Tampa Bay Buccaneers ‘Don’t Have One Thing’ They’re Happy About
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers felt pretty good at 3-1 going into a much-needed Week 5 bye week before hosting the Detroit Lions in their creamsicle throwback game that was bumped to the late afternoon slot because of how enticing the contest had become.
In a matchup of two first-place teams in their respective divisions, the Buccaneers got beat badly by the Detroit Lions.
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“The entire game,” coach Todd Bowles said when asked to identify one area that was more frustrating than another. “When you lose a ball game you don’t have one thing that you’re happy about.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles against the Detroit Lions during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
Granted, nobody is happy to take a loss. Even in a low-scoring defeat, the defense won’t be smiling at the end of it.
In a big score shootout competition the losing offense still leaves with their heads hanging.
But in this loss, with so many shortcomings, all sides of the Bucs organization is unhappy, and deservedly so.
“We sucked today,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “I sucked today…it was awful - from the get go. I mean, just - can’t play like that…plain and simple we have to be better.”
In a 14-point loss though, even while holding the Lions offense to just 20 points, even the defense is walking away from this one wounded.
“I just think as a whole, we hurt ourselves,” rookie defensive tackle Calijah Kancey said. “There [were] times where we should have gotten off the field on third down, and we have to get better on third down.”
Third down was a big part of this week’s loss.
By the numbers alone Tampa Bay converted just 17 percent of their third down plays while the Lions reached first down yardage on 56 percent.
Beyond the surface, however, it gets much worse.
Six of the Buccaneers’ 12 third-down plays came with distances of five yards or less and they didn’t convert a single one.
Meanwhile, six of Detroit’s nine conversions came from distances of five yards or more and both of quarterback Jared Goff’s touchdown passes came on 3rd -and-10+ passes.
There’s nothing to be happy about coming out of the Bucs’ second loss of the season, and the only silver lining this weekend is that Kancey was able to play a full game and looked disruptive, and the fact the rest of the NFC South also took losses this weekend.
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But Tampa Bay isn’t here trying to win a division title by default, they want to take it.
Another opportunity to gain ground in that race comes next week against the Atlanta Falcons, and it’s a near two-for-one opportunity if the Buccaneers can fix their issues and win their second divisional game of the season.
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