As we move further away from Monday night’s disappointing loss to the Lions, things don’t feel quite as gloomy. Don’t get me wrong; there were some ugly moments for the Bucs, but there’s also a light at the end of the tunnel. This shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone. Last week, I mentioned that the Lions don’t lose back-to-back games, and it’s tough to keep winning streaks alive in the NFL, so I predicted a two-touchdown defeat—and that’s how it ended. Let’s look at the highlights and lowlights from the game.
Lowlights:
- Slow Start Issues: Once again, the Bucs struggled with a slow start. The defense gave up an opening drive touchdown that looked way too easy for the Lions, and the offense responded poorly with a quick 3-and-out, punting right back to Detroit. We need to improve our performance during opening drives.
- Baker Mayfield’s Inaccuracy: Baker had an off night, appearing tentative to throw and take off when he had the chance. Maybe the pressure got to him, but he had opportunities to make plays. We’re still too far from Halloween for Baker to be seeing ghosts!
- Questionable Play Calling: Josh Grizzard has received some leeway from fans this week due to Mayfield’s inaccuracies, but I wasn’t impressed with his play-calling flow. Baker was 4 for 5 for 12 yards early in the second quarter, and we only managed two first downs by that point. Grizzard called too many runs on first downs in the first half and hardly ran the ball at all in the second half. After a few weeks of successful short to intermediate routes, he seems to be shifting back to vertical threats, which worries me. Vertical shots should be taken when available, but we shouldn’t base the offense around them. When early shots to Evans fell incomplete, it left us in tough situations like 2nd and 10, 2nd and 15, and 3rd and 8. Let's take what the defense gives us!
- Logan Hall’s Struggles: Logan Hall had a rough game, especially against the run. I mentioned last week that the Lions should run at him, and they did—successfully. They stretched-blocked him out of his gap multiple times.
- SirVocea Dennis’ Limitations: SirVocea Dennis is starting to show who he really is. While he plays downhill well, fills running lanes on run blitzes, and rushes the passer effectively, he struggles in space. He’s looked out of place athletically on several occasions this year, which is something that can’t be coached away.
- Offensive Line Troubles: The offensive line had their worst pass-blocking performance of the season. Tristan Wirfs didn’t have his best game, Ben Bredeson was below average, and the right side—Graham Barton, Michael Jordan, and Charlie Heck—got manhandled most of the night. We need to tighten up this area immediately.
- Defensive Coverage Issues: Although the Bucs' defense played relatively well for much of the night, they had too many blown coverages leading to wide-open receivers and missed gap assignments. I don’t know if it’s because I focus on the Bucs more than other teams, but they always seem to have more busted assignments than most. Why is that?
Highlights:
- Tykee Smith’s Standout Performance: Tykee Smith is a complete dawg! He racked up 13 tackles and a sack on Monday night. Besides Vita Vea, he’s playing the best football on the defensive side. He’s a physical tackler, aggressive in pass breakups, and not afraid to talk smack to anyone. Give us 22 Tykee Smiths, and we’ll be just fine!
- Defensive Blitzes: Despite some blown assignments, Todd Bowles dialed up some effective blitzes that led to big plays, including Tykee Smith’s sack. Jamel Dean also snagged his third interception of the season.
- Emerging Defensive Backfield: The Bucs’ defensive backs are starting to gel. With players like Tykee Smith, Antoine Winfield, Zion McCollum, Jamel Dean, B. Morrison, and J. Parrish, we have a group that can grow together and potentially become something special.
The biggest lowlight was seeing Mike Evans carted off the field. Even though we’ve managed without him these last few weeks, he’s a crucial part of our plans this season. His recent injury struggles remind us that we’re witnessing the tail end of his career.
All of this looks a little better if the Bucs can beat the Saints this Sunday and head into their bye week with a 6-2 record. If they fall to the underdog Saints, things could start looking very different, especially with tough upcoming games against the Patriots, Bills, and Rams—each of which could easily be losses.