5 Buccaneers to blame (and 3 to praise) after 27-14 loss in Week 11

Loser: Dave Canales

There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Dave Canales not scheming Mike Evans and Chris Godwin into the Bucs offense. It seems like this sort of thing would have been something the Bucs figured out by now but it continues to be a baffling development on a struggling offense.

Once again on Sunday, in a game the Bucs very much could have contended in, the team’s two best players were essentially afterthoughts.

Going into the fourth quarter, Evans and Godwin had a combined 31 yards which is absolutely criminal. It’s play calling malpractice to essentially ignore your two best offensive weapons, and it was no surprise that the Bucs were down by double digits at the time.

This is a troubling trend that is emerging, one that makes Dave Canales look every bit like the first year play caller that he is. Halfway through the third quarter against the Bills in Week 9, Evans had one catch for seven yards and the Bucs offense had produced 10 points. Two weeks ago in Houston both Evans and Godwin had a combined six targets for 42 yards. It should come as no surprise that the Bucs offense started grooving once those two guys started seeing more action, nor that the Bucs lost both of those games because it was too little too late.

How Canales and the Bucs continue to ignore the offense’s two best weapons until things are dire in the fourth quarter is absolutely baffling. Evans and Godwin are Pro Bowl superstars, yet they continue to be used as emergency safety valves rather than weapons to build leads and create wins.