Brady watches the Patriots’ game each and every week.

After the big win over the Rams, one that was sorely needed for this organization. Tom Brady talked about a variety of subjects on his XM Mad Dog Radio show Let’s Go. One of those subjects was the New England Patriots. Brady had a lot of flattering things to say about his old team. He started off by saying that he watches the Patriots’ games every week. He was then asked what he thought of Coach Belichick passing the Bears’ legend George Halas for second place on the all-time wins list. Brady responded by saying,

“A remarkable achievement by him and what he’s gone through in his coaching career,” Brady said. “In as many years as he’s been coaching and preparing his teams, he’s so deserving of the award. “He’s been an amazing coach that I got to play for 20 years. He always has his team prepared. He works incredibly hard, and he’s incredibly deserving of all the accolades that go along with it. I’m really happy for him, and none of his success really surprises me, getting a first-hand view of what he put into it every week for 20 years that I was there with him.” 

Mutual admiration.

Being around the future Hall Of Fame Coach for twenty years, all the success, and all the memories, Brady went on about his former coach.

“He is a historian of the game,” Brady said. “I remember when I was there, we talked about Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers. There were a lot of history lessons he would give the team to give you perspective on the history of football, history of coaching, history of playing, history of rivalries and games, and the founding of NFL teams because we all love football.” Brady then added.“He’s going to go down as the greatest coach of all time. He’s done an incredible job; certainly, with the Patriots, he’s an amazing coach.”

No other player/coach relationship has been as fruitful as those two. Possibly no pair has ever worked as hard at achieving that success either. Both men have admiration and respect for each other, and that’s the way it should be. With the Bucs getting that much-needed victory, let’s hope that Brady makes more positive history as a Buccaneer as well. Go Bucs!!

 

Quotes per Darren Hartwell, Nissan-NFL: Patriots coach makes NFL history – NBC Sports Boston

 

 

LASS UNS VERDAMMT NOCH MAL GEHEN!!!

(That’s “LET’S FUCKING GO!” in German)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers invaded Germany where they were able to hold off a late game rally by the Seattle Seahawks to get a 21-16 victory and grab their second win in a row. They now have the outright lead in the NFC South over the Atlanta Falcons heading into the bye week.

This game was absolutely dominated by the Buccaneers, even though the scoreboard didn’t show it because of two garbage time touchdowns by Seattle late in the fourth quarter. The crowd of about 69,000 German Fans in attendance and the 5.8 million television viewers (the most ever for an international NFL game) were treated to an exciting football game led by the greatest QB of all-time. So let’s take a look at my GOOD, BAD and UGLY from the Bucs Week 10 matchup in Munich.

THE GOOD

The Win

It’s the Bucs second win in a row, which gets them to back to .500 at 5-5 for the season. Tom Brady is now 4-0 in international games. The score wasn’t indicative of just how much Tampa Bay dominated this game. The Bucs ran 74 offensive plays. The Seahawks ran just 50 offensive plays. The Bucs had 26 first downs. The Seahawks had 19 first downs. The Bucs were 10 of 15 on third down. The Seahawks were just 1 of 9 on third down. The Bucs had 419 total yards. The Seahawks had just 283 total yards. The Bucs had 161 rushing yards. The Seahawks had just 39 rushing yards. The Bucs had the ball for 36:55 of this game. The Seahawks had the ball for just 23:05 of this game. The Bucs even turned the ball over twice in this game missing out on two more scoring opportunities and at least another 10 points. Plus there was the missed 52-yard field goal by Ryan Succop. The score could’ve and should’ve been much more lopsided than it turned out to be, but it was a win against a quality football team and I’ll take it.

The Offense

It still wasn’t what we were expecting this year, but it was better than it had been for most of this season. Especially in the run game. They actually ran the ball 44 times for 161 yards, averaging 3.7 yards per attempt. However if you take Tom Brady’s kneeldowns out of these numbers, their average bumps up to 4.3 yards per attempt. That’s over a yard more per attempt over their season average.

They had plenty of success through the air as well. Tom Brady finished 22 of 29 for 258 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He completed passes to eight different receivers. They had three receivers with 50+ receiving yards (Godwin- 71, Evans- 54, Jones- 53) and six receivers who averaged more than 10-yards per catch.

They were much better on third down and in the redzone than they have been all season. They were 10 for 15 on third down and they were 7 for 7 on third and short (3 yards or less) in this game. That’s a drastic improvement for what has been one of the worst third down teams in the NFL this season. They were also 2 for 3 in the redzone, with their only “unsuccessful” trip being the final drive where they took a victory formation at the Seahawks 20-yard line.

