Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Devin White Breaks Down Indianapolis Colts QB Gardner Minshew's TD
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) are on the outside of every playoff scenario except one after losing 27-20 to the Indianapolis Colts (6-5) on Sunday.
Simply put, the Buccaneers don't have much of a shot of making the playoffs outside of winning the NFC South and are just one game out of first place despite their losing record.
Regardless, if Tampa Bay continues to put inconsistent play on film this season, they'll have plenty of time to watch all of it while the NFL's playoff teams enter the championship tournament at the end of the year.
One example of that inconsistent play came on a touchdown run by Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew whose two-yard score gave his team a two-score lead over the Bucs midway through the second quarter.
While he wasn't alone, linebacker Devin White's failure to corral the scrambling quarterback stood out the most, and he spoke about the play following the game.
"We were in a Cover 3, and I saw they were running the pitch play where they had a tight end coming under for the pitch," White said about the play. "So, I really held it for a long time, so if he pitched it I could make the play. And then he just scrambled, and I tried to beat him to the pylon, but he ended up stopping on a dime and cutting back...it was a better play by him. I've got to be a little more athletic than that because that's a play that I should make 10/10."
White isn't the only player on the field to bite on the tight end action - by the way, Minshew never even looked at the backfield crossing tight end on the play - as the outside linebacker Anthony Nelson also crashed down on the play leaving the edge wide open for the quarterback.
From there three Buccaneers defensive backs are basically stuck in a no-win situation where they can either stick with coverage while Minshew rolls out or come off in pursuit of the quarterback leaving a target wide open in the end zone.
Buccaneers Coach Todd Bowles Gives Update on Baker Mayfield's Injury
For what it's worth, and from where we sit, the defensive backs make the right decision and the touchdown is a result of two defenders overpursuing a look that Indianapolis simply used to create an opportunity to use that aggression against them.
It worked like it has for most of the season. And once again Tampa Bay is left with more questions than answers as it enters a critical stretch of December football.
READ MORE: Panthers Coach Firing Comes as Bucs Prepare for Carolina
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage, news and analysis throughout the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023 season.