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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account each week in the Bucs Monday Mailbag  Submit your question to the Bucs Monday Mailbag each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag. Here are the questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: What is going on with the second half performance of the Bucs? Is it coaching? What is going on with Tom Brady in the second half throwing at the feet of players or over throwing players? We don’t seem to throw receivers open downfield.

ANSWER: Good questions, especially as they pertain to Tampa Bay’s 33-27 overtime win against Buffalo. The Bucs raced out to a 24-3 halftime lead, but their problem wasn’t just in the second half, when the Bills outscored Tampa Bay 24-3 to tie the game and send it into overtime. The problem started right before halftime. Richard Sherman intercepted Josh Allen at the Buffalo 45-yard line with 1:08 left in the second quarter. But the Bucs went three-and-out, as Tom Brady was 1-of-3 passing on the drive for just five yards.

Not getting at least a field goal there when the Bucs needed to drive about 15 yards to get into Ryan Succop’s range was costly. It’s a different ball game if the Bucs are up 27-3 at halftime. The game is essentially over if Tampa Bay had gotten a touchdown there to go up 31-3 at the half.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Then the Bucs couldn’t capitalize on a huge momentum swing to start the second half. Pat O’Connor sniffed out a fake punt attempt on fourth-and-2 at the Bills’ 45-yard line. Tampa Bay took over at the Buffalo 42, but couldn’t get any points once again. Brady was 1-of-3 passing for six yards on the drive, and his 4th-and-2 throw was batted down by a blitzing linebacker.

Perhaps the Bucs should have attempted a 51-yard field goal to go up 27-3 in the third quarter rather than go for it. The Bills held on fourth down and gained some momentum. Buffalo drove 81 yards on nine plays for a touchdown after that turnover on downs and a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness.

In the second half, the defense simply didn’t get enough stops or make enough big plays. Tampa Bay had three sacks and one takeaway in the first half, but didn’t get to Allen in the second half and didn’t create any turnovers outside of the stop on the fake punt. The Bills committed to running the ball and rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown in the second half.

On offense, Brady was 19-of-26 (73 percent) for 216 yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown at halftime. The Bucs converted 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) third downs in the first half, but just 1-of-6 (16.7 percent) in the second half. Brady was just 8-of-16 (50 percent) for 76 yards in the second half, which contributed mightily to the Bills’ comeback.

“Obviously just missed a lot of throws in the second half or it wouldn’t have been that close,” Brady told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson after the game.

And yes, a couple of his errant throws were at his receivers’ feet. The Bucs’ passing attack doesn’t really scheme receivers open. It relies on Tampa Bay’s receivers, tight ends and backs to make plays one-on-one in man or zone coverage to get open. Perhaps that is a bit faulty in the play design, but when the Bucs have the athletic talent they do in their arsenal, it usually seems to work out in the end.

In overtime, the Bucs defense forced a punt, and the offense converted both third down opportunities to win the game. Brady was a perfect 4-of-4 for 71 yards, including the 58-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Breshad Perriman. The combination of not scoring more than three points on offense in the second half contributed just as much as the defense wearing down and allowing 24 points – thanks to the Bills’ dedication to the run. Buffalo rushed for 127 yards of the team’s 173 yards on the ground in the second half, averaging 9.1 yards per carry. Most of that obviously came on Josh Allen scrambles or designed runs.

QUESTION: Given the defensive struggles and injuries do you expect the Bucs to get back to the dominant force they were in second half of last year?

ANSWER: I think the Bucs have shown some glimpses of dominance since the 29-19 loss at Washington. They crushed the Giants, 30-10, at home the next week. Then they rallied in the second half to beat a good Colts team on the road, 38-31. In Week 13, Tampa Bay handled the Falcons in Atlanta, 30-17. Tampa Bay was dominant in the first half of Sunday’s 33-27 overtime win against Buffalo, racing out to a 24-3 lead. The Bucs showed out in overtime with a big stop by the defense and a game-winning touchdown drive.

The Bucs do need to learn how to put all four quarters together and put teams away when they are on the ropes. Tampa Bay had a 20-10 lead at Atlanta right before halftime until Brady threw a pick-six that allowed the Falcons to cut the score to 20-17. The Bucs outscored the Falcons, 10-0, in the second half to win the game, but gifted Atlanta that pick-six TD.

As I wrote about in the question above, the Tampa Bay offense had two chances to create points off turnovers in Buffalo’s end of the field – right before halftime and the first drive of the second half – and failed to do it. That left the door open for the Bills to mount a comeback in the second half, which they did.

The Bucs have shown some dominance at times this year against lesser teams like the Dolphins, Bears and Giants, especially at home. They’ve had flashes of dominance against some of the better teams in the league like the Cowboys, Colts and Bills. The key will be putting two halves together moving forward and not letting up on either side of the ball.

QUESTION: What’s going on with the Bucs run defense? Seems like any time a team actually runs the ball against them they find success.

ANSWER: Successful running games rely on attrition, and that’s usually achieved by committing to the run for all four quarters and wearing your opponent down physically. That’s why I’ve scoffed at Bruce Arians’ bravado about Tampa Bay’s run defense after the 38-31 comeback win against the Colts when he said “Nobody runs the ball on us. I don’t care who the hell you are.”

Bucs ILB Devin White and Bills QB Josh Allen – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs, who had the league’s No. 1-ranked rushing defense entering Sunday’s game against Buffalo, allowing just 79.1 yards per game, got ran on plenty by the Bills. Buffalo rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries with quarterback Josh Allen leading the way. Whether it was a designed QB run play or a scramble, Allen rushed for 109 yards and a TD on 12 carries. He averaged 9.1 yards per carry, and so did the Bills. Devin Singletary only ran the ball four times, but picked up 52 yards and averaged 13 yards per carry.

The Bills used the same strategy the Colts did in the fourth quarter of their 38-31 loss to the Bucs. They spread Tampa Bay’s defense out and ran the ball when the Bucs were anticipating a pass. With a lighter box, the Bills had successful numbers in the ground game, especially when deploying Allen as a runner.

This was a good lesson for defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to learn from moving forward, especially if the Bucs face another mobile quarterback in the playoffs. That could happen if Tampa Bay ever squares off against Arizona and scrambler Kyler Murray in the postseason.

QUESTION: Do you think there is a good chance Antonio Brown is going to be back after Saints game?

ANSWER: Yes. When Antonio Brown’s three-game suspension is over after the Saints game, he is expected to return to the field for the Bucs vs. Panthers game in Carolina on December 26. Tampa Bay does not have any plans to release Brown after his NFL suspension for violating the COVID-19 protocols, despite calls from the Tampa Bay Times to part ways with him.

Bucs WR Antonio Brown – Photo by: USA Today

Brown is a hired gun – a football mercenary if you will. He wasn’t brought to Tampa Bay to start a foundation or to become a pillar in the community. The Bucs have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for that. Brown was brought to Tampa Bay to catch passes and win games. Releasing him now – and there has been no public outcry to do so except from the Times – wouldn’t help the Bucs’ playoff chances. In fact, if Brown were to be signed by potential playoff opponents like Green Bay or Los Angeles the move could really backfire.

The Bucs will decide in the offseason if Brown’s antics this year warrant him returning to Tampa Bay for the 2022 campaign. The good news for the team right now is that Brown’s heel injury is on the mend and the Bucs anticipate him returning to practice next week after the Saints game and playing against the Panthers in Week 16.