The Bucs had three touchdown drives of 85-yards or more in this game. That’s only the second time a Brady led team has done that in his 23 year career. Those drives were 13 plays/88 yards/5 first downs/6:32 off the clock, 13 plays/86 yards/7 first downs/7:34 off the clock and 11 plays/87 yards/5 first downs/6:41 off the clock. By far the Bucs best offensive drives of the season.

The Defense

The Bucs defense played one of their best games of the season, especially in the first half. At halftime, the Bucs D had held the Seahawks to only 57 total yards, including just 15 rushing yards, and they were 0 for 5 on third down. Seattle was 1 for 5 on third and short and the Bucs stopped them twice on 3rd & 1 attempts. On Seattle’s first 6 possessions, they had drives of 4 plays/-7 yards, 5 plays/14 yards, 3 plays/8 yards, 5 plays/7 yards, 3 plays/7 yards and 8 plays/38 yards.

This season, teams that score 21 points or less have won just 28% of the time. The Bucs are now 5-3, or 63%, when they do that this year. They have five wins in 2022 when scoring 21 points or less after totaling just three wins over the last five seasons when doing it. That’s a testament to the defense, who is not in the top five in a number of statistical categories now, including 5th in total defense, 3rd in scoring defense, 5th in passing defense, 14th in rushing defense and 4th in sack percentage.

They are also getting healthier on that side of the ball. Akiem Hicks has been back the last two weeks after missing 6 games. Antoine Winfield Jr. was back for this game after missing 2 games in concussion protocol. And Logan Ryan is now eligible to come off of IR as soon as hes healthy enough. This team is getting healthy at just the right time.

The Rookie

Rookie running back Rachaad White got his first career start in this game. He also had his first career 100-yard game. He finished with 22 carries for 105 yards averaging 4.8 yards per carry. More importantly, he was 3 for 3 on 3rd & 1 plays in this game and is now 7 for 7 on 3rd/4th & 1 plays this season. Just as a comparison, Leonard Fournette is 5 for 13 on such attempts. At this point, White should be the Bucs RB1. At least until the real Leonard Fournette decides to show up. Maybe Bruce Arians needs to have another heart to heart with him to light a fire under his ass again.

The German Fans

Over 3 million ticket requests. More than 69,000 in attendance. The “wave” rippling through the stands. Singing “Sweet Caroline” and “Country Road” loud and clear. Sticking around and singing “Don’t Stop Believing” even after the team’s cleared the field after the game. Munich did not disappoint. The German fans showed up and showed out and it was awesome to see.

THE BAD

The Let Up

I may be nitpicking here, but it wasn’t easy finding anything “BAD” in this game. So I went with the second half “let down” by the defense. In Seattle’s last three possessions,  they had drives of 10 plays/71 yards, 5 plays/77 yards and 8 plays/45 yards resulting in 13 points. On one drive, they ended up in scoring position at the Bucs 9-yard line, but Devin White forced a fumble that was recovered by Anthony Nelson causing a turnover. Like I said, not that big of a deal, but after playing so tight for the first two and a half quarters it was a bit of a let down.

The Streak’s End

Tom Brady was just 3 passes shy of Aaron Rodgers‘ record of consecutive passes WITHOUT an interception. Then it happened. With about six and a half minutes left in the game, Brady tried to throw a pass down the middle to Mike Evans at the 45-yard line. It was picked off by Seattle linebacker Cody Barton who had dropped back into coverage. Unfortunately, Seattle went on to score the first of two fourth quarter touchdowns following the turnover.

The Rare Miss

Again, I’m nitpicking here. It was a 52-yard field goal, so it’s not like it was a “gimme“. But it was a miss nonetheless. It’s only Ryan Succop’s second actual miss of the season with one other being blocked. He’s still 22 of 25 on field goals and 13 of 13 on extra points.

THE UGLY

The Fournette Pass/Pick

I don’t know what Byron Leftwich was thinking on this one. He had just run the same Fournette in the wildcat formation about five plays before this and nobody went out to cover Tom Brady who was lined up outside at wide receiver. Apparently, he thought it would be a good idea to try it again. This time they did cover Brady, but Fournette threw it anyway and it was easily picked off by Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen. To throw salt in the wound, Brady slipped on the turf, then was called for “tripping” on the play.

BIG BUCS OF THE DAY

OFFENSE : Bucs Offensive Line

Not only did the big fellas not give up a sack in 30 pass dropbacks, they led the way for the Bucs best rushing performance of the season. They ran the ball 44 times for 161 yards in this game and averaged 4.3 yards per attempt. Todd Bowles continues to be diplomatic about the situation at left guard, but I don’t have to be. If Nick Leverett isn’t the starting guard from here on out, then I’d be convinced that this coaching staff is deliberately trying to tank the season. He has performed so much better than Luke Goedeke ever did in the first 7 games that it would be inexcusable not to start him at this point.

