Buccaneers Stock Report Following Loss to the Saints

Who's up and who's down after Tampa Bay's 9-0 loss to New Orleans on Sunday?

Each week, AllBucs offers a stock report to gauge which Tampa Bay Buccaneers players or units are meeting or exceeding expectations or falling below them. And if you watched Sunday night's miserable, 9-0 Bucs loss to the New Orleans Saints, you might wonder if any player or unit even came close to meeting expectations, much less exceeding them.

It's hard to acknowledge many positives from such a lifeless performance, but three Buccaneers, in particular, stand out following the game - one, in which, has not played in weeks but is now more important to the team's success than ever before.

With that being said, you can find the AllBucs Week 15 stock report below.

Stock up

Edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka: The most dominant player on either side of the ball for the Buccaneers against the Saints, rookie edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka's performance in Week 15 is one of the few reasons Tampa Bay was able to fight until the end against New Orleans. Alongside Shaquil Barrett, Tryon-Shoyinka led the team in quarterback pressures with five, posting one of Tampa Bay's two sacks and forcing Saints quarterback Taysom Hill into two third-down incompletions throughout the night.

Tryon-Shoyinka is currently tied for fourth-most on the team with Vita Vea in quarterback pressures on the season with 32.

At this point, it's fair to wonder if Tryon-Shoyinka should take over a starting role in the Buccaneers' defense. He's outperformed veteran Jason Pierre-Paul throughout the year as JPP has nursed a nagging shoulder injury, posting zero sacks in the Bucs' last seven games and just 2.5 sacks compared to Tryon-Shoyinka's four in a rotational role.

Running back Ronald Jones II: Matching his season-high in single-game rushing yardage on Sunday (on two fewer carries than when he previously posted 63 yards), Ronald Jones II put together a breakthrough performance when Tampa Bay needed him most. Now, the Bucs will continue to lean on him as starting running back Leonard Fournette recovers from a hamstring injury.

Jones is averaging 4.7 yards per rush this year and has scored three touchdowns within his rotation with Fournette, carrying the ball 71 times for 337 yards. Although Fournette has earned the lion's share of carries, snaps, and even receptions at the running back position, Jones has been more efficient than Fournette on the ground as the starter is averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

Wide receiver Antonio Brown: He didn't play in Week 15, in fact he hasn't played since Week 6, but suddenly, wide receiver Antonio Brown's stock has skyrocketed in the Buccaneers' offense as he's set to return from suspension and Tampa Bay deal's with the ripple effects of losing receiver Chris Godwin for the rest of the season. His availability is even more important entering Week 16 as Mike Evans also recovers from a hamstring injury, although Evans is in better shape than Godwin and is considered week-to-week by the team.

When he's been in the lineup this year, Brown has looked as dominant as he did during his All-Pro seasons, catching 29 passes for 418 yards and four touchdowns in five games. He offers deep-threat ability with his speed that other receivers can't match and opposing defenders can't keep up with, making him an ideal No. 1 target for Tom Brady moving forward.

Stock down

The Bucs offense (performance): Wow, Sunday night's showing was the Buccaneers' worst offensively since Brady signed with the team before the 2020 season. It marked the first time that a Brady-led team has been shutout since 2006 when his New England Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins by a score of 21-0.

You name the category, and the Buccaneers likely underperformed within it. Tampa Bay crossed into New Orleans territory on just 4-of-13 drives, went 6-of-19 on third down, went 0-of-1 on fourth down, committed two turnovers, averaged only 4.1 yards per play, never broke into the red zone, and as a result of all of these factors, scored zero points.

Yuck. Tampa Bay can't afford another offensive performance like Sunday night's.

The Bucs offense (health): Without Godwin for the remainder of the season and both Evans and Fournette's availability up in the air for Week 16 if not beyond, the Buccaneers' offense is going to look a lot different in the coming weeks and, honestly, the rest of the year. Godwin leads the team in targets, receptions and yards this year, and was Brady's go-to target from short-yardage plays to deep concepts throughout the year.

Now, the Bucs' depth will truly be tested for the first time offensively in 2021, a reversal after the first ~75 percent of the season when Tampa Bay's defense was continually bit by the injury bug, particularly in the secondary. 

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