Losses are tough. Especially when you are invested in a team that has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. Every mistake is magnified. Every missed opportunity is extrapolated to how it could cost the team down the road in a crucial moment. With all of this in mind, let’s run through the current narratives surrounding the Bucs after their 41-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.

The Bucs’ run game is broken. The defense laid an egg. Offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich is actively hurting the team with his scripted play-calling. Full disclosure: I may have contributed to some of this…

It’s like one is playing chess and the other is playing with play-doh. https://t.co/GvOcLFUema

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) October 3, 2022

But lost in a whole host of negatives is the fact that the Tampa Bay offense exploded for 31 points on Sunday. And those points weren’t a fluke. They legitimately MOVED the ball up and down the field throughout most of the game.

How did the Bucs offense get back on track after a three-game stretch when they averaged only 17.7 points per game to start the season? Let’s take a look at four plays from the Chiefs game to highlight how the offense started to click.

Drive One

The game began when Rachaad White fumbled the opening kickoff, and that led to a Chiefs touchdown. So, while this was technically the Bucs’ second drive, it was really the first opportunity the offense had to get on the field. The drive began with a three-yard run by Leonard Fournette, setting up a second-and-7. And that is where our story begins.

I have been extremely critical of the Bucs’ screen game this year, especially the screens to Fournette. Sunday night, the Bucs got a lot more out of their screen game. And it started with this play right here. There were a few key differences in this play as opposed to the screens they traditionally run. The first thing is that they ran the screen off of play-action. The second is the fact the Fournette gave defensive end Frank Clark a chip after the play action.

These two changes allowed Fournette to receive the pass later than he normally would on a traditional screen pass. With him running late to his spot he was able to take possession of the ball while he was still under way. This is really important because Fournette has struggled this season to accelerate from a dead stop. By allowing Fournette to get the ball while he was already moving, he was able to accelerate to top speed much more easily.

The other thing that really helped turn this play from a run-of-the-mill pedestrian screen that would struggle to pick up the first down into a 25-yard explosive gain was the blocking that helped spring it. Watch as left tackle Donovan Smith casually revs up from a light jog into a full-on locomotive when he sees safety Justin Reid. Smith takes one hand and drives Reid through the earth like he was a fence post.

Left guard Luke Goedeke was able to take linebacker Nick Bolton out of the play by holding his block just long enough to allow Fournette to scoot by on his vertical push. And I would be remiss if I didn’t call out the individual efforts by receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to get deep downfield and then hold their blocks for extended periods of time.

When a creative play-call that caters to the strengths of the player it’s designed for meets great execution, you will often find the results can look a lot like this. This was the big chunk play that helped the Bucs get into field goal range for their first score of the game.

Drive Three

The score got out of hand very quickly and by the time the Bucs offense started their third drive of the game, they were already down 21-3. This forced Leftwich to abandon his “balanced approach” in favor of a pass-first, pass-often mantra. It is on the second play of the drive that the Bucs hit on their longest play of the game.

On first-and-10 from their own 36, the Bucs put Godwin in motion to the left, creating a 3×1 to Brady’s left. The Chiefs drop into Cover 2, allowing the receivers clean releases off the line. On the concept side of the play, the Bucs had their three best playmakers. Chris Godwin runs a short hitch that pulls the slot defender down to cover him. Russell Gage’s deep dig route pulls Bolton from his drop. That leaves Mike Evans screaming down the seam on a nine route.

Watch Brady diagnose the coverage and deliver a strike to Evans. He starts his throwing motion while Evans is at the Bucs 45. At that moment, Bolton is still focused on Evans and has a yard or so of depth on him. By the time the ball arrives, Evans is at the Chiefs’ 38 and has split the two deep safeties. Evans not only secures the catch but does an incredible job of holding onto the ball after taking a hard shot from behind.

Bucs C Robert Hainsey and LG Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

All of this was made possible because the offensive line gave Brady plenty of time to find the open man on a longer-developing play. The offensive line hasn’t been perfect this season, but it has had its moments. This play was one of those moments. Smith neutralizes defensive end George Karlaftis, Goedeke and center Robert Hainsey complete a double team on defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi.

Right guard Shaq Mason and right tackle Tristan Wirfs did what they have been doing for most of the season, locking down their side of the line. Brady has been one of the least-pressured quarterbacks in the NFL this season.

A lot of that is due to plays that have had a shorter development and Brady’s lightning-quick release. But if the line can block like this more consistently, the Bucs can get back to the deep shots that made this offense go from 2019-2021.

Drive Five

Down 28-10 with just over two minutes left in the first half, the Bucs desperately needed a touchdown to remain relevant in the game. And so, Brady and the offense began what would be a 16-play drive to secure that touchdown and keep their chances of winning alive. But the drive almost stalled very early on. After the first two plays netted eight yards, they were facing a third and two at their own 33-yard line.

This was far from a huge gain. But it was an important one. With Cam Brate stretching to get the first, the rest of the drive was able to continue. I love the play design in getting the ball to Brate straight out of motion with Godwin and Julio Jones running short digs to clear out the underneath defenders. I am hopeful that going forward, we will see Cade Otton or Gage used in similar ways. Each provides more speed and athleticism than Brate that would allow them to pick up the first down with a bit less breath-holding.

Drive Seven

Once again down by three scores (38-17), the Bucs were in a must-score situation. And while they did answer the bell, it was with another long, methodical drive. This one would span 14 plays and just a tick less than five minutes of clock in the third quarter, when a quick strike would have been much more beneficial. No play on this drive chewed up more than 20 yards. But the longest play that was registered came from the most unlikely of weapons.

Working from shotgun, Brady runs play action to White before looking for… KO KIEFT! You know, Ko Kieft of the blocking fame? Or Ko Kieft of the 12 total catches in his five-year career in Minnesota fame? Yeah, that Ko Kieft!

Kieft runs a fade from his H-back spot on the end of the line in a 12 personnel set. He ends up matched against Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson. And while Watson is big for a cornerback (listed at 6-foot-2, 197 pounds), he is still small compared to the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Kieft.

Kieft fails to get any separation, but Brady still launches a back-shoulder throw that allows Kieft to adjust and make a fairly high-difficulty catch for 19 yards setting up first-and-goal at the Kansas City 4-yard line. The Bucs would go on to score another touchdown three plays later.

This offense can still keep up with the best in the league. It can do so because it is built around a superb quarterback who can place balls in tight windows with velocity or touch, whichever is needed in the moment. The offense can still work because it is littered with playmakers, who if healthy can win one-on-one matchups against even the best defenses in the NFL.

And when the line can give just a few tenths of a second more protection and the offensive coordinator can sequence plays in an efficient manner, 31 points can be the baseline…not the high-water mark. We got a glimpse of that on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Let’s hope it is a sign of things to come.