The Bucs walked into Sunday talking about urgency, but the field told a different story. Tampa Bay dropped a 23-16 decision to Minnesota, and after three games, the same issues keep dragging this team down: shaky offense, missed opportunities, busted coverage, and too many self-inflicted wounds.
Baker Mayfield is right at the center of it. He may not have been the biggest problem against the Vikings compared to earlier weeks, but that doesn’t change the larger picture.
The Bucs made him a $55 million quarterback, and the expectation is that he lifts the offense and produces at least two touchdowns a game. Instead, he has two touchdowns through three games.
Against Minnesota, he went 17-of-34 for 217 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception, completing just 50% of his throws. He also missed Emeka Egbuka several times with passes that sailed well behind him.
Late in the game, after throwing an interception on fourth-and-13 with less than two minutes left, he appeared to suffer a right hand injury, and now his health is part of the conversation too.
The offense around him didn’t do much to help. Zac Robinson’s group had a few bright spots, but there was no real rhythm, no consistency, and no sustained pressure on Minnesota.
Outside of Ted Hurst’s 40-yard touchdown catch, no first-half drive lasted longer than seven plays or covered more than 42 yards. Strip away Hurst’s play and Cade Otton’s big gain, and the rest of the night was a mess.
The run game lost the spark it had shown earlier, no receiver stepped forward as a real threat, and Chris Godwin Jr. was strangely underused early while he spent time on the sidelines. After three games, the offense still looks like a puzzle with too many missing pieces.
The ground game was supposed to matter more against Brian Flores’ defense, but it never got there. Bucky Irving averaged just 3.1 yards per carry, and the Bucs wound up punting nine times.
That is not the profile of an offense controlling the game or keeping a defense honest. Questions also linger about the rest of the backfield, with Kenny Gainwell and Sean Tucker barely factoring in.
Tampa Bay paid $7 million for a return specialist, and Tucker still deserves more work. The bigger issue is simple: what are they paying nearly $10 million to backup running backs for?
Protection up front kept getting in the way, too. Right guard Cody Mauch was flagged for holding on consecutive plays in the second quarter alongside center Graham Barton, and that sequence turned first-and-goal at the 27 into a field goal situation.
Mauch was also called for another holding penalty in the third quarter on a run that lost 2 yards. With eight pressures allowed in the first two games, he hasn’t been helping.
He’s been dragging the offense backward.
Luke Goedeke also left points on the field in a huge way. Baker Mayfield’s best throw of the game came on a third-and-29, when Chris Godwin Jr. hauled in what would have been an 85-yard touchdown. But the play was wiped out by a Goedeke holding penalty, turning a potential 20-17 lead into third-and-36 and, eventually, a punt.
The Bucs were also dreadful on third down. They converted just 2 of 16 chances, and it didn’t matter whether they had a short field or a long one. The offense simply didn’t get the job done when it mattered.
Defensively, the special teams breakdown was the early gut punch. Danny Smith’s unit had been one of Tampa Bay’s bright spots through the first two weeks, but Myles Price flipped that script with an 86-yard punt return touchdown on Minnesota’s first return.
Kameron Johnson overran the play, Tampa Bay never got proper position, and the tackling fell apart as Price slipped through the mess. It made the score 10-0 before the first quarter was even halfway over, which is not exactly what you want to see when you’re already trying to climb out of an 0-2 start.
Jacob Parrish also had a rough moment in coverage. The rookie has handled his transition to full-time outside cornerback well overall, but on third-and-8 he was beaten by Jordan Addison for a 41-yard touchdown.
Addison separated easily as the ball was in the air, and Parrish fell down while the play went by him. With Justin Jefferson out injured at that point, the Bucs only had to account for one deep threat - and still didn’t stop it.
Then there’s Calijah Kancey, whose fourth season is starting to look like a crossroads. Injuries slowed his first few years, but the production still hasn’t matched the athleticism.
He hasn’t turned into the disruptive force Tampa Bay needs, and he’s disappearing too often for a player in what should be a make-or-break year. The fifth-year option is already picked up, but right now he’s not playing like someone who justifies that kind of money.
The Bucs are three games in, and the list of disappointments is long. The bigger problem is that the same names keep showing up on it.
In Other News...
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 🡒]
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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.
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Bucs At 0-3 Suddenly Have A Lot Less They Can Trust
The Buccaneers are 0-3 after their Week 3 loss to the Vikings, and the problems are starting to stack up in a hurry. Tampa Bays offense has been the main source of concern, with Baker Mayfield struggling to find consistency, the receiver target distribution looking out of sync, and the offensive line creating too little stability for the unit to settle in.
Mayfields thumb injury only adds another layer to the uncertainty, because the Bucs are already at a point where almost every part of the operation feels under review. Whether the answer comes through staff changes, roster moves, or simply better execution, Tampa Bay suddenly has a lot less it can trust than it did just a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]