After a disappointing loss in Week 10 to New England, some key Tampa Bay Buccaneers' leaders had a lot to say. Quarterback Baker Mayfield went on a rant in the press conference about the offense, stating it starts with him. After a couple of questions, Mayfield made a statement that many Bucs' fans will be excited to hear:
"We're a good team, but, to be great, when you score on the opening drive, you know what it looks like, you set the tone, but you're not satisfied with it. You come back, and you do it again," Mayfield said, "Right now, we're lacking that on offense; that's my job to fix, and I will do it. (It's) Killer instinct"
A killer instinct can define a team; it's a culture, a mindset. Coming out hot off the bye week, not starting stagnant, was a big point of emphasis in practice last week. The Bucs certainly didn't come out stagnant, but lacked the determination in the middle quarters to get the job done.
In his Monday press conference, after some disappointing injury updates, Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles weighed in on Mayfield's comments: "We encourage our players to have accountability, I don't think we had killer instinct yesterday," Bowles said.
Do the Buccaneers lack killer instinct?
Buccaneer fans may be upset about the lack of killer instinct on Sunday, but seeing leadership acknowledge it and pledge to improve is a fantastic start. With two timeouts and less than two minutes to play, and a chance to get the ball back, the Bucs defense certainly lacked this sort of accountability.
Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson burst 69 yards around the corner to the endzone, sealing the Bucs' fate. This could have been a one-off, but it was Henderson's second long scoring run of the day. The frustrating Week 10 loss may have highlighted something, but a lack of killer instinct likely isn't it.
The bye creates a lackadaisical attitude, but it doesn't define a season. So far, the Bucs have forced their way into multiple close victories, especially early in the year. In Seattle, a late interception by Lavonte David, and a four-play 14-yard drive set up Kicker Chase McLaughlin for a game-winning field goal, which he nailed.
Tampa Bay's defense held the 49ers to just three points in the second half in Week 6, leading to a two-score victory. Sure, Bowles and Mayfield may have identified the problem from Week 10, but the lack of killer instinct hasn't shone through the entire season. The Bucs must use this motivation to improve before the Week 11 matchup against the Bills.