The Bucs had almost all of their starters available for Saturday night’s preseason finale against the Colts. The starters looked ready to go for the regular season, particularly the defense, who swarmed the Colts from the beginning. But once the backups got in, we saw shaky blocking from the offensive line, a surprising amount of big plays and rushing yards allowed from missed tackles and poor play in kick coverage.

All of that blended into a 27-10 loss for the Bucs as they dropped to 0-3 in exhibition plays. Of course, these games do not count and all roads now lead to Tampa Bay’s Sept. 11 season opener in Dallas.

Here were the most impressive players from the Bucs’ loss to the Colts on Saturday night:

QB Tom Brady

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

I think we can stop all of the talk about being worried that Brady missed practices during his 11-day hiatus. In his in-game snaps, Brady looked as comfortable and poised as ever. He pushed the pace with an up-tempo offense and got rid of the ball quick with a new-look offensive line in front of him. One of his highlights was a 20-yard completion to Julio Jones. Brady completed six of his eight passing attempts, with one of those incompletions being a drop by Tyler Johnson. He threw for 44 yards and finished with a QB rating of 87.5 on the field goal drive.

QB Blaine Gabbert

Gabbert earned his job as the second quarterback with another steady outing.  He orchestrated the Bucs’ only touchdown drive, which consisted of moving the ball 81 yards. You can’t really get on Gabbert’s case for only scoring on one of his four drives, as the offensive line struggled heavily around him. Gabbert went 4-of-5 on this throws for 47 yards and a 105.8 quarterback rating.

ILB Lavonte David

Getting his first reps of the preseason, David made the splash plays that we’ve been all too familiar with over his career. He blitzed right up the middle on the opening drive and took Matt Ryan down for a sack to force a punt. On the next drive, David laid a nice hit on running back Deon Jackson, which led to an incompletion. After a season where injuries slowed him down, it was great to see David flying around on Saturday night.

TE Cade Otton

After an early drop, Otton bounced back in a huge way with a 30-yard reception. That helped the Bucs move down the field on their 81-yard touchdown drive. He also made another catch that went for 17 yards. It wasn’t just the receiving, though, as Otton had a good blocking game, helping the offense move the ball on the ground throughout. He did have a false start on a 4th & 1 when the offense was looking to go for it, so there are still some growing pains coming along.

TE Ko Kieft

It feels like every time Kieft is in the game, his blocks are must-watch. He played an important part in springing Ke’Shawn Vaughn for some of his long runs. Kieft is carving out a role as a primary blocking tight end and a lead fullback when the play calls for it. He’s still the fourth tight end on the roster and was on the bubble, but with the way he’s performed, it’ll be tough to try and sneak him onto the practice squad.

DT Akiem Hicks

The stats won’t indicate the presence that Hicks had on the early part of this game. With that said, he looked like a monster out there, getting into the backfield. He looked very agile with his rushing and made it very difficult for the opposing offensive linemen. If Hicks can stay healthy, him and Vita Vea will cause chaos up front.

RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Bucs RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn – Photo by: USA Today

He got the most snaps out of any of the Bucs’ running backs, but Vaughn was the best back of the night for Tampa Bay. He looked comfortable and confident running the ball. Vaughn had rushes of 14 and 12 yards on the Bucs’ first touchdown drive, which ended when he punched it over the goal line from a yard out. He finished the night with 36 yards and a touchdown on nine carries (4.0 avg.).

CB Jamel Dean

As the third cornerback, Dean had a very solid game. He was tight in his coverage and didn’t get beat down the field. Dean also came close to an interception on a short pass to the sideline. He’ll need to turn those pass breakups into picks for the regular season.

TE JJ Howland

On the biggest gain of the game for the Bucs, Howland snuck behind the coverage on broken play and caught a 46-yard pass from Kyle Trask. That reception made him the game’s leading receiver. Howland blocked well and may have positioned himself to get on the practice squad after roster cuts.

OLB Andre Anthony 

For the second game in a row, Anthony recorded a sack. He had a slow start at the beginning of training camp, but has gotten in better shape and is understanding the game more. Anthony was drafted because he is quick off the edge despite being a little undersized, and he’s used that speed to his advantage.