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.
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