Buccaneers Take Down Cardinals in Must Win Game

It appears things might be turning around a bit for the Buccaneers after a tough stretch where we saw 3 straight losses. The return of Haason Reddick was a welcome sight, as it seems just having him on the field improves the struggling pash rush tremendously. The defensive line was consistently able to keep pressure on Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett, though he was still able to reach 300 yards passing and keep his squad in the game until the final minutes. Let’s talk about the bright spots. Chris Godwin was able to stretch the field for the Bucs snagging 3 targets for 75 yards. It’s certainly nice to see him returning to form after the freak injury that followed his stellar start to the 2024 campaign, however it’s clear that he hasn’t been able to shake all of the rust off quite yet. He dropped a perfect pass from Baker Mayfield that would have been his first touchdown of this season, and although it didn’t make a difference in the end these are the kind of mistakes the team needs to avoid. Bucky Irving’s return was also a welcome sight, as he took a trip into the endzone for the first time since his last game (Week 4 against PHI), also accounting for his first rushing score of the year. His final stat line was 17/61/1 and while the efficiency wasn’t quite there the volume is back, a sign that Todd Bowles trusts the second year running back moving forward and that his injuries will not have an effect on his snap count. The only other touchdown on the day came on a short pass from Mayfield to Tristan Wirfs. For clarity, you did read that correctly. The Bucs have shown that they like to use the 320lbs OT on occasion in certain offensive schemes, and this time rather than using him as a fullback they had him run a route for the wide open score. The rest of the Bucs scoring came from 2 FG makes from K Chase McLaughlin, continuing his solid year.

Now, I have to be negative. I’m still far from sold on the Buccaneers play calling. A common theme among great offenses this year is using players to their personal strengths, and I just haven’t seen that on a consistent basis this season. A good example of this is Chris Godwin’s usage this week. Why are we throwing the ball down field to him? Once in a while I understand, but he found most of his success with the ball in his hands on short yardage and turning small passes into huge gains. Not to mention, compared to other receivers on the team his catching skills are notably worse. This is no shot at Godwin, I think he is an amazing receiver and he proves it when he’s on the field, but when guys like Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson are out there I find those decisions questionable. They are faster and much more trustworthy on contested and deep passes. There is no doubt that injuries affect these decisions and routes, but I go back to last year when we competed well for some time while missing out on Evans and Godwin, and it’s what really concerns me about Josh Grizzard, the Bucs first time play-caller. We need to see a more fluid offense. It takes me back to my point on playing to the team’s strengths, establishing levels and creating holes in opposing defenses. We have 3 great receivers currently and 2 set to begin practice within the next couple weeks (Evans, McMillan), so the remaining games this season must hold a focus on perfecting that offense before the playoffs. If that doesn’t happen, there will be another first round exit for us.

Thankfully, a win is a win, and the bright spots are certainly shining. In time Godwin and Irving will be the forces they were last season, and that should help explode the offense back to its early season look. With Mike Evans set to return before the end of the regular season, everything is seemingly piecing back together for the team and it’s yet to be seen if the Bucs will capitalize. Keep an eye on practice reports this week for news on Evans and McMillan, and lastly, Go Bucs!