The Buccaneers are still searching for their first win, and Jalon Daniels’ first NFL start didn’t change that. Tampa Bay fell 17-14 to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, leaving the Bucs at 0-4 as they head into a short week against the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott.
Baker Mayfield did not start in Week 4 after getting hurt late in the loss to the Minnesota Vikings, so Daniels got the nod in his Buccaneers debut. The rookie finished with two interceptions, one touchdown, and fewer than 150 passing yards, a line that on the surface looks like a step backward.
But the bigger picture was messier than that. Even with Daniels under center, Tampa Bay’s offense didn’t really get any worse than it had been in the previous three games. In spots, it actually looked a little smoother.
Daniels showed better chemistry with Chris Godwin Jr., handled pressure better, and used his legs in a way that gave the Bucs something extra. He ran for a franchise-record 55 yards on eight carries and was Tampa Bay’s most effective threat on the ground, even with Bucky Irving finishing with 61 yards on 16 carries.
That doesn’t mean Daniels looked like a franchise quarterback. He didn’t.
But he also didn’t separate himself from Mayfield in the wrong direction. If anything, the debut made Mayfield’s own struggles harder to ignore, because the offense looked just as stuck with the rookie as it had with the veteran.
That’s where the larger problem sits for Tampa Bay. The issues go beyond who’s taking the snaps.
Todd Bowles and Zac Robinson are the names the performance keeps pointing back to, and the Bucs keep losing because the operation around the quarterback isn’t working. Baker Mayfield may be disappointing, but he isn’t the only issue, and at this point it doesn’t seem to matter much who lines up under center.
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The timing could hardly be less forgiving. Tampa Bay has struggled in primetime under Bowles, and the challenge is made tougher by the absence of safety Antoine Winfield Jr. because of injury. A loss would not just deepen the hole in the standings, it would likely turn up the volume around Bowles even more as the Buccaneers try to avoid letting one bad start define their year. [Read more 🡒]