The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are already staring at buyer’s remorse after three weeks, and it’s not just because of Baker Mayfield.
Tampa Bay dropped to 0-3 after a close loss to Kyler Murray and the Minnesota Vikings, and once again the Bucs managed to beat themselves. The defense did enough to keep things within reach against the now undefeated Vikes, but the offense couldn’t hold up its end of the bargain.
Mayfield has become the loudest talking point around the team, and not for good reason. He has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL right after landing the big contract the Buccaneers were apparently reluctant to hand him. If Jason Licht had reservations from the start, the early returns make that hesitation look pretty smart.
But Mayfield’s deal isn’t the only decision Tampa Bay is already second-guessing. Falcons fans warned Buccaneers fans about offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, and a lateral move to the same job with a division rival should have set off alarms. Still, Tampa Bay’s thinking seemed to be that Robinson wanted out of Atlanta for a better quarterback and a better situation, and that he couldn’t possibly be worse than Josh Grizzard.
So far, that bet has gone sideways.
Zac Robinson looks worse than Josh Grizzard as Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator
Robinson has actually been worse than Grizzard, and that’s saying something. Tampa Bay’s offense has leaned too heavily on screens and negative plays, while the offensive line - once viewed as the team’s strength - has looked like a shell of itself since Robinson arrived.
Mayfield would have had a tough night against Minnesota’s pressure no matter who was calling the plays, but Week 3 seemed to close the book on any doubt about Robinson’s fit. The offense looked lost.
He has been uninventive, unable to consistently scheme receivers open or help with protections for Mayfield. The bubble passes haven’t done much, either. Nothing about the design seems to match the personnel Tampa Bay has, and whatever hopes existed that he could unlock Cade Otton have not shown up on the field.
The predictability is a bigger problem still. Vikings defenders were reportedly calling out Tampa Bay’s run plays before the snap, pointing to a tell in pre-snap motion that has followed Robinson since his time as Atlanta’s playcaller.
And the comparisons aren’t helping his case. Kirk Cousins is thriving for the undefeated Las Vegas Raiders after working with Robinson in Atlanta, and it’s hard not to see the move away from him as a major reason for the jump, especially with Cousins doing it for a Raiders roster that doesn’t even have as much skill-position talent as Atlanta had. Michael Penix Jr. also looked like a different quarterback in his first game away from Robinson in a blowout win for the Falcons last week.
At this point, it sure looks like the Buccaneers made the wrong hire, and they’re paying for it with one of the league’s worst offenses.
In Other News...
Bucs Loss Exposed A Bigger Problem Than Fans Wanted To See
The Buccaneers 23-16 loss to the Vikings in Week 3 was more than just a one-score setback. Tampa Bay kept bumping into the same problems on both sides of the ball, with the offense never finding much rhythm under coordinator Zac Robinson and the defense undone at key moments, including an 86-yard punt return touchdown that tilted the game in Minnesotas favor.
Baker Mayfield finished with a 50% completion rate, one touchdown and one interception, then added a right hand injury late in the game to an already frustrating night. There were also rough stretches for players such as cornerback Jacob Parrish and right tackle Luke Goedeke, leaving the Bucs with an uncomfortable reminder that the issues exposed Sunday go well beyond a single bad sequence or a single phase of the game. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield Injury Just Raised The Stakes For A Reeling Bucs Team
Tampa Bays rough Week 3 got even messier late in the loss to Minnesota, when Baker Mayfield dislocated his thumb near the end of the game. The Buccaneers were already dealing with the sting of another defeat, and the injury to their starting quarterback quickly became the biggest concern coming out of the night.
Todd Bowles said Mayfield will undergo an MRI to get a better read on the injury, leaving the team waiting on a clearer update. Mayfield was replaced by rookie Jalon Daniels after leaving the game, and for a Bucs team trying to steady itself, the timing of the setback only adds to the pressure heading into the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Loss Exposed Problems Fans Wont Stop Arguing About
The Buccaneers latest loss did more than dent the standings - it reopened the same arguments that have followed this team for weeks. Between the defenses uneven stretches, the offenses uneven rhythm and a special teams sequence that left plenty of second-guessing behind, the game against Minnesota became the kind of all-around mess that forces a closer look at how Tampa Bay is being coached and why so many drives still seem to stall at the wrong time.
Todd Bowles now has a familiar debate on his hands, because the scrutiny is not just about one bad afternoon but about how the Bucs handled key moments through the first three quarters. Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving and a few others had their moments, but the bigger issue is whether the teams decisions and execution can keep matching up against good opponents when the game starts tightening. [Read more 🡒]