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About the Author: Trevor Sikkema
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With a loss comes disappointing play. These were our most disappointing performances in the Bucs loss to the Falcons.
Pat Murray
To harsh to put Murray on here, but he would put himself on here.
54 yards is a long way, but Falcons kicker Matt Bryant hit a 57-yard field goal earlier in the game. As Murray would tell you himself, it doesn’t matter how far the kick is, when the game is on the line and you’re in field goal range, you have to make it.
He didn’t – and he owned it in the locker room after the game.
T.J. Ward
The T.J. Ward signing before the season was praised by almost everyone when it went down. But, since then he hasn’t lived up to his signing hype.
On Monday, as the starting strong safety, he got beat a bit by Falcons running back Devonta Freeman. Normally safeties aren’t suppose to be left with 1-on-1 tackles, but when they are, they aren’t suppose be as ineffective as Ward was on his.
He was disappointing tonight as has been his season.
Pass Rush
To quote Jon Gruden, who was doing the commentary on the game,
“No pass rush from the Bucs. None.”
Same season just a different week. The Bucs, especially without Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David, couldn’t get to quarterback Matt Ryan. Clinton McDonald got the team’s first sack of the game to give the Bucs the ball back with a chance to win at the end, but that wasn’t good enough.
Peyton Barber
Barber got the start on Monday night for the inactive Doug Martin. Barber ran well on most of his carries, but a costly fumble within the 10-yard line not only cost them points on that drive, but ultimately cost them tying up the game. It was Martin’s fumble last week against the Lions that came back to haunt the Bucs in the long run, and it was Barber’s fumble on Monday night.
Can’t cough it up.
Mike Smith
Though they didn’t give up 253 receiving yards to one guy, the culmination of the defensive game plan still wasn’t what it needed to be. The Bucs couldn’t handle the Falcons when they went to the outside with their runs and the way they used with defensive line was downright terrible.
There were so many injuries in this game that it’s hard to really blame Smith, but the bottom line is the Falcons controlled most of the game because they were allowed long drives. His defense couldn’t stop the Falcons enough to win.
The Ref That Fell
How unfortunate was that?
At the end of the game the ref falls and burns four or five second off the clock that could have given the Bucs a shot at the end zone to win. That was ridiculously unlucky. That ref was disappointing.
