The Buccaneers earned their fifth win of the season, beating the Panthers on Sunday by a score of 24-17. The offense started fast, and sputtered a little in the second half but behind quarterback Jameis Winston, did enough to take home the victory against their NFC South rivals.
Although the Bucs won, not all of the players on the field had their best games. Below is our list of Most Disappointing Bucs, take a look and see if you agree, and add your thoughts in the comment section below.
T Donovan Smith
Back to back sacks in the second quarter made this an easy call. For a player in a contract year, expecting to get paid top tackle money, it hasn’t been the best of seasons. Smith is talented, and can take over a game, but as previously written here, Smith also tends to string his mistakes together on successive plays at the least successive series. Smith also was tagged later in the game with a holding call when the Bucs were on the Carolina three-yard line. Smith is not anywhere near 100 percent healthy, but at this point in the season, most likely neither are the pass rushers he is going against.
RB Peyton Barber
When looking at replay it appeared Barber has crossed the goal line prior to coughing up the football. So perhaps the fumble should have never been counted. However, it did occur and it just can’t, particularly at that spot on the field. Working your way inside the one-yard line on an excellent drive isn’t an easy thing to do. You just can’t under any circumstance not secure the football. Fortunately for Barber and the Bucs it didn’t cost them the game by missing out on those seven points, but it sure made a lot of Bucs fans chock down some antacids in the fourth quarter hoping the Bucs defense could come up with a final stop.
TE Cam Brate
It wasn’t a great game for tight end Cam Brate. In fact it was pretty dreadful. It started with TD drop in first quarter and then a drop in second quarter inside two minutes. In the second half it was a hold that negated 31-yard run by Peyton Barber. With O.J. Howard out for the rest of the season, the Buccaneers need to see the old Cam Brate, not the one who has struggled with drops this season.
RB Ronald Jones
The blocking was really bad for all the Bucs running backs against Carolina. And the pass protection wasn’t a whole lot better. Still the Bucs were able to escape with a victory on Sunday. Tampa Bay really wants to see Ronald Jones live up to his second round draft status, and while he hasn’t has a ton of opportunities this season, the few he has had, the former USC standout has struggled when getting playing time. On Sunday Jones carried the ball four times for just two yards.