ESPN Analyst Pinpoints Weakness in Buccaneers Offense as Playoff Push Winds Down

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense will want to do better in this area if they intend to play postseason football.

Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Trey Palmer (10) runs the ball as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Keith Taylor Jr. (39) defends during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the midst of a late-season playoff push. They don't control their destiny — they'll need the Atlanta Falcons or the Washington Commanders to drop some games — but they also need to take care of business themselves. To do that, they'll almost certainly want to beat both the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints, but there's one area of play they have to get better at.

ESPN analyst Aaron Schatz examined a concerning trend for each NFL playoff bubble team in a recent article, and for the Buccaneers, he singled out their struggles against defenses playing man coverage. He pointed to Chris Godwin's injury in Week 7 as a prevailing factor for this, and noted that the team's other wideouts have to be able to get more seperation.

Here's a little bit of what Schatz said about Tampa Bay's problem:

"According to FTN Fantasy charting, Mayfield ranks 33rd of 42 qualified quarterbacks in DVOA against man coverage since Week 7. Mike Evans, the Bucs' other star receiver, hasn't been the issue, as he has a 28.5% DVOA against man coverage this season. The problem is everyone else. Receivers Sterling Shepard and Jalen McMillan, along with tight end Cade Otton, all have negative DVOA ratings against man looks.

This weakness will be tested by Tampa Bay's final two opponents. The Saints run man coverage at a higher rate than almost any other defense in the league and are better than the NFL average, even after trading away cornerback Marshon Lattimore at the deadline. Carolina also runs man coverage at an above-average rate but has a below-average performance when doing so."

This problem may be compounded even more with wideout Sterling Shepard also out for the team's game against the Carolina Panthers. That would put receiver Ryan Miller in the fold, bringing down Tampa Bay's receiving depth even further.

Miller, Palmer and McMillan all need to step up, both in this area and across the board, for the offense to truly get going. And offensive coordinator Liam Coen is aware of this. Coen complimented his receiving corps of players like Ryan Miller, Rakim Jarrett and Trey Palmer, noting that all three have made big plays and taken advantage of opportunities, but he also said that Tampa Bay's receiving depth needs to continue to improve in this final stretch.

"Really, the core needs to continue to step up and help Mike [Evans] out in some ways, and they’ve done that. They’ve played better. We had a couple of balls hit our hands last week and didn’t make those plays, which we need to make.”

Tampa Bay will face off against the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. Sunday.

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READ MORE: Buccaneers OC Liam Coen Says Talking to Tom Brady Like 'Talking to Another Coach'

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