The Bucs won yet another one-score nail biter, 20-17 at home, against the Cardinals. It was a much-needed win considering the division rival Carolina Panthers beat the Los Angeles Rams in a surprising upset. Despite the win, concerns abounded in a game the Bucs should have won by a much wider margin.

Here’s what was most disappointing for Tampa Bay in Sunday’s win:

Receiver Drops

Two of the more sure-handed receivers you can think of entering this year had drops keep points off the board for the Bucs today. It started on the first drive of the game when the Bucs were faced with a 3rd and 10 at the Cardinals 47-yard line. Quarterback Baker Mayfield found receiver Emeka Egbuka over the middle on a deep in-cut only to see Egbuka drop the pass.

Had he held on, Tampa Bay would have had 1st and 10 well with in kicker Chase McLaughlin’s range. Instead, the Bucs punted and kept the score 0-0.

Later in the first half, Mayfield once again had a sure-handed receiver open over the middle. This time, it was Chris Godwin in the back of the end zone for a would-be touchdown. Godwin was also unable to hold onto the pass, and the Bucs had to kick a field goal instead of getting the full seven points on the drive.

In total, seven  potential points were never realized. From the start of his career through 2024, Godwin was one of the most automatic receivers in the NFL, consistently posting high catch rates and impressive contested catch numbers. Likewise, Egbuka had a similar profile coming out of Ohio State. This year, both players are hovering around 50% – with Godwin below that number – often killing drives on crucial third downs. One would think this will improve going forward, but it is still troubling.

Bucs’ Flat Coverage

After getting gashed over the top and in the intermediate the past several games, the Bucs defense made a concerted effort to try and stop the big plays deep. In doing so, they left the flats open for Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett to exploit. Running backs Zonovan (Bam) Knight and Michael Carter, along with receiver Greg Dortch, made them pay.

Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett – Photo by: USA Today

Those three combined for 97 yards and a touchdown, with almost all of their production coming from the flats. Brissett was able to find flat options on multiple third downs to extend drives that led to crucial scores throughout the game.

Offensive Operation Struggles And Penalties

Tampa Bay had trouble deciphering the Cardinals’ pre-snap defensive front looks early in the game. That caused Mayfield to have to call multiple protection and play audibles, winding the clock down to scant few seconds on multiple occasions. Eventually, it resulted in a false start that helped stall a promising drive in the first half.

Penalties plagued the Bucs throughout the game. Luke Goedeke and Payne Durham got caught on a false starts on the team’s first offensive drive, leading to a punt. Both players would also be called for holds later in the game. Durham’s hold took a Bucky Irving touchdown off the board. Goedeke’s hold negated a Sean Tucker 7-yard run to start a favorable field position drive. The Bucs would go three-and-out instead.

Missed Tackles

The Bucs have not had much of a tackling problem this year. But this game bucked that trend. Jamel Dean and Jacob Parrish missed tackles early in the game on a Bam Knight run that went for double digits. Tykee Smith also missed one early on a drive that almost resulted in points in the first quarter.

Those issues continued late in the game. Up 17-10 in the fourth quarter, the Bucs missed multiple tackles on back-to-back plays with the Cardinals facing a 2nd and 12 on deep in their own territory. Those missed tackles led to gains of nine and 11 yards, giving Arizona a new set of downs. Luckily for the Bucs, they were able to hold tight on a key 4th and 1 a few plays later, but the process was quite concerning.

The missed tackles extended to the Bucs’ pass rush, as they had multiple opportunities to add to the two sacks they recorded. Brissett was under constant pressure all game. On Brissett’s touchdown pass to Knight, Brissett was able to avoid getting brought down by Anthony Nelson from his blindside, but also Chris Braswell from his right. Braswell had him dead to rights, but was unable to make the play, giving the Cardinals quarterback all the time he needed to escape and find an outlet for the score to bring Arizona to within a score.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bucs’ Second-Half Trey McBride Plan

After holding McBride to three catches for 17 yards in the first half, the Bucs struggled to find a solution for the All-Pro tight end in the second half. McBride drove much of Arizona’s offense as they worked their way back in the game throughout the third and fourth quarters. Brissett found his favorite target on consecutive plays for gains of 18 and six yards in the third quarter to help set up the Knight touchdown to make the game 17-10.

McBride then had a big 20-yard catch in the fourth quarter to put the Cardinals into Bucs territory. He would finish off that drive with a 15-yard slot post where he out-leveraged Tykee Smith for a touchdown that closed the score to 20-17 Bucs. That touchdown came after Marvin Harrison Jr. exited the game with a foot injury when the Cardinals offense was more likely to lean on McBride.

He is one of the five best tight ends in the game, but the Bucs gave him easy gains and failed to adjust when their original plan stopped working.