Rapid Reaction: Bucs Lose Divisional Game

The Bucs have fallen to 3-4 after losing to the Carolina Panthers 21-3, losing their first divisional game of the 2022 season. 

The Bucs have lost 4 out of the last 5 games and have to quickly rebound as they host the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football. But where do you begin to look when wondering how you’ve gotten to 3-4 so quickly? They were squeaking by the Falcons and then losing to the Steelers and then a Panthers team that traded away their 2 leading offensive weapons earlier in the week. Here’s the Rapid Reaction:

Tom Brady misses Giselle and Byron showing he still needs BA

This definitely isn’t the Bucs offense we’re used to seeing. Turnover jokes aside, 1 game of 30 points! ONE! The Bucs have been averaging at least 30 points per game since 2018, and to have only one is absolutely absurd, especially when you have the G.O.A.T. under center. Not only is Byron Leftwich showing why Bruce Arians always kept training wheels on him but is in desperate need of learning how to actually call plays.

You can’t wholly blame Byron without holding Tom Brady accountable as well. It’s been well documented and even regularly mentioned that Brady has damn near complete control of the offense, including play-calling. If that is indeed the case, he deserves his fair share of the blame for the vanilla-style offense that has shown up this season in Tampa. You can’t make excuses for injured lineman as a defense after the 45-year-old quarterback took an 11-day hiatus from training camp just days after un-retiring. It’s evident that Brady’s body came back, but the mind stayed retired, and rightfully so, considering your pride in returning came at the price of ruining your marriage. It’s clear that Tom has Giselle on that part of the brain that was once consumed by the game of football.

Bowles continuing to show he’s a better coordinator 

It’s becoming quite clear that Todd Bowles is not going to yell or even raise his voice. This man just sits there calmly with his arms folded on the sideline and speaking in that soft tone when it’s media time. Bowles, who is in his first season as Head Coach, is giving Bucs fans a glimpse first-hand on why his stint as a Jets Head Coach was cut so short.

It seems like whatever was going on behind the scenes involving Brady and Bruce Arians was really the glue that brought a Super Bowl in 2020. The Bucs’ defense has suffered as well in not retaining Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh in the off-season. Devin White (who is indeed still living in his post-Super Bowl dream world) is also finding new ways to “Make Defense Fun Again” by leading the team once again in missed tackles.

Whatever the excuses are for the team to look this ridiculous, things need to change and change fast if the Bucs or Brady want a Lombardi before the “old man” finally rides off into retirement. If you would’ve said the Bucs would be 3-4 this early in the season and struggling to score, I would’ve expected it to be because Brady indeed retired and we were living off Gabbert and Trask, but nope here we are 3-4 and Brady leading the charge.

Thursday just might be Lamar Jackson’s playing interview for Bucs fans hoping the team can land him in 2023.