The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost three of their last four games after Sunday's frustrating shootout defeat against the Buffalo Bills. Despite Baker Mayfield playing at an MVP level, the Bucs couldn't overcome mistakes from their head coach, defensive coordinator and special teams units.
Mayfield wasn't perfect. He threw for one score and ran for another, but also tossed a costly interception in the third quarter and his fourth quarter fumble effectively ended the game. But I'm not going to blame him for this particular loss. There are others getting on a flight back to Florida with far more stake in the defeat.
Bucs special teams
Tampa Bay punter Riley Dixon averaged 40.3 yards per punt on Sunday, hitting three of his kicks inside the Buffalo 16. The fourth was muffed by Mecole Hardman after Dixon booted it from the Bucs 13 across midfield. Dixon was outstanding on the day. Everyone else on special teams for TB? Not so much.
In fact, the Bucs' return coverage would have looked even more catastrophic if not for Dixon pinning the Bills back as often as he did. As it is, they let Buffalo average starting field position sit at their own 37. If the drive didn't start via a punt, chances are the Bills had favorable field position.
Bills starting field position | Possession gained | Drive result |
|---|---|---|
BUFF 5 | 34-yard punt | INT |
TB 36 | 61-yard KO return | TD |
BUF 33 | 29-yard KO return | TD |
BUF 49 | 44-yard KO return | INT |
BUF 8 | 35-yard punt | TD |
BUF 44 | 41-yard KO return | PUNT |
TB 46 | 44-yard KO return | FG |
TB 25 | INT | TD |
BUF 19 | 15-yard KO return | TD |
BUF 15 | 46-yard punt | TD |
BUF 39 | FUM | PUNT |
It's hard enough to keep a lid on Josh Allen without shrinking the field for him. And boy did he enjoy a shrunken field. The Bills scored 17 points on drives that started in Tampa Bay territory.
Giving up one 40-yard return happens. Giving up four in one game? That's special teams malpractice. The Bucs would have been better off simply sending each kickoff out of bounds and accepting the penalty putting the ball at the 35.
Allen and company also managed several long scoring drives, so it's possible the Bucs defense was simply going to let them drive 65+ yards every time. That's another issue...
Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles*
*Or whoever was responsible for putting Anthony Nelson on James Cook
Josh Allen is a great quarterback and it's no surprise when the Bills find ways to put points on the board. They've hit the 40-point mark twice before this season and chances are they'll do it again...But this Bills offense is also flawed and coming off one of their worst performances of the season. Allen threw two interceptions. Mecole Hardman muffed a punt. The Bucs got stops. Just not enough of them.
Tampa Bay has now given up 24 points or more in their four losses this season. The 44 they conceded to the Bills was a season high on both sides of the equation. We could talk about the defense as a whole, the way the secondary got ripped to shreds by a star-less Bills wide receiving corps or how the defensive front managed no sacks. But let's instead zoom in on one play that highlights a bigger issue: Todd Bowles.
Anthony Nelson is a 6-foot-7, 270-pound defensive lineman that Bowles has playing outside linebacker. Nelson ran a 4.82-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine seven years ago. In what universe could the Bucs feel confident in having him drop in coverage against a running back like James Cook, who runs a 4.42-second 40? Cook getting the beat on Nelson was inevitable and Allen made Bowles pay for the mistake by hitting his running back for a 25-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter. The Bills took a 31-26 lead on that one.
Defenses will get beat from time to time. There will be coverage busts or physical beats. It happens. But those are far more understandable than schematic personnel decisions that are destined to fail. The defensive coordinator, who happens to be the head coach, has to answer for that.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles
Unfortunately, Bowles also has to answer to for his decisions as a head coach as well. Like the frustratingly familiar way his team gave up a five-point lead in the third quarter and one-point lead in the fourth. Or the way he effectively gave the game to the Bills without much fuss by opting to punt on fourth-and-2 from the TB 39.
Buffalo had just scored to take a 37-32 lead. There were seven-and-a-half minutes to play. The Bucs defense had given up points on the previous three drives. Tampa had two running backs — Sean Tucker, who had three touchdowns on the day, and Rachaad White — averaging better than 5.1 yards per carry. Going for it would have been bold. It may not have worked. But it would have been the right risk to take.
Let's be honest, the Bucs had a better shot of converting those two yards than stopping Allen and company from getting into field goal range. That's all they would have needed to make it an eight-point game. As it was, they promptly marched down the field to score a game-sealing touchdown.
Bowles may have blinders on when it comes to his defense. I get wanting to trust your guys, but at a certain point they've got to earn it. Baker had earned it. Tucker had earned it. Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Emeka Egbuka had earned it. The game should have been in their hands, not back in Allen's.
Sunday's game felt like an instant classic between two exceptional quarterbacks and two fun teams. But the Bucs fell short when one or two different decisions might have flipped the outcome.