Almost nothing has gone right for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the opening stretch of this season, and the offensive line sits at the center of the mess.
This was supposed to be one of Tampa Bay’s biggest advantages. Instead, it has turned into the team’s most glaring problem.
The Bucs fell to 0-3 on Sunday with a 23-16 loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings, a result that stings even more because Minnesota managed only nine first downs, 230 total yards and nine penalties for 95 yards. Justin Jefferson left the game early and did not return because of an injury, and Tampa still couldn’t take advantage.
The loss got worse late, when Baker Mayfield dislocated his right thumb after scrambling for his life on a fourth-and-13 from the Bucs’ 39-yard line with 1:54 remaining. Tampa had all three timeouts, and the safer move would have been to punt and let a defense that had slowed Minnesota all day try to get one more stop. Instead, the Bucs went for it, came up empty with an interception, and Mayfield may now miss time.
That leaves a team in rough shape - and one that, if the season ended today, would be picking first in the draft.
There’s blame to go around for the 0-3 start, including Mayfield, Todd Bowles and Rueben Bain Jr., but no unit has underachieved more than the offensive line.
It entered the season with a reputation as one of the league’s best, or at least right there near the top. Anchored by Tristan Wirfs, who has been on the short list of the NFL’s best offensive linemen for years, the group was expected to give Tampa Bay a real edge.
That hasn’t happened.
Through the first two games, Mayfield had already been sacked seven times, an ugly number for a line carrying that much talent. Against Brian Flores’ aggressive and varied blitz looks, the Bucs needed the front to hold up and keep Mayfield clean. That was the key to the game, and it never materialized.
Sunday was even uglier.
Mayfield was taken down six times and spent much of the afternoon under siege. The protection never settled in, and the penalties only made the damage worse.
In the second quarter, Tampa got to first-and-goal at the seven, only to see the drive collapse on back-to-back holding calls against guard Cody Mauch and center Graham Barton. The Bucs settled for a field goal.
Then came the third quarter sequence that summed up the day. With Tampa trailing 17-13, a sack and a 15-yard chop block turned a promising situation into third-and-29. Mayfield somehow found Chris Godwin Jr. for an 85-yard touchdown, but the play was erased by a holding penalty on right tackle Luke Goedeke.
For a unit that was supposed to be among the NFL’s best at any position, it was a miserable showing.
No position group on the roster has fallen short of expectations more than the offensive line. It was billed as a strength. Right now, it looks far closer to a weakness.
And with an undrafted rookie quarterback now potentially needed to help rescue the season, that failure looms even larger.
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 🡒]