It felt great to get back in the winning column on Sunday! Hopefully, this win will launch us into a winning streak and build momentum as we head toward the end of the season. Here are the highlights and lowlights from this past weekend’s victory.
Highlights
– Bucky Irving’s Return: It was fantastic to see Bucky Irving back on the field. While Rachaad White and Sean Tucker are solid running backs, Bucky brings something special. He has the ability to make something out of nothing and is explosive when hitting openings. His presence adds much-needed playmaking to the Bucs’ offense.
– Defensive Pressure: It was encouraging to see the defense apply some pressure on Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The return of Haason Reddick made a difference; although he didn’t record any sacks, his presence was felt and helped his teammates make plays.
Bucs Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Buccaneers.com
-Standout Performances: Jamel Dean and Tykee Smith continue to impress, playing like potential Pro Bowl candidates. Tykee was everywhere on the field, and Dean’s coverage helped shut down one side of the field. He also deflected the pass that led to Antoine Winfield Jr.’s interception.
– Chris Godwin’s Grit: Chris Godwin Jr. made plays that reminded us of his past greatness, particularly his determined route through the Cardinals’ stacked defensive front and into a wheel route that set us up for our first touchdown. Godwin also showcased his tough inside blocking, helping Bucky gain some extra yards downfield. It’s great to see #14 back in action!
Lowlights
– Pass Defense Struggles: The Bucs’ pass defense gave up 301 yards and currently ranks 29th in the league—a concerning sign for a playoff-contending team. This performance reflects a lack of quarterback pressure and coverage mistakes. With this being the norm for over three years, I’m not sure how we fix this issue this season.
– Short Yardage Issues: We continue to struggle with converting short third downs, due to a mix of receivers not getting open, questionable play calling, and Baker Mayfield holding onto the ball too long. I fear third-and-short situations at this point… either convert on second down or get into third and six or longer for a better chance! 😂
– Pass Protection Woes: For some reason, our pass protection isn’t holding up well this year. We have four of five starters on the offensive line, which is better than many teams at this point in the season. While some of the pressure is due to Baker holding onto the football too long, it’s alarming that he’s facing pressure within two seconds on many plays. The offensive line needs to improve to support Baker, especially if we’re fortunate enough to make the playoffs.
Final Word
Despite the concerns, some of these highlights indicate that we’re moving in the right direction… especially with the potential return of players like Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, and Calijah Kancey. Let’s take it one game at a time and aim to win this division again!
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Hoping reports on McMillan playing this week are true and Evans returning for Falcons or Panthers
Irving returning adds a nice wrinkle to the offense that defenses have to account for because he is so shifty in small space.
Reddick has been receiving a lot of flack from Bucs fans on various websites but his difference is noticeable when in the game, and if it makes Diaby a better player in the long run then Reddick is worthy every penny. Looking like a solid value add by Licht for bargain prices.
Dean is thriving with his new role this year and I think they might want to try something similar for Kancey to reduce snap counts and keep him healthy and fresh. It works with Vea too so maybe the Bucs staff is onto something with that. Smith is quickly ascending and may surpass Winfield Jr at this rate but nice to have these two back there. McCollum and Parrish are young guys and mistakes are expected to happen. Still the soft coverage I am seeing from Dean who is a vet so I can't say it is all on McCollum.
Godwin back and Evans/McMillan back is s a great shot of adrenaline to the offense. We might see the original starting trio out there with Egbuka which is very exciting but also scary for NFC defenses.
Kancey gets pushed around so he just needs to be a third down specialist.
I didn't watch the tape on Reddick but getting depth back on defense is always nice.
dude getting Mike Evans back brings a tear to my eye
we have been in purgatory this year with the injuries; let's see if we can have a run!
dude getting Mike Evans back brings a tear to my eye
we have been in purgatory this year with the injuries; let's see if we can have a run!
hoping he's not coming back too soon but yes agree
Evans opens up the whole offense
Evans opens up the whole offense
For sure. An offense that has a healthy Evans, Godwin and Irving is a completely different offense. May take a while to get up to speed, but waht a great thing it would be to get Evans back
