field for Tampa Bay, and looks to have earned himself a significant role in the offense going forward.
Loser: Benjamin Morrison
Morrison was a liability for the second week in a row, with the opposing team making a concerted effort to target him.
When Jamel Dean left the game with a hip injury, the defense took a noticeable dip. Morrison gave up a 43-yard touchdown on a play that changed the momentum in Buffalo’s favor. He’s a rookie and will need patience as he continues to develop, but he is clearly not ready to play a significant role for this defense.
Winner: Tykee Smith
Smith continued his excellent season with another big game, with five total tackles and a tipped ball that led to an interception.
Smith exited for some time to be evaluated for a concussion which prevented him from making an even bigger impact, but he was making huge plays for the Bucs when he was on the field.
Loser: Buccaneers Kickoff Coverage
Tampa Bay allowed an average of 39 yards per return which included a 61 yard return for Mecole Hardman and a 41 yard return for Ray Davis.
The Buccaneers kickoff coverage was allowing big returns all afternoon and letting an already explosive Buffalo offense set up with great field position on too many occasions. It’s a problem that needs to be addressed quickly.
Loser: Todd Bowles
There's absolutely no way to sugarcoat it -- the defense laid an egg for the second week in a row, allowing too many explosive plays. A team led by a defensive guru has no excuse to lose a game in which the offense puts up 32 points.
Bowles’ biggest failure this week was his decision to punt the ball away on 4th-and-2 with seven minutes remaining down by five. Tampa Bay’s defense had been unable to stop Buffalo all day, and punting to give their offense the ball back to put the game away was a big mistake.
The Bucs would’ve been wise to at least go down swinging and go for it on fourth down with a chance to continue a potential go-ahead drive, and Bowles needs to be more willing to take these risks.
Winner: SirVicocea Dennis
Dennis finished with only four combined tackles, but he made a pair of splash plays that impacted the game in a big way.
First, he got to Josh Allen on a pressure which forced an errant throw and interception by Jacob Parrish early in the game. He later picked off Allen for an interception of his own.
Dennis’ play has been inconsistent this season, but if he can keep making big plays like this, it would go a long way in validating the organization’s belief in him as the starter.
Loser: Baker Mayfield
Mayfield played an okay game for the most part, tossing 173 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 39 yards and a touchdown. But Mayfield threw a costly interception in the third quarter when Tampa Bay was still leading 26-24.
The interception allowed Buffalo to start their drive in the red zone, and they took the momentum from there. Mayfield has been better about limiting turnovers this season, but this interception at a crucial time might’ve been the difference-maker in a game the Bucs needed to win.
Mayfield is the leader of this team, and if he wants to truly take that jump to elite status, he needs to protect the football and not make mistakes that could cost his team games down the stretch.
Winner and Loser: Jacob Parrish
Parrish was close to being named a winner this week. He logged his first career interception, and continued to prove himself as a sure tackler. For the most part, he’s been incredible for Tampa Bay throughout his rookie campaign.
What stopped him from being named a winner was his boneheaded facemask penalty in the fourth quarter.
After a huge stop that would’ve forced a Buffalo field goal attempt and given the Bucs the ball back down by eight, Parrish’s facemask penalty gave Buffalo an automatic first down and allowed them to continue the drive and ultimately put the game away with a touchdown.
A team hoping to make a deep playoff run can’t have self-indictee sounds like that late in crucial games, and Parrish certainly learned his lesson yesterday and will hopefully play smarter going forward