We were 28 minutes and 15 seconds into the Bucs-Panthers battle on Sunday, and all felt right with the world again for Tampa Bay. Yes, the doomsday seekers were out the week before, when the Bucs fell to the Saints, 34-23, in a game that saw the team repeat many of its past mistakes while trying to top the NFC favorite.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But in Week 2, things were different, as the Bucs jumped out to a 21-0 early lead over the hapless Panthers, looking exactly like the team we’d expected them to be before the season. Tom Brady-to-Mike Evans was clicking, the offensive line was dominating in pass protection, the defensive front was forcing Teddy Bridgewater into mistakes and the secondary was capitalizing on errant throws.

Then, for about 22 minutes of game time, the tide threatened to turn the other way.

We’ll eventually break down all of what went south defensively for the Bucs in the second half in an another article, as they allowed way too much time and space in coverage to the Panthers passing attack. But somehow, the Bucs defense was still the better unit on Sunday, especially in a second half that saw the team’s offense devolve into a comedy of errors.

But today, let’s start with where things began to go downhill for the Bucs offense on Sunday: their final drive of the first half.

Drive 1 – 2nd Quarter 1:45

Up 21-0 after shutting down another Panthers drive, the Bucs offense got the ball back with 1:45 in the first half and a chance to bury the Panthers before the break. After an 11-yard completion to O.J. Howard on first down, left tackle Donovan Smith exited the game briefly with a leg injury. The Bucs proceeded to run a draw play to third-string running back LeSean McCoy with under 1:30 left in the half and the team presumably in all-pass mode to try and score before halftime.

Smith’s replacement, Josh Wells, looked lost on the play (we all were too, Josh!) allowing Panthers defensive end Brian Burns to drop McCoy for a loss of five and essentially kill the drive. McCoy then dropped a pass on second down that could have made it a more manageable third down, and the Bucs punted a play later. A prime opportunity to put points on the board was wasted by a silly situational play-call that left the team in second and third-and-long.

Drive 2 – 3rd Quarter 14:14

Despite the pre-halftime coaching gaffe, the Bucs appeared to remain in complete control after forcing a Panthers punt on the second play from scrimmage in the second half. The Bucs offense again took over with a chance to go up four touchdowns, beginning the drive at the Carolina 27.

Unfortunately, Tom Brady picked an awful time for one of his only poor throws of the game, overthrowing Rob Gronkowski on an over route that resulted in a diving interception for Panthers CB Donte Jackson.

I’ll write about this play further on Wednesday in my Bucs Briefing All-22 breakdown of Sunday’s game tape, but Brady’s off-target throw is just part of the problem here. The Bucs pull left guard Ali Marpet as a false run key on the play-action pass, and he makes a beautiful and difficult block on the defense end screaming up the field.

But running back Ronald Jones II blows the protection, trying to block Marpet’s assignment rather than the linebacker coming through the C-gap. Combine that free runner with Alex Cappa giving up some pressure to defensive tackle Zach Kerr, and Brady is forced off his platform as he throws, which causes the pass to sail on him. Not good for RoJo, whose mistakes were glaring for the Bucs on Sunday.

Sidebar: I’ve criticized the early down play-calling some in the small sample size that is the 2020 season, but this was a terrific call against eight-in-the-box from Carolina by offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. Play-action on first down with an opportunity to get a chunk play and put yourself in goal-to-go territory. Good process.

Drive 3 – 3rd Quarter 8:36

After the Panthers scored to cut the Bucs lead to 21-7, Tampa Bay got the ball back looking to get back on track after play-calling and then poor offensive execution ended their two previous drives, respectively. Two Panthers penalties gave the Bucs offense new life on a pair of third downs to start the drive, giving Tampa Bay a first-and-10 at the Carolina 41 with 5:48 left in the half.

On first down Brady hit Evans for five yards, putting the Bucs on the fringe of field goal position. A second-and-5 run by Leonard Fournette hit for three yards, before being called back by a holding penalty on Smith.

Technically I understand the call, but I think it’s mostly a good rep by Smith. He gets a little overextended and has to hang on at one point on the play, largely due to the fact that he drops his head and his eyes to drive the defender off the ball. Love the power and energy, but gotta maintain proper technique in the NFL.

The penalty knocked the Bucs back to second-and-15, at which point more blunders began. The wind did carry a Tom Brady sideline pass to a wide-open Cyril Grayson, but this is still a catch that should be made by the receiver, even if the ball leads him out of bounds before he can score.

A Bucs screen pass on third-and-15 wasn’t going anywhere anyway, but Fournette dropped the pass just to make sure of it. All-in-all, it was more self-inflicted mistakes that caused the Bucs offense to punt again, not anything the other team was doing. In fact, the other team committed two drive-sustaining penalties and blew a coverage, and the Bucs STILL couldn’t capitalize. Frustrating stuff.

Drive 4 – 4th Quarter 13:25

It’s the beginning of the fourth quarter now, and the Bucs are in trouble. The Panthers have scored on each of their last two possessions, and now trail just 21-14. I love the approach from Leftwich to come out throwing on the drive, as the Bucs were having far more success through the air than on the ground, especially at this point in the game.

On second-and-8, a perfect seam pass by Brady whistled through the hands of Gronkowski for yet another Bucs drop, but the team was bailed out by a questionable defensive pass interference penalty.

Another free set of downs! But after an incompletion to O.J. Howard on first down and a 5-yard gain to Scotty Miller on second down, it was Justin Watson’s turn to let a pass slide through his hands on third down.

I understand this one is at least a tough catch, but Brady puts it right on his chest. Gotta be a big boy and come down with these combat catches in the middle-of-the-field. Also, note on the replay that Smith is beaten by Burns’ inside spin move, allowing Brady to be hit as he throws. If the quarterback had more time, he could have worked his progressions outside, where Grayson had more space.

Drive 5 – 4th Quarter 10:10

Finally, the Bucs found their legs again, driving for a field goal and a 10-point lead after Carlton Davis III’s game-changing interception. Even a productive drive was marred by missed opportunity however, as LeSean McCoy dropped a Brady dime on third down in the back of the end zone.

Rookie right tackle Tristan Wirfs, who played an outstanding game, does get beat on the play, but recovers well enough to run Burns past Brady and allow the on-target throw. Brady isn’t typically much of a creator outside of structure, but it doesn’t get much better than this throw. If McCoy squeezes it, that’s a 14-point lead with just over six minutes left in the game. Pretty safe margin – unless you’re Atlanta.

On the Bucs’ final drive of the game they capped off the scoring on a 46-yard, untouched Fournette romp for a touchdown, closing the Panthers out, 31-17. Despite a second half full of missed opportunities due to drops and a few other errors, the Bucs overcame their own mistakes to win a game they had to win against a bad football team.

This may seem like an article that focuses on the negative, but the reality is it should be viewed almost as a positive. If the Bucs can get out of their own way, this offense could be special. They should have eclipsed 30 points against New Orleans, and could have easily been over 40 against Carolina if not for a sloppy second half.

It’s a long season, and the pieces are understandably starting to come together for Tampa Bay. Clean up the drops and protect the football better, and there is no reason why the Bucs shouldn’t be hitting their stride at 4-1 with wins against Denver, Los Angeles and Chicago before hosting red hot Green Bay in Week 6.