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The Bucs had a very encouraging defensive performance all game on Saturday night as they constantly generated pressure against the Chiefs. While the offense was rather mundane in the first half, once quarterback Jalon Daniels entered the game, he ignited the spark that the offense desperately needed, scoring all of their 16 points in the third and fourth quarter.

That was enough for Tampa Bay, as Daniels and company were able to run out the clock at the end of the game and hold on for a 16-15 win inside Raymond James Stadium.

Although the win was nice, it wasn’t the prettiest of games for the Bucs. Here were the most disappointing moments and players from the game.

WR Ted Hurst III

Hurst had an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Bucs’ first drive of the game after slapping Chiefs corner Mansoor Delane in the back of the helmet. It ruined all momentum that the offense had after rushing for a first down. Being so far backed up, the Bucs played conservative throwing the ball and weren’t able to recover from it.

The rookie third-round pick did not make a catch in the game and had just one target after being targeted six times in the preseason opener. There’s been a ton of hype around Hurst in training camp and expectations weren’t met tonight. In fairness, he didn’t get a lot of playing time. With that said, the bad penalty plus no production puts him on this list.

Bucs Passing Game With The Starters

With Tristan Wirfs, Ben Chukwuma and Justin Skule all out for tonight’s game, that put rookie undrafted free agent out of UCF Paul Rubelt starting at left tackle. That’s not ideal when starting quarterback Baker Mayfield is in the game and you don’t want him getting hit. Because of that, the Bucs were extremely cautious when throwing the football.

Bucs C Graham Barton and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After Tampa Bay got a first down on their opening drive running it with Bucky Irving, receiver Ted Hurst III got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, moving the Bucs far back with a long down and distance. That’s when they ran a screen to Kameron Johnson and punted. On the second drive, Mayfield threw a low pass that was incomplete to David Sills V, then a screen to Sills went for -1 yards, and the next screen to Hurst was batted at the line of scrimmage as the Chiefs snuffed it out immediately.

It’s completely reasonable that the Bucs wanted to protect Mayfield in a preseason game with quick throws. But after the first drive, what was the point of putting him out there? They essentially ran the same play over and over with no success.

RT Marshall Foerner

Coming into the game with the second unit, Foerner almost got backup quarterback Jake Browning killed after he was beat badly by edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who teed off on Browning and drilled him. Browning was hit so hard that the refs took him out of the game to get checked for a concussion, although he did return.

Not long after, Foerner had a false start. It was rough night for all of the backups on the offensive line, but Foerner was the main player who struggled.

Bucs’ Backup Offensive Line

Bucs OT Paul Rubelt – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Foerner had a false start. Paul Rubelt had a false start. Luke Haggard had a holding penalty. Jake Browning got drilled again that caused a fumble. It was an awful night for the Bucs’ backups on the offensive line. None of the quarterbacks had time to throw all game. Because of that, it’s very difficult to establish a rhythm as a unit, and that’s why they didn’t score any points in the first half. They didn’t run it well and couldn’t pass block, either.