The NFC South is a bad division, so the 4-6 Bucs came into Sunday’s game against the Colts with a chance to ignite a late-season run toward their third straight division title. Instead, Tampa Bay fell 27-20, making it six losses in its last seven games.

The Bucs’ opening drive was almost ideal. Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Cade Otton got the first three targets from Baker Mayfield and the third of those three gained 24 yards across midfield. Some tough running by Rachaad White, a third-down conversion to Trey Palmer and a 19-yard catch by Evans on 3rd & 10 got Tampa Bay to the 1-yard line, but that’s where things took a turn.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

On a first-down quarterback sneak attempt, Mayfield was stuffed and stayed down after the pile cleared, clutching his leg.

That brought 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask in for 2nd & Goal from the 1, and an Aaron Stinnie false start immediately set the Bucs offense back. That ultimately killed the drive, with White getting a few and then Godwin just failing to get a second foot down in the end zone on third down, forcing a field goal try. Chase McLaughlin nailed it from 21 yards out, but Tampa Bay surely needed more out of a 15-play, 72-yard drive that took 7:32 off the clock.

The Colts responded by quickly working their way down the field with a heavy dose of short passes, but two incompletions and a third-down sack by Joe Tryon-Shoyinka forced them to settle for a field goal of their own. Former Buc Matt Gay connected from 46 yards out, knotting the game at 3-3.

Mayfield returned to the game on the Bucs’ next drive, but he was intercepted by Ronnie Harrison two plays into the drive to set Indianapolis’ offense up with a first down at Tampa Bay’s 41-yard line. Four plays later, Jonathan Taylor scored from four yards out to give the home team a 10-3 lead late in the first quarter.

Colts QB Gardner Minshew – Photo by: USA Today

Things quickly went from bad to worse for the Bucs they started the second quarter with a three-and-out. Gardner Minshew then picked apart Todd Bowles’ defense and eventually beat Devin White 1-on-1 in space for a 2-yard touchdown run to put the Colts up 17-3.

Mayfield and the offense responded by going three-and-out again, but a 64-yard punt by Jake Camarda to the 8-yard line set up a potential swing in the game. Backed up deep in his own territory, Minshew made his first big mistake of the day, throwing an errant pass that was intercepted by Carlton Davis III and returned three yards to the 16-yard line.

After rookie tight end Payne Durham went up and Moss’d Darrell Baker Jr. for a 12-yard catch near the goal line, Mayfield found a wide-open Evans for a touchdown. Just like that, the Bucs were back within 17-10 with 5:08 left in the first half.

That’s where things stayed at halftime, with a questionable holding call on Aaron Stinnie preventing the Bucs from cutting further into the deficit and a left upright keeping the Colts from adding to their lead before the break.

Out of halftime, Indianapolis got a good drive going before stalling just inside the red zone. Still, a Matt Gay field goal from 36 yards out gave the Colts a two-score lead at 20-10 with 10:01 left in the third quarter.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

The two teams traded possessions without much going on throughout the rest of  the third quarter, but Mayfield and the Tampa Bay offense found some life just as it was coming to a close. Mayfield ran for 14 yards on 3rd & 8 to keep the drive alive, then he made a big-time throw to Godwin on 4th & 10 early in the fourth to keep it going. Not long after, he threw a 23-yard touchdown to Evans to bring the Bucs within 20-17.

Todd Bowles’ defense couldn’t get the stop it needed from there, falling for a play-action pass out of a  on 4th & Inches that resulted in a 30-yard gain to the 19. Three plays later, Taylor found the end zone to extend the Colts’ lead back to two scores. That capped off a nine-play, 75-yard drive that drained 5:20 off the clock. So with only 7:30 to go, the Bucs were going to need quite the comeback.

Just when it looked like Tampa Bay’s hopes might be dead, Rachaad White broke off a 38-yard run to spark the offense. The Bucs got inside the 10 two plays later, but then Mayfield took a sack at the 12. Another sack on third down forced a McLaughlin field goal, which cut it to 27-20 with 4:10 left. That put the pressure on Tampa Bay’s defense to get a stop.

A holding penalty and a Calijah Kancey sack stopped the Colts’ drive before it could go anywhere, meaning Mayfield and the offense would get a shot at tying the game late. A 41-yard punt gave Tampa Bay possession at its 35-yard line with 2:21 to go and three timeouts.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs’ drive went nowhere. An illegal shift penalty before the two-minute warning and a four-yard White run preceded a sack-fumble on Mayfield, giving the ball — and the win — to the Colts.

Baker Mayfield finished the day 20-of-30 for 199 yards, two touchdowns an interception and a fumble. Mike Evans was once again his top receiver, catching six of his nine targets for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Rachaad White ran for 100 yards on 15 carries, marking his second career 100-yard rushing game. The Buccaneer offensive line had its worst performances of the year in pass protection, allowing six sacks. All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs allowed two of him in what was one of the worst games of his career.

Defensively, Carlton Davis and Calijah Kancey were just about the only two players worth writing home about. Devin White struggled all day yet again, while the unit badly missed Lavonte David. Indianapolis averaged 5.7 yards per carry on the ground, while Gardner Minshew completed 24 of his 41 passes for 251 yards and an interception while adding a rushing score.

The Bucs (4-7) will now return home to host the Panthers (1-10). While Tampa Bay still sits only one game out of the NFC South lead, this season is quickly going nowhere and a reset under a new head coach is becoming more and more likely by the week.