The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 0-2 start has already turned into a blame game, and Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings could tilt the argument one way or the other.
On paper, this is one of the weekend’s more interesting matchups. Minnesota comes in at 2-0 after rallying from an early Week 1 hole against the rival Green Bay Packers and stacking up two strong division wins. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is sitting at 0-2 and trying to shake off an ugly loss to the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The Bucs have not looked like a team this shaky for long stretches of the past two weeks. Several of their best defenders have stumbled badly out of the gate, including Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr., Alex Anzalone, and rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr.
Still, Baker Mayfield has been the biggest disappointment. The quarterback’s turnovers against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 were too much for Tampa Bay to survive, and he followed that up by missing open targets and struggling to move the ball at all against a Browns team that Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence had shredded just one week earlier.
That said, Mayfield is also the kind of player who has shown a much higher ceiling before, including exactly a year ago when he was playing at an MVP level. That is part of what makes this such a messy debate. Todd Bowles is under the microscope too, because he is the one responsible for the entire operation, and Tampa Bay fans have spent plenty of time wondering how much of the mess belongs to him instead.
Bowles has been tied to failure for years in Tampa Bay, from wasting easy Super Bowl chances to overseeing Tom Brady’s only losing season, which helped drive the sport’s greatest quarterback into retirement.
So this week could end up saying a lot. If Mayfield plays well and the Buccaneers still lose, the finger points straight at Bowles. If the defense handles Kyler Murray but Mayfield still can’t win a duel with another polarizing quarterback, then the quarterback will take the heat again.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Fans Have A Week 3 TV Map Problem To Watch
Week 3s TV map is one of those Sundays that can make Buccaneers fans do a little channel surfing before kickoff. The NFLs broadcast slate is spread across CBS and FOX with different early and late windows, and the leagues regional assignments mean what shows up on the screen can depend as much on where you are watching as on who you are hoping to follow. Add in the international matchup between Baltimore and Dallas in Rio de Janeiro, and the day has the kind of odd setup that can leave viewers checking listings more than once.
For Tampa Bay fans, the wrinkle is in the regional coverage, where market shifts can change which game is easiest to find and which one gets bumped to the background. CBS has the bulk of the early and late action, while FOX carries a single window, and each network has its own set of broadcast teams attached to the games. It is the sort of Sunday that rewards a quick look at the map before settling in, especially for anyone trying to keep tabs on more than one NFC storyline. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers May Have Found A Defensive Difference-Maker Faster Than Expected
Josiah Trotter has wasted little time turning himself into one of the early stories of Tampa Bays season. The rookie linebacker has piled up 24 total tackles through the first two weeks, putting him among the league leaders right away, and hes already made an impression far beyond simple production. His debut was memorable enough on its own, and the Buccaneers have reason to feel encouraged by how quickly he has fit into the defense.
Trotters opening act has been strong enough to keep him in the weekly awards conversation, with Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week nominations in both of the seasons first two weeks. He has also drawn positive grades from PFF, a sign that the impact is showing up on the tape as well as the stat sheet. For a Tampa Bay defense looking for reliable difference-makers, the bigger question now is whether the rookies rapid rise is just the start of something even more disruptive. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Need One Offensive Change Fast To Avoid An 0-3 Hole
The Buccaneers have already put themselves in an early-season bind by starting 0-2 for the first time since 2014, and now the schedule quickly turns into a test of whether they can stop the slide. Minnesota is next, which makes the timing especially tricky for a Tampa Bay offense that has not yet found the kind of balance it needs to settle in and control games.
The biggest issue remains the ground attack, where the Bucs need a meaningful step forward to help offset what the Vikings do well on defense and take some pressure off the rest of the offense. Tampa Bays passing game has shown enough to keep the conversation alive, but without a more dependable run game, this matchup has the feel of one that could push the team into a much deeper early hole. [Read more 🡒]