7 Takeaways from Buccaneers 26-19 win over Saints by David Rumsey 1h ago 
Jameis Winston has settled downAfter a rookie debut that Jameis Winston and all Bucs fans wanted to forget as soon as it ended, Sunday was a much different story. Winston was backed up inside his own 10-yard line on the Bucs first possession and fired a strike to TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins on 3rd down like he had been there a hundred times before.His first TD pass of the day wouldn’t come until right before halftime but Winston showed much better poise right from the start in New Orleans. He finished the day 14/21 for 207 yards, 1 TD and 1 Rush TD. He did fumble the ball in the 4th quarter but only threw two questionable passes all day and was never picked off.The Bucs QB was sacked three times Sunday, but that’s okay. He could have tried to force the ball downfield on any of those three sacks, but instead he just tried to gain yards with his feet, although that resulted in one fumble. Overall, he protected the ball much better than he did against the Titans a week ago.Winston looked great on play action, completing a 54-yard pass to Louis Murphy, throwing to him another time in the endzone that drew a pass interference call and getting the ball deep to Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who dropped the ball in open space. The point is, the Saints were biting on the play fake and Winston was making them pay.When the Bucs went no huddle at the end of the 2nd quarter Winston seemed to thrive, despite a few penalties on that drive. The Bucs opening drive in the 3rd quarter was fast paced as well. It looks like Winston is very comfortable moving the ball in a quick offense.There were two missed TDs in the 3rd quarter on back-to-back plays on 2nd and 3rd & goal. Winston acknowledged those overthrows after the game and promised to do better.The Houston Texans along with J.J. Watt will present a new set of problems for Winston next week, but his play in New Orleans was a good bounce-back from his performance against Tennessee.
Mike Evans is still recoveringThe Bucs second-year receiver made his first start of the season Sunday after sitting out the opener a week ago, but failed to record a reception. He played 40 of the 66 offensive snaps.It appears that Evans was being eased back into the offense since he hadn’t played since injuring his hamstring in week 2 of the preseason. Evans is probably fine, but just hasn’t gotten into a rhythm with Jameis Winston yet due to all of his missed time.Don’t be too discouraged, though, Winston was still looking Evans’ way Sunday, targeting him three times (keep in mind Winston only threw 21 passes). Evans got open and made a nice play on the sideline on the final drive of the 1st half, but he was called out of bounds and the play wasn’t reviewed (you can make a great case he got both feet down).It’s clear Winston likes to chuck the ball downfield and we all know Evans can get downfield in a hurry and make big plays when healthy. If there are no more setbacks then it should just be a matter of time before the Winston to Evans combo becomes as lethal as the Bucs hope it will be.
Bucs need a possession receiverEven without Mike Evans having the same impact he did a year ago, Jameis Winston has still been aggressive getting the ball down the field.Vincent Jackson, Louis Murphy and Austin Seferian-Jenkins all recorded receptions of 20 or more yards. Seferian-Jenkins dropped another huge pass and Murphy drew a big pass interference call in the endzone.It’s great that Winston and the Bucs can move the ball downfield in big chunks, but it sometimes seems like it’s all or nothing when Winston drops back to pass. If he doesn’t have a big receiver open deep he is forced to settle for a check down usually to Doug Martin, Charles Sims or Bobby Rainey.The offense could really benefit from a possession receiver that could pick up five to ten yards gains on a consistent basis. Check downs and screens can produce big yards, but there is still value in being able to pick yards on slants and other quick passes.Undrafted rookie Adam Humphries He seems to be a likely candidate for this role, but he wasn’t targeted at all Sunday. It may certainly be a while before he is ready to get more offensive snaps so the Bucs need another option.If Mike Evans can get back to his normal self then that could allow Vincent Jackson to play a different role, but for now it seems like the Bucs will be relying a big plays and play-action fakes to get the ball downfield.
Bucs are still struggling with penaltiesThe Bucs didn’t avoid the penalty bug on Sunday, committing 11 fouls that cost them 90 yards. Fortunately the Saints commited 10 of their own that resulted in 115 yards for the Bucs. Against a more disciplined opponent, though, the Bucs will be in the hole when it comes to penalties.Jacquies Smith was called for a questionable 15-yard personal foul against Drews Brees, but other than that the Bucs deserved the penalties they got.Holding calls and false starts slowed down the offense when it was in sync and moving well. Even veteran Logan Mankins moved early once before the ball was snapped.The Bucs can’t hamper Jameis Winston moving forward by constantly putting him in 1st & 15 and 2nd & 20 situations. It’s hard enough for a rookie to just get the 10 yards for a first down, don’t make it any more difficult.
Charles Sims is getting more involvedDoug Martin carried the ball 21 time against the Saints and is clearly still the Bucs no. 1 option at RB, but Charles Sims was featured some Sunday, getting eight carries and recording three receptions. That’s 11 touches for Sims; the Bucs clearly want to get the ball in his hands at least a few times each game.It doesn’t appear that Sims will challenge Martin for playing time but he is showing that he can give the starter some rest and even move the chains at times. His longest rush and reception were both 12 yards. That’s not lethal to a defense, but it can definitely help the offense keep moving.One concern I do have with the Bucs RBs is that it seems like they are a bit like the receiving game in that it’s all or nothing. Martin had runs of 20, 14 and 10 yards, but many of his other runs were stuffed at the line for small gains.I am impressed with Martin’s rejuvenated efforts on the field as he fights for extra yards even when the play breaks down. Maybe my concern is more with the offensive line. They can occasionally open big holes but there doesn’t seem to be an ultra-consistent rushing attack.Martin and Sims did combine for 116 yards so you can’t complain too much, but they might not get as many big plays against a better defense.
The defense can create turnoversThere were definitely questions and reasons for concern after the Bucs performance against Tennessee in week 1. The defense looked especially out of sync and we were all ready to call for Lovie Smith’s head.Sunday showed us that the Cover-2 scheme can work if the defense doesn’t miss tackles and creates turnovers. They did both of those things and held the Saints to just 19 points.Saints WR Brandon Cooks figured to be a deep threat that could severely hurt the Bucs, but Drew Brees just couldn’t get the ball downfield. Since the Saints weren’t threatening to throw deep, the Bucs were able to focus on bottling up everything underneath.After four punts to start the game, though, the Saints either scored or turned the ball over on the rest of their possessions. That’s when the defense’s playing-making ability came out.If it wasn’t for the interception and two fumbles the Saints would have scored 30 points and that probably would have been enough to win. It’s a risky defense to run but the Bucs forced turnovers and came out on top Sunday.
Jaquies Smith is the real dealDE Jacquies Smith sacked Drew Brees three times Sunday and is now the NFL’s 2015 sack leader. And speaking over turnovers, Smith forced fumbles on his first two sacks but the Bucs weren’t able to recover them.Besides the sacks Smith was also a constant source of pressure off the Bucs defensive line. The Saints even started double-teaming him on a few plays because he was always getting to Brees.Smith missed some time in the preseason and Henry Melton was taking reps at DE in his place. At that point it was unclear exactly what the Bucs defensive line would look like.Now that Smith has asserted himself as a real pass-rushing option and George Johnson is playing well, too, it seems like the Bucs have their line figured out. As long as Gerald McCoy doesn’t miss any time due to the injury suffered in New Orleans the Bucs defense should look to continue improving.link
