In a gotta have it game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dropped the ball against the Carolina Panthers.
The Bucs are now losers of three straight games, and their playoff hopes are hanging on by a thread. They’ll now need to win out or have some luck with a Panthers loss to the Seahawks to win the division. The fact that the parties are still attainable is astonishing. After a 6-2 start, the Bucs have had an implosion not often seen, with just one win in their last seven games.
It’s easy to blame the seemingly endless pile-up of injuries, but the Bucs' issues go deeper than that. There’s a lack of focus by players on both sides of the ball that has attempted to derail their season. Three straight divisional losses are indefensible, and even if the Bucs turn it around to win the NFC South, it might not be enough to keep this team intact for another season.
Here are my quick thoughts after the Bucs lost 23-20 to the Panthers on Sunday.
Key observations and takeaways from Buccaneers' inexcusable to the Panthers
SirVocea Dennis bounced back
After an up-and-down season and an injury that caused him to miss a game, SirVocea Dennis had himself a nice game on Sunday. He finished the day with eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and three pressures and was solid in his coverage assignments. It was a rough start to the year for the third-year pro, but he's settled in over the last few games nicely.
I'd still expect the Bucs to look for an upgrade this offseason, but he's been the least of their issues.
Mike Evans continues to be a cheat code
A week after a return that produced a monster 132-yard game. Evans made his mark on the stat sheet again with his signature corner of the end zone fade for a touchdown. However, just as he displayed last week, his impact goes beyond the box score. For the second week in a row, Evans drew a huge defensive pass interference call that helped set up a Buccaneers score.
Evans is a free agent at the end of the season, but still has it if he wants to run it back.
Luke Goedeke’s rough day at work
Goedeke played the worst game of his NFL career on Sunday against the Panthers.
He picked up four total penalties, three of them accepted, and his one allowed pressure led to an errant throw for an incompletion. He was called for two false starts, a hold that wiped out a 26-yard run by Baker Mayfield, and a declined ineligible man downfield call. Goedeke had just three penalties all season prior to Sunday, and his performance wasn't an indication of the player he is, no matter how much it hurt Tampa Bay's offense.
Benjamin Morrison is not ready yet
Sunday’s loss made it alarmingly clear that Morrison is not ready to be an every-down corner in the NFL yet. Morrison has shown flashes, but he is inconsistent with his technique and understanding of the game in the speed at which it is played. It’s not necessarily a knock on him.
He missed almost all of the off-season training, most of training camp, and several games this season recovering from injuries. However, he’s made several mental errors that have led to big plays nearly every game.
Buccaneers feel like a one-and-done team...if we even get that far
Considering how things have gone in recent weeks, even making the playoffs is still a big if, but it's not impossible. In fact, even after the loss to Carolina, the Bucs still have an over 51 percent chance of making the playoffs.
However, if the Bucs still get there, I don’t expect them to make much noise. There are too many holes on this team for them to overcome. The NFC is stacked with good teams this year, and whoever has the five seed will be a double-digit win team. The game still has to be played, but I don’t expect the Bucs to be favored.
An early playoff loss should lead to significant changes on the team.