After having my work cut out for me with this column last week, this week offered far more opportunities to provide further analysis. The Bucs came into Sunday afternoon needing a big win to make the playoffs, facing a Saints squad that entered depleted and off two tough defeats to the Packers and Raiders.

Needing to handle business, Tampa Bay did so by winning 27-19. Although they came out on top, there will be plenty of things to clean up heading into the Super Wild Card round as they did not put their best foot forward to close out the regular season.

First-Half Offense

If you are Liam Coen, this is not the game you wanted to have with Tom Brady watching from the broadcast booth at Raymond James Stadium. After putting up points in abundance this season, things changed on Sunday afternoon facing the Saints.

The Bucs could not get a drive going in the first half, with New Orleans controlling the time of possession 19:15 to 10:45, total yards 231 to 117, and first downs 15 to 5. The defense has prevented them from playing complementary football much of the year, but it was the offense that failed to give the team life. Outside of a 25-yard run by Bucky Irving in the first half, it was tough sledding. Baker Mayfield went 9-for-16 for just 67 passing yards through 30 minutes, and they did not put themselves in a position to sustain drives and establish the run game.

End-Of-Half Defense

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After Chase McLaughlin made it a 13-6 game with just over a minute in the first half, the Bucs’ defense gave the field goal right back to the Saints. Tampa Bay’s secondary gave up the sidelines and allowed Spencer Rattler to complete seven straight passes, which drove them down the field and allowed them to make it a two-possession game.

There is no excuse for this to happen — and for New Orleans to do whatever they wanted on head coach Todd Bowles’ defense.

The Secondary

It was not a great game for the Bucs’ secondary, either. Missing starting safeties Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead as well as cornerback Jamel Dean, it was clear that the back end of the defense missed having them against rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler. Rattler looked like a dialed-in veteran dispensing the ball around to his available targets.

Despite finishing with four pass breakups, Zyon McCollum had a disappointing game in coverage, allowing a 14-yard catch to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and a 26-yard catch to Juwan Johnson in the first half. For being such a toolsy cornerback with elite athleticism, it is concerning that McCollum was getting beaten. After being one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL in the first half of the season, he has dropped off noticeably in the second half and has not recorded an interception since Week 6.

Josh Hayes filled in for Dean and at the beginning of the game, he made a couple of nice tackles. Still, when it mattered most, Hayes crumbled. He was responsible for allowing Dante Pettis to haul in the first touchdown of the day that put Tampa Bay into more of a hole.

He joined the penalty party after being called for holding on a punt return that gave the team the ball back midway through the fourth quarter.

Where’s The Pass Rush?

Inside and out, this was a lackluster game from the Bucs’ pass rush as they had just two sacks. Facing a Saints offense missing many of their skill weapons and starting offensive linemen, one would have thought Tampa Bay would blitz and get more pressure on Spencer Rattler. Rattler has had a rough rookie year since taking over for Derek Carr, but he had a chance to settle in because the front seven was not getting after him much.

While one can point to them simply not generating pressure, Todd Bowles also made questionable personnel decisions with who he had in and how they were utilized. There were times when Yaya Diaby and Anthony Nelson would drop into coverage or be shifted to awkward spots across the defensive line where they could not get after the quarterback. This had a ripple effect and allowed New Orleans to have more success and control the ball longer than Bowles surely wanted.

Penalties

Speaking of players called for penalties, the Bucs offense was called for a heavy dose of them, especially on a drive that carried into the fourth quarter. Ben Bredeson, Sterling Shepard, and Payne Durham were each called for penalties that set the team back 20 yards, and it was just another obstacle for them to overcome.

Nine of the 11 flags thrown on Tampa Bay were called on offense, and it was clear that the unit was simply not in sync. I do want to take the time to mention that the unsportsmanlike conduct flag thrown on wide receiver Jalen McMillan after his 34-yard catch was an absolute joke of a call.

WR Sterling Shepard

It is difficult to single out players for one moment in the game where it did not perhaps change the outcome, but in Sterling Shepard’s case, this was an egregious play that could have given the Bucs more life in the first half. On the outskirts of field goal range on the offense’s opening drive, Shepard dropped a wide-open pass running a drag route that would have been a first down and more.

It was a huge drop at the time, and his lack of impact in this one stood out. The veteran wide receiver recorded just one catch for 11 yards and while he was the beneficiary of an unnecessary roughness penalty, he was also called for a false start.