Last week the Buccaneers brought out their iconic creamsicle uniforms for the first time since 2012, but the real blast from the past happened this Sunday.
Tampa Bay played the exact type of miserable game it turned in so many times last season, barely able to get anything going on offense while the defense was forced to bend until it broke. Defensively the Bucs showed up, forcing two huge red zone turnovers and mostly holding the Falcons down.
It was the offense that once again failed to hold up its end of the bargain. Baker Mayfield looked better than he did last week but the offensive line was atrocious, the run game remains nonexistent, and bad coaching led to an unfathomable amount of mistakes.
Tampa Bay needed to win not only to bounce back from a tough loss last week but to continue its dominance in the NFC South. Now the team is at a crossroads, one that comes at perhaps the toughest stretch of the schedule.
Updated NFC South standings after Week 7
Sunday's loss dropped the Bucs out of first place and a game behind Atlanta. While Tampa Bay still has the first half od a tiebreaker over the Saints, the Falcons are 2-0 against the NFC South and hold all of the cards for the time being.
Here's a look at the NFC South standings after Week 7:
Next Game | Team | Record | GB |
|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 4-3 | -- | vs. Falcons |
Buccaneers | 3-3 | 1 | at Buccaneers |
Saints | 3-3 | 2 | vs. Jaguars |
Panthers | 0-6 | 6 | Bye Week |
Atlanta walking off the Bucs was bad, but things are about to potentially get a lot worse. After starting the year 2-0, Tampa Bay has now lost two straight games and faces the Buffalo Bills on the road and on a short week this Thursday.
Not for nothing, but the Bills are going to be looking for a get-back game after a near-loss against the Giants last Sunday night and an upset loss to the Patriots in Week 7. Buffalo hasn't looked great, but the Bucs have set themselves up to be a punching bag for another superior team to use as a tune-up.
Hopefully that's not the case, but nothing the Bucs did in Week 7 suggests they're going to find a way to fix things over the next four days.