The Buccaneers left Week 3 with a 23-16 loss to the Vikings, and the damage was bigger than the final score. Tampa Bay dropped to 0-3, and Baker Mayfield is expected to miss several weeks with a dislocated right thumb.
Adam Slivon’s latest Top 10 Takeaways points to a team that keeps running into the same problems no matter the opponent. The offense, despite the buzz around coordinator Zac Robinson, has not found its rhythm.
Mayfield was struggling before he exited, the running game never got going, Riley Dixon punted nine times, and Tampa Bay went just 2-17 on third down. Chase McLaughlin had to settle for three field goals because the offense could not finish drives.
The wide receivers never gave the unit a steady answer, either. Ted Hurst III was the bright spot on one snap, getting wide open for a 40-yard touchdown, but then he was largely absent after that. Up front, the offensive line continued to be a problem and, in Slivon’s view, is holding the entire offense back.
If there was a silver lining, it came on defense. Tampa Bay’s defense played its best football of the season in Week 3, doing a better job of limiting Kyler Murray, even with Justin Jefferson missing much of the game.
Murray still felt the pass rush more than Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson had in earlier games, but there is room for improvement there too. Slivon says one way to get more out of that group is to use David Walker more on the outside, since he is the only edge rusher who can consistently get to the quarterback.
Through three games, Slivon identifies Walker, Josiah Trotter and A’Shawn Robinson as the team’s three best defenders. That, in turn, raises uncomfortable questions about players such as Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr., Yaya Diaby and Calijah Kancey, whom he says are not living up to their price tags or extension value.
Looking ahead to Week 4, Tampa Bay turns to Jalon Daniels for the matchup with the Packers. Daniels will have plenty on his plate at Raymond James Stadium, where Slivon expects a heavy Packers presence in the stands. He also says it is hard to blame fans for not showing up, with the Glazers facing difficult decisions and the season already feeling like it is slipping away.
Whatever this is, it has to end.
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 🡒]