Tampa Bay was unable to pull out another home win as the Bucs fell to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday by a final score of 34-17, dropping to 3-7 on the season.

Here are the most disappointing performances from Sunday’s game.

QB Jameis Winston
Winston struggled in the Bucs’ loss on Sunday, completing 30 of his 51 pass attempts for 313 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. Winston’s 18 interceptions on the season are now a career-high, matching his 2016 total.

While his first interception could really be credited to O.J. Howard, Winston added an interception over the middle of the field to end the first half and two more in the fourth quarter, one going for a 55-yard pick-six, that thwarted any possible comeback attempt.

TE O.J. Howard
For the second time this season Howard was the primary cause of an interception. Much like the pass that went off of his hands and into the possession of Mark Nzeocha against San Francisco in Week 1, Winston hit Howard in the hands on a short pass inside the Tampa Bay 20-yard line and it was bobbled before eventually being picked off by Demario Davis.

Howard was not targeted for the remainder of the game.

Offensive Line
It was a failure by the entire offensive line on Sunday as Tampa Bay dropped their Week 11 matchup to New Orleans.

Conceding two sacks, 12 quarterback hits, providing no production in the run game and allowing Winston to be consistently pressured, the offensive line seemed completely overmatched by the Saints’ front seven while failing to adjust to the blitz packages that were called by defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.

Coaching
The Bucs staff, on both sides of the ball, did the team no favors. Offensively there was no rhythm or rhyme with the play calls, particularly in the the first half.

Defensively the Bucs failed to get any pressure on Saints QB Drew Brees, which is a recipe for disaster. The Bucs also played more off coverage, giving the Saints receivers too much cushion. The Saints 2019 offense isn’t a downfield, vertical style scheme nearly as much as they have shown in the past, and the combination of soft coverage and little pressure made things entirely too easy for Brees and the Saints on Sunday.

RB Ronald Jones
Tampa Bay was unable to find any success in the run game on Sunday, with Winston leading the team in rushing with 23 yards on two attempts.

Jones finished the day with just two receptions for one yard(with one drop), 13 yards on four carries and missed some holes that could have gone for more. His longest run of the day went for six yards.

– Mark Cook contributed to this report

Saints Rb Alvin KamaraBucs vs. Saints Game Recap: New Orleans Sweeps Tampa, 34-17
Bucs S Mike EdwardsMost Impressive: Bucs vs. Saints
Subscribe
Notify of
48 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments