The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered their Week 5 bye atop the NFC South with a 3-1 record. But, they have fallen on tough time since, going 0-2, losing to the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons.
While no one is going to be pointing fingers at others on the team, those losses are on the offense more or less. The Buccaneers’ defense surrendered only 20 points to Detroit and 16 to Atlanta, who the game on a field goal at the buzzer.
The offense has been inconsistent at times for the Buccaneers this season. In their victories, they have averaged 24.3 points per game; in their losses, they have scored only 30 points combined.
When taking a look at the offense, a lot of the team’s issues stem from lackluster play in the trenches. The offensive line has struggled to open holes up in the running game or protect Baker Mayfield in the pocket. However, in the opinion of star wide receiver Mike Evans, it is a lack of discipline that is holding the Buccaneers’ offense back the most.
“Today, for sure, was discipline. Like one drive we had three penalties in a row, I believe. And that’s hard, it’s deflating. You know, second-and-20… it’s hard to you know get into our stuff offensively, so we’ve got to be better,” Evans said.
It is hard to argue against Evans. Even the best offenses would struggle to find success when trying to convert on drives they are faced with a 2nd-and-20 situation.
The Buccaneers were flagged for nine total penalties against the Falcons, eight of which were called against the offense. When you are struggling to move the ball, as they were on Sunday afternoon, constantly putting yourself behind the sticks by committing infractions is only exacerbating the issues.
Things aren’t going to be any easier for Tampa Bay in Week 8. They are playing on a short week and have to travel north to take on the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football.
The Buccaneers will have their hands full with a ticked-off Bills team who suffered a huge upset loss to the New England Patriots in Week 7. The last time Buffalo suffered an upset like that, they reeled off three straight games of 37+ points. Given the current form of the Tampa Bay offense, that would be a tall order keeping up with that explosive of an offense.
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