Buccaneers Bored or Tired: How Did Falcons Mount Their Fourth Quarter Comeback?
After defeating the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the sole owners of first place in the NFC South.
While it hasn't come the way many thought it would for the Bucs this season, at least one person isn't worried about what's unfolded in these first five games.
“It’s not concerning," coach Todd Bowles said following his team's victory. Despite the fact the Falcons scored 15 points in the fourth quarter in a comeback bid. "I don’t think we executed in the third quarter. The first half we kept their defense on the field. Second half, our offense was going three-and-out, which kept our defense on the field. Fatigue set in for both sides, I think. It was a tough ball game, and wins are hard to come by in this league. We were playing for first place, and we were happy we could get it.”
There are some definite truths to what Bowles had to say there.
READ MORE: Buccaneers on Top of NFC South After Week 5 Win
Wins in the NFL are never easy, so you're never going to want to give one back. Even if the ending wasn't as pretty as we'd hoped.
But is it really as simple as fatigue? The Kansas City Chiefs offense got off to a hot start in Week 4, and many wondered if perhaps the Tampa Bay defense was believing their own hype a little too much.
And after linebacker Devin White's comments postgame, those questions may come up again.
“When you’re beating a team, kind of imposing your will on them, it can get boring and you can get less aggressive,” said White.
The comments were posted on Twitter by The Athletic's Greg Auman, who quoted the linebacker straight from the video, which he also shared for those who want to hear it for themselves.
Whether the Buccaneers were suffering from boredom or offensive afflictions is up for debate, and some will assume White was just trying to be funny more than anything.
Quarterback Tom Brady gave his opinion as well, saying, "We just weren’t very good – bad execution. [It] just wasn’t our best in the second half, so [we] have to learn from it and try to get better.”
READ MORE: Tom Brady Speaks About Controversial Penalty
That's two votes for offensive efficiency problems hurting the defense's conditioning, and one for defensive boredom.
You be the judge.
As long as the Bucs keep winning, these are the types of arguments most won't mind having.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the season.
