The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have found a real strength on the ground, but the air attack is stuck in the wrong place.
Through this season, Tampa Bay’s passing offense is averaging 150.4 yards per game, which is last in the NFL. That is a far cry from what the team and its fans expected heading into the year, and it has become the clearest problem in an offense that has too much talent to be this limited.
There are obvious reasons the passing game has sputtered. Baker Mayfield missed three games with a dislocated thumb, undrafted free agent rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels was forced into action, and the offensive line has had trouble giving either passer enough time to operate.
Still, the Bucs have enough capable targets that the production should look better than this. Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin Jr., Ted Hurst III, Tez Johnson and Cade Otton have not been getting the ball enough, and that falls on both the quarterbacks and offensive coordinator Zach Robinson.
Where Tampa Bay has made real headway is on the ground. The team just posted one of the best rushing performances in franchise history, and Todd Bowles made it clear where he thinks this offense is at its best.
"I mean, I think that's our calling card. We play a lot better when we run the ball very successfully, whether we're home or on the road," Bowles said. "We haven't had much success at home, running the football or winning at home, but we've got to turn that around and win a home game."
Robinson has taken the same view, saying the offense has to be built through the run game.
"Yeah, if we can do that every week, that would be outstanding," Robinson said. "You always want to be able to establish a run and be able to have things that play off of the run game.
Then, there [are] going to be weeks where, shoot, you might not have as many run opportunities and you're going to get back on track. That's the nature of the NFL - everything is week to week.
If we can play like that, it'll definitely help us out in the long run."
For now, Tampa Bay appears comfortable leaning on the run and taking passing shots when they present themselves. Whether the passing game can climb out of this hole remains to be seen.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Have A Real Chance To Seize NFC South Control
A Week 8 swing could leave the Buccaneers in a much different spot in the NFC South race, and the timing matters as much as the result. Tampa Bay has been hovering around the edge of the division picture, but a strong showing against Atlanta would give the Bucs a chance to turn a crowded, uncertain race into something that looks more manageable heading into the next stretch.
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Buccaneers Just Got The NFC South Opening They Needed
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Tampa Bay now has a chance to turn that outside break into real leverage, and the stakes are obvious even before kickoff. A win would leave the Buccaneers in striking distance of first place and strengthen their position in the division picture, while a loss would leave them scrambling to recover in a race where every result seems to matter twice as much this time of year. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs May Have Their Biggest Edge Yet Against Atlanta
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For Tampa Bay, the timing could not be much better. The Bucs are trying to strengthen their place in the division race, and a loud, energized home setting would only add to the urgency of the moment. Atlanta has its own stakes in this one, but the noise, the energy and the familiarity of home could make this one of the more favorable environments Tampa Bay has enjoyed so far this season. [Read more 🡒]