The Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn’t recapture the same early season magic on Sunday and despite a late game comeback fell to the New England Patriots 28-23.
It was a sloppy game for the Bucs. After an opening drive touchdown, the offense failed to get anything going as third down haunted them once again. Baker Mayfield called out teammates after the game for lacking a killer instinct and challenged them to take pride in their job. The defense allowed four explosive, 50-plus-yard plays, three of them for touchdowns, and failed to disrupt Drake Maye consistently.
The loss left plenty of questions moving forward as the Buccaneers gear up for a road trip to take on the Buffalo Bills, followed by a Monday Night Football matchup against the Rams in Los Angeles.
However, in the loss we did learn a few things even if we came away with potentially more questions than answers. Here are some of my thoughts and burning questions following the Bucs Week 10 loss to the Patriots.
Emeka Egbuka is back!
Not a question, but an emphatic statement.
Emeka Egbuka must’ve heard people say he’s quieted down and come back down to earth after a hot start to the season, because he was everywhere on Sunday against the Patriots. The rookie wide receiver had three receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone.
In the third quarter, Egbuka came up big when the Bucs needed him most, drawing a 22-yard defensive pass interference call and a first-down grab for 11 yards. A big 21-yard catch late in the fourth quarter put him over 100 yards on the day. He finished with six receptions on 13 targets for 115 yards and the touchdown.
Did the Bucs get a steal with Elijah Roberts?
After nine games, I think the answer is a resounding yes for the rookie defensive lineman.
Roberts made a huge play on the Pats' second drive when they were starting to build momentum, tackling Drake Maye on a scramble that would've surely resulted in a first down if he wasn't there. In the second quarter, Roberts batted down Maye’s third-down pass, marking his second drive-ending play of the day. He wasn’t done in the first half and notched a first-down sack on Maye for a loss of one, as the two-minute warning hit for good measure. The fifth-rounder has stepped up since being thrust into a bigger role due to Calijah Kancey’s season-ending injury.
He is fourth among his draft class in defensive tackle pressures, and as the season wears on, things will continue to slow down mentally for the impressive rookie.
Will the Buccaneers ever escape the injury bug?
Another game, another injury for Tampa Bay. However, this time it's hit a familiar position group.
Right guard Ben Bredeson left the game early in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and was ruled out for the game before it ended. The Bucs had just gotten Luke Geoedeke back at right tackle, giving them four of their five projected offensive lineman for the first time this season. Michael Jordan came in to finish the game, a position he has two starts at this season, as we wait on an update to the severity of Bredeson’s injury.
Is Dan Feeney the answer at right guard?
It doesn’t look like it.
Feeney really struggled in his second start at right guard. However, he also drew an insanely difficult matchup. Pass protection was not his friend, as he was bulldozed to the ground by Khyris Tonga on one play, as the Pats terrorized the interior of the line. He was walked into the backfield working against Christian Barmore on several plays.
Michael Jordan will need to fill in at left guard and struggled himself, and versatile Elijah Klein was a healthy scratch. Luke Haggard was inactive as well, as he continues to work his way back from a shoulder injury, but the Bucs could use him as he settled in nicely after a rough start before his injury.
Now the Bucs' depth took a hit with Bresedon getting injured, and they still need to figure out a solution at right guard going forward.
Jamel Dean is having an All-Pro season
Yet another statement, because there's no question Jamel Dean is returning to the top-tier cornerback he was a few years ago.
A revival season continued for Dean with another great game against the Patriots. He had two big plays on defense in the run game in the first half, meeting Terrell Jennings at the line for a one-yard gain and making a touchdown-saving tackle on TreyVon Henderson.
The Pats waited until rookie Benjamin Morrison rotated in for Dean and targeted him right away, picking up the game-tying 72-yard score and a defensive pass interference call on their next drive. When Dean re-entered the game, he was able to shut down that side of the field once again and is having an All-Pro, Pro-Bowl caliber season for the Buccaneers.
What in the world is wrong with the Buccaneers’ offense?
The Bucs are in the middle of a three-game lull on the offensive side of the ball. The offense is just making everything look hard right now, and a lot of it starts up front. The Bucs are showing just how valuable consistent guard play is with both Cody Mauch, lost for the season, and now Ben Bredeson, dealing with a hamstring injury. But it goes beyond just the offensive line’s inconsistencies.
Baker Mayfield is missing open reads, over throwing his receivers, and forcing the ball down the field instead of taking what he can underneath. Receivers are having trouble creating consistent separation as teams employ more man coverage looks, and the offense has missed Bucky Irving’s creativity in the run game. An inability as an unit to convert on third down and take advantage of turnovers has put more pressure and responsibility on the defense, who has issues of it’s own.
That doesn’t excuse Josh Grizzard either. Teams are starting to figure out what the first-year offensive coordinator is trying to get done, and he’s having trouble adjusting to it with his current personnel. The offense desperately needs its playmakers to get healthy. The problem is, it sounds like Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin aren’t close to making a return, and an end-of-November, beginning-of-December comeback sounds more likely. Until then, the Bucs need to tweak their offensive approach to see if it can yield better results.