The Bucs offense didn’t have trouble moving the ball in their game of the 2022 season. They combined for a total of 347 yards in a run-heavy style of football in a 19-3 win at Dallas in Week 1. But it was the execution in the red zone that that offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich keeps coming back to.

Tampa Bay moved the ball inside Dallas’ 30-yard line in all but three possessions, excluding a kneel down by Tom Brady at the end. However, when it mattered most in the red zone the Bucs just scored only one touchdown on a 5-yard fade pass from Brady to Mike Evans.

The Bucs were 1-of-3 (33.3 percent) in red zone efficiency against the Cowboys. That’s tied for 24th in the NFL after Week 1. The Bucs were the second-best team in red zone offense last year at 65.79%.

“I think we played okay,” Leftwich said. “I think we did some really good things in some areas that I think we needed to get better at, but I’m more concerned about the things we didn’t do so well. Third down down, red zone, so that’s our focus to make sure we lock in and make sure we do a better job of executing.”

Leftwich Takes Blame For Red Zone Struggles

Bucs QB Tom Brady and OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs went 6-of-14 (42.8%) on third downs, but only converted 2-of-7 (28.5%) opportunities past midfield. That lack of execution in the red zone and on third downs prevented the team from scoring more than 19 points. While it was good enough to beat an overmatched Dallas team, it will be difficult to find the same kind of success against New Orleans.

Leftwich took the blame for the miscues in the red zone.

“We just can’t allow that, those things to happen,” Leftwich said. “And we just got do a better job of executing really. It comes down to executing and maybe I can do a better job of putting us in position better, to have more success down there. That’s really how I see it. I think I can do a better job of putting us in position to have success.”

As Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds discussed in a recent article, the Bucs will have a different attack against the Saints. They may not be balanced, but they’ll be “multiple,” as Leftwich said, which means winning in different ways. The Bucs have lost the turnover battle in their struggles with the Saints, so running the ball and holding on to it will be a major point of emphasis.

“You become aware of it, right?” Leftwich said. “We’re aware of it. You don’t win games in this league [by] turning the ball over. I don’t care who you are, who’s playing, who you’re playing against. We understand that. We know we have to do a better job of protecting the football, if you want to win against anyone, especially against a good football team, especially against the team we’re facing on Sunday.

“We’re working on it in practice. We need to make sure we protect the football…and that’s football. You turn the ball over, there’s a good chance you’re gonna lose in this league. Everybody in that locker room knows, so we’re trying to make sure we go out there and do a better job of that.”

Bucs Must Avoid Turnovers

In pinpointing why the Bucs have lost seven straight games in the regular season to the Saints, that’s the biggest reason. Brady has thrown just six touchdowns and eight interceptions, including two pick-sixes, against New Orleans in the last four regular season games – all losses. In the last seven losses to the Saints the Bucs have turned the ball over 16 times, while New Orleans has only committed five turnovers.

In the Tampa Bay’s lone victory against New Orleans, which came in the 2020 playoffs, the Bucs won the turnover battle 4-0. That was key in the team’s 30-20 win in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

“I think it’s just understanding why we’re losing those games,” Brady said. “There are reasons why in each game. You can look at them and look at why we won and why we lost, the one time we beat them. It’s got to be good football – offense, defense and special teams. They’re too good of a team to think that you can win one phase and win the game. It’s a challenge because they’re well-coached, they’re put in good position to do well, they have a lot of good players, a lot of guys who have been together, played together for a long time.

“They don’t make a lot of mistakes, they make you earn everything. Every third down’s important, every kicking situation’s important, every third down in the low red area is important, turnovers are important. It’s a lot of things that lead to winning and losing and obviously we haven’t done a good job of that in the regular season. We’re going to have to play a lot better if we expect to win.”