3 Buccaneers who deserve the most blame after embarrassing 24-20 loss to Saints

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers failed to defend their home turf, suffering an embarrassing 24-20 loss at the hands of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Tampa Bay had a chance to take control of their own destiny and wrap up the NFC South with wins over the Saints, Falcons, and Panthers over the next three games, but with today’s loss the division race just got a lot more serious. 

The Bucs will face the Panthers twice in their final three games in matchups that now look poised to determine the NFC South title. 

The Saints entered this week at 2-10 with the second-worst record in the NFC. Losing to them feels like a new low for this struggling Tampa Bay team, and several Buccaneers in particular left a lot to be desired.

3 Buccaneers to blame after 24-20 loss to Saints

Emeka Egbuka, WR

There is no way around it, Egbuka is really struggling after what was an incredible start to his career. Drops have become an issue in recent weeks, and today he dropped arguably the most important pass of the game. 

Down 24-17 late in the 4th quarter with a chance to tie the game, Egbuka ran an incredible route to get himself open for what should’ve been a walk-in touchdown. But he dropped a high, but stlll catchable pass from Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay was ultimately forced to settle for a field goal.

On 8 targets, Egbuka finished with just 2 catches for 15 yards. The Bucs need their first-round rookie to get out of his own head and return to being a reliable and consistent weapon down the stretch.

Lavonte David, LB

David whiffed on multiple tackles against the Saints, including a crucial one that allowed New Orleans to score the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. He had Saints running back Devin Neal dead to rights on a crucial 3rd-and-8, but missed the tackle and allowed New Orleans to convert before eventually scoring a touchdown.

Father Time comes for everyone, and at 35 years old, David has clearly taken a step back this season. He can no longer be counted on to wear the cape and serve as the team's most reliable defender.

The front office should've had the foresight to address the position during the offseason, and now the weakness at inside linebacker is holding the team back when it matters most.

Kam Johnson, WR

Mayfield trusted Johnson on an anticipation throw on the first drive coming out of halftime, but Johnson inexplicably gave up on his route which resulted in an interception.

After the pick, the Saints were set up in Tampa Bay territory and scored a touchdown, going on to win the game by a possession. 

Without the interception caused by Johnson's lack of effort on the play, Tampa Bay might’ve scored on the drive, and ultimately won the game. Poor play at the wide receiver position has been holding this offense back in recent weeks, and frankly, Johnson needs to be better if he wants to see the field going forward.