There are some games when a team should just burn the tape once the clock hits zero. This was one of those games for the Bucs.

The score doesn’t tell the story well enough of a lethargic, poorly game-planned and poorly executed squad that never should have had a chance to come back late, but somehow miraculously made a game of the whole affair in the waning moments, only to have a slight misstep by Chris Godwin dash their hopes. I have given myself muscle cramps writing about all of the players and coaches who deserve to be on the Most Disappointing list from the Bucs’ week 17 home loss to the Saints.

CB Zyon McCollum

McCollum was an indirect reason the Saints were able to get their first score of the game. On 2nd & 10 from the New Orleans 42, the Saints tried to run Kamara to the right. McCollum, on a run blitz, had him dead to rights in the backfield but missed the tackle. Kamara was able to parlay that miss into a 13-yard gain and a new first down in Tampa Bay territory. The Saints would eventually score a touchdown on the drive to go up 7-0 and never look back.

McCollum’s attempts to play physical as a tackler were doomed by his poor form as he was dangerously close to missing several other tackles. He finished the game with seven combined tackles on the day.

OC Dave Canales

Bucs OC Dave Canales and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Canales regressed in his play sequencing so much in the game that I am partially convinced he thought the year was 1984. Constant unsuccessful first down runs. Plenty of second-and-long runs to complement the fails on first down. Canales had no answers for the physical and stifling Saints defensive scheme that saw plenty of Cover-2 man.

And the Bucs offensive coordinator was unable to adjust or modify his uninspired gameplan. Even late into the third quarter, Canales was still calling early-down runs despite being down three scores and knowing the Bucs defense wasn’t forcing three and outs. The lack of urgency that has been a part of his motus operandi for much of the season was one of a thousand nails in the coffin.

Canales finally started leading with his best foot in the fourth quarter, opting to throw the ball early and often. The formula nearly worked, as the Bucs ripped off several explosives enroute to 13 fourth-quarter points. But the damage was done by then as Tampa Bay was down by too much to overcome the giant deficit.

The Bucs offense will be credited with 349 net yards, but going 2-of-8 on third down was largely in part to Canales’ insistence on pushing a run game that was devoid of success in the first half, which led to an early insurmountable deficit.

Bucs Offensive Line

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield was under pressure and scrambling for his life throughout the entire game. Right guard Aaron Stinnie was victimized all game by the Saints’ interior defenders. The Bucs only had 10 pass attempts in the first half and Mayfield was under duress during the majority of them because Stinnie was allowing instant pressure up the middle.

Center Robert Hanisey all the way to the right side all had issues at different times, but the whole of the group left Mayfield scrambling on a sizeable chunk of his drop backs. In the fourth quarter, the group would get it together to help the offense start to claw back, but they have to stop waiting until the waning moments of games to buckle down.

LB Devin White

Bucs ILBs Devin White and Lavonte David – Photo by: USA Today

White had one good stop in the backfield, but otherwise struggled to get to his spot against the Saints’ horizontal rushing attack. Add to that he was the primary defender against Saints tight end Juwan Johnson on his 33-yard catch from deep in New Orleans’ territory on 3rd & Long and it marks a recipe for a bad game following his career-effort against the Jaguars.

Todd Bowles opted to play K.J. Britt over White for parts of the fourth quarter. White finished the game with seven combined tackles.

Bucs Wide Receivers

Mayfield didn’t have many opportunities to throw in the first half. But when he did, he struggled to find anyone gaining separation. Outside of the deep post to Mike Evans for 33 yards in the first quarter and the weak-side rollout where Trey Palmer had a step on Alontae Taylor, Mayfield was constantly having to move through multiple reads to try and find an open option. Chris Godwin and Palmer combined for two targets and no catches in the first half.

Bucs WRs Trey Palmer, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

QB Baker Mayfield

The throw to Palmer could have been a touchdown if Mayfield would have led him, but instead he underthrew the ball into Taylor’s awaiting arms. Mayfield also had another near-pick on a sideline throw to Cade Otton late in the first half. Mayfield was constantly having to double-clutch his throws to avoid them being batted down at the line of scrimmage. In doing so, he was able to accomplish that goal but also working outside of the timing of the route concepts, leading to incomplete passes.

None were more impactful then in the third quarter, when Mayfield had Mike Evans open on a deep crossing route. The double clutch led Evans to believe he needed to carry his route more vertically and change the shoulder he had to look over. Mayfield finally launched the ball to the original intended shoulder and the ball fell to the ground incomplete. Mayfield would throw another interception to Johnathan Abram late in the game down 20-0 trying to make a comeback.

Following a heroic attempt to bring the team back in the closing moments of the game where Mayfield hooked up with Chris Godwin on a 47-yard touchdown to bring the Bucs within 10, he found Godwin in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion that would have kept the Bucs’ hopes alive for the ensuing onsides kick attempt.

But Godwin stepped out of bounds before catching the two-point conversion. That, coupled with a roughing the passer call on Saints safety Tyrann Matheiu, had the two teams retry the conversion where Mayfield forced a throw into the back of the end zone that was intercepted by Paulson Adebo to put the final nail in the coffin.

For the game, Mayfield was 22-of-33 for 309 yards and two touchdowns coupled with the two interceptions.

P Jake Camarda

This game was easily the worst of Camarda’s career. Take out his 51-yard punt and he had four punts for just 156 yards, averaging just 39 yards per attempt. His first punt of the game was from his own 19 and resulted in New Orleans starting at their own 40 for a net of just 41 yards. His next attempt netted just 28 yards. His first try of the third quarter only gave the Bucs 37 yards of additional field position for the defense. Add to those bad balls some especially troubling kickoffs that failed to reach the endzone, and it has me wondering if he was hurt, or worse, developed the yips.

TE Cade Otton

Otton had several drops on the day, leading to a line of just two catches and 10 yards on a team-high six targets. Two of his drops helped stall early drives on the rare first down throw Canales called. Otton was also victimized by Cam Jordan on the Bucs’ first drive of the game on a third and one where he just had to slow the veteran pass rusher on the backside of a Rachaad White run. Otton was unable to do so and Jordan helped blow the play up in the backfield forcing a punt.

WR Trey Palmer and RB Rachaad White

Both of the young Bucs playmakers made some fantastic plays in this game. But almost all of those plays and their production will be overshadowed by costly fumbles in the second half that prevented the Bucs from mounting a comeback. White’s fumble midway through the third quarter was at the New Orleans 27-yard line after gaining a first down on what was an eight-play, 51 yard drive that, at the very least, could have given the Bucs a field goal to bring the game to 17-3.

Palmer’s was on a 54-yard bomb from Mayfield that would have set the Bucs up with 1st &10 on the Saints 21 with about three-and-a-half minutes left in the game while down 23-7. In a game that wound up being 23-13, those plays mattered as they could have helped the Bucs tie the game late. White finished the day with 11 carries and four catches for 66 yards from scrimmage while Palmer caught four of his five targets for 84 yards and a touchdown to go with that big fumble late.