It’s still only Week 4, but the Bucs’ early-season offensive struggles have proven to be more than just a one-week hiccup. Tampa Bay only has three offensive touchdowns in three games and despite the fact that the team is 2-1, head coach Todd Bowles was clear after Sunday’s 14-12 loss to the Packers that there is some cause for concern.

“It’s concerning,” Bowles said. “It’s concerning. We didn’t have to have those guys to win this ball game. We just needed to play smarter. We weren’t waiting for anybody to come off the field and say, ‘If we would’ve had this [guy]…’ We had chances to win this game.

“[The Packers] had a good ball game. They took care of the football for the most part. We shot ourselves in the foot, and there’s some things we can’t do. Talent had nothing to do with the way we shot ourselves in the foot.”

“Those guys” refers to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Julio Jones and Donovan Smith. Evans was suspended for Sunday’s game, while Godwin, Jones and Smith were all sidelined with injuries. It’s easy to attribute some of the Bucs’ offensive issues to the fact that they’re missing some of their regulars. Having even one of those guys in Week 3 likely would have made up the difference in a two-point game.

“You can point to all that, but this is our job, to go out there and play well regardless of the situation,” tight end Cameron Brate said. “It’s something that we’ve done well in the past, guys have stepped up when they’ve needed to and their number was called. It just hasn’t happened yet this year. We’re looking forward to getting our full receivers corps back, but we had plenty of guys today to win the game and just didn’t do it.”

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

The offense simply hasn’t executed at a high level over the last three weeks no matter who has or hasn’t been in the lineup. And it’s certainly been an unusual sight to see. In 2020, the Bucs averaged 30.8 points per game, which was good for third in the NFL. Last year, they averaged 30.1 points per game, which ranked second in the league. Through three games in the 2022 season, Tampa Bay has put up just 17 points per game – and that includes a defensive touchdown.

Quarterback Tom Brady said after Sunday’s game that they always want to play with their best players, but they have to find a way to execute regardless of who’s out there.

“Our job is to go out there and score points,” Brady said. “We’re just not doing it. You’re not gonna score many points if you don’t execute.”

Brate acknowledged in the locker room after the game that there’s certainly some frustration that comes with the way the group has been playing.

“It’s so frustrating because of the guys we do have on offense. Even without Mike, Chris and Julio, we have plenty of talent to score points,” Brate said. “When you’re not doing it, it kind of just snowballs and you just feel the pressure. It’s hard.”

Bucs’ Offense Continues To Hurt Itself

For much of Sunday’s game, the Tampa Bay offense got in its own way. It felt like every big play was immediately offset by a mistake. There were holding penalties that brought plays back, which was the case when Brandon Walton was flagged to negate an 18-yard run by Brady. False starts by Walton and Scotty Miller killed an earlier drive as well.

Bucs WR Breshad Perriman – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Turnovers were a problem, too. Twice, the Bucs had promising drives brought to a halt by turnovers. Breshad Perriman fumbled once, while Russell Gage also had the ball knocked loose after a catch.

Later in the game, another miscue cost the Bucs. After Brady found Jaelon Darden for a 25-yard gain to midfield, a double-reverse play went wrong and Scotty Miller lost the ball. Tampa Bay recovered, but it set up a 2nd-&-22 situation. After Brady was sacked on second down, the offense faced 3rd & 30, which is less than ideal in any game, much less one that has already been a struggle for the offense.

“We know we have to finish drives. We have to be better in those areas,” Gage said. “Because turnovers can kill you. Defense did a good job of taking it away from [the Packers]. We can’t give it back.”

Finally, with the game on the line, the Bucs found some offensive life. Brady drove the offense 89 yards in 13 plays before finding Gage for a one-yard touchdown. That brought them within 14-12, but after a delay of game on the two-point conversion try, they couldn’t tie the game and send it to overtime. Instead, Green Bay held on to win despite being shut out by the Buccaneer defense in the second half.

“That last drive just kind of showed you who we really are. We know we can move the ball on teams any given day,” Gage said. “You can look at the last few games. Penalties, getting behind the sticks, false starts, holdings. It’s not teams just coming out there and just physically beating us. It’s us kind of beating ourselves.”

Frustration Builds As Offense Can’t Complement Defensive Dominance

Bucs DT Logan Hall and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Through the first three games of the 2022 season, the Bucs boast one of the league’s top defenses. Bowles’ unit held the Cowboys to three points in Week 1. The Saints scored 10 points in Week 2, and their only touchdown came late as the Bucs had the game well in hand. And after allowing two early touchdown drives on Sunday against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, the defense stepped up and pitched a shutout the rest of the way. That’s 27 points in three games. The problem, though, is that the offense has scored just three touchdowns over those three games.

“It’s frustrating when the defense is playing so well and the offense is playing so poorly,” Brate said. “You’re not holding up your end. That’s tough. The way the defense has played, we should realistically probably be 3-0 right now.”

It’s true. Tampa Bay’s defense has played at a high level all year long, and the team should be 3-0 because of it. Sooner or later, the offense will need to pick up its end of the things and play complementary football.

“We’ve just played terrible on offense the first three games. … The past two games, we didn’t play well at all,” Brate said. “Defense played well again today, forced some turnovers, made some great third-down stops… I’m sure they’re frustrated with the offense. We’re not pulling our weight, so we’re just gonna have to figure it out.”

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But if you ask second-year outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, the frustration has more to do with the defense’s early struggles against Green Bay. The Packers took a 7-3 lead on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 6:04. They then extended their lead to 14-3 with a 12-play, 71-yard drive that took 6:49 off the clock.

“Just those first two drives were sickening,” Tryon-Shoyinka said. “The only points they scored in the game. After that, we shut them out. So, we move forward from that and look forward to the Kansas City game.”

Still, it’s hard for the Buccaneer defense to play much better than it has. The offense needs to get going, and as tough as it’s been for that side of the ball, Brate said he is confident that the group will get back to where it should be soon.

“We know how good we can be. We just haven’t played up to that potential yet,” he said. “You can point in a lot of different directions for why that’s happened. It’s a long season. Obviously, we haven’t started out the way we wanted to on offense, but with the guys we have, with the coaches we have, we’re gonna get this thing figured out. We’re gonna start scoring some points. If the defense is playing like they’ve played the first couple of games once the offense gets rolling, we’re going to be tough to beat.”