DEFENSE : LB Devin White

He got news that his father had passed just prior to boarding the plane on Thursday. I had him as my defensive player to watch for this game for good reason. He responded just the way I thought he would with arguably his best game of the season finishing with a team-high 9 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble. Those 2 sacks give him 5 for the season and 20 for his career. The only other linebacker with 20 sacks in his first 4 seasons was Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher in 2000.

BAD BUCS OF THE DAY

OFFENSE : RB Leonard Fournette

Again, I’m reaching a little bit here because it was difficult to pick ANY bad players in this game. He finished this game with 14 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown averaging 4.1 yards per carry. Not a terrible day, but he did leave the game with a hip pointer injury. He was a non-factor in the passing game with just 1 catch for 1 yard and he also threw that bone-headed interception. That’s the biggest reason he makes it on my list here.

DEFENSE : DT Akiem Hicks

He didn’t have a terrible game either, but I had to pick someone. He finished with 4 tackles and a QB hit, but he also got flagged twice in this game. One was a pretty ticky-tack “roughing the passer” where he grazed Geno Smith’s helmet with his hand. And the other was an illegal hands to the face call. Both were silly penalties that cost his team.

On the flip side, the Bucs are now 4-0 with him in the lineup and 1-5 without him. They’re also giving up 148.3 rushing yards and 23 points per game WITHOUT him and just 69.5 rushing yards and 10.5 points per game WITH him. Of course there are other factors, but I thought that was interesting.

THE WRAP UP

Two in a row! That’s all that matters. The Bucs won their second straight and fifth of the season to get to 5-5 and take sole possession of the division. It was a quality win against a quality opponent. It was as solid a team win as they’ve had since Week 1 against the Cowboys in Dallas. They played good enough to win in Week 9 against the Rams. They played a little better in Week 10 against the Seahawks. Now they just need to continue building on it and stacking the wins.

THE LOOK AHEAD

Ah, the bye week is here. I’m sure the players are ready for some time off. It’s been a long, stressful season so far. Now they get to sit out Week 11 and get some much needed rest. They get to heal up. They get to refresh and reset. They go into the bye after winning two straight. They come out of the bye with a game at the 3-6 Browns, then come home to host the 3-7 Saints. Wins in those two games put them at 7-5 going into a tough 3-game stretch where they travel to the 5-4 Niners, then come home to play the 5-4 Bengals, then travel back across the country to play the 4-6 Cardinals. If they can win two of those three, then they’re now 9-6 with two games left. A home game against the 3-7 Panthers and a trip up I-75 to play the 4-6 Falcons. Both of those games are very winnable. If the Bucs can continue to get better and healthier, then I can see them finishing 10-7 or maybe even 11-6 this season and winning the NFC South.

Until then, as always…GO BUCS!!!

Buccaneers running game finally reappears; missing since week 2.

The Bucs started out pretty strong in Germany Sunday. They, then, held on for dear life to outlast the Seahawks 21-16. This was an important win because the Bucs could have easily lost to a surprising Seattle squad who came into this game at 6-3. Three games over five hundred. The Bucs, on the other hand, were looking to get to five hundred with a win. Two weeks ago, I would have predicted a sure loss. Mike Evans appears to be back to respectability, no certain touchdown receptions dropped, and he made some tough grabs in this one. Evans wasn’t the only receiver making some nice grabs. Godwin, Miller, Otten, and Jones had some highlight footage receptions. Fournette and Rachaad White had some nice-looking runs. Fournette ran over one defender, and White shoved another to the ground on a physical 28-yard gain en route to his first one-hundred-yard game with 105 on 22 carries. It appears the Bucs have finally figured out that the best runner on the team has been sitting on the bench, just like when RoJo was here. White getting the 22 attempts against Fournette’s 14. Vaughn also had two carries, and Brady 6. I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s been quite a while since this team last rushed 44 times in a game.

When has this ever happened before?

Quick, name the last time a 40-plus-year-old player caught a pass in the NFL. If you guessed Jerry Rice, you would be correct. There are two others, but they are quarterbacks. That being Brett Favre, and yep, our own Tom Brady. I’m speaking, of course, of the trick play the Bucs attempted. It ended up with Leonard Fournette throwing to a well-covered Brady. It was entertaining, and it was fun for about two seconds. Hopefully, we keep that play on the shelf until the NFL starts playing in Brazil or Bangladesh. Brady would have been the oldest had he found a way to bring that hopeless toss in for a completion. On the other side of the ball, there were times the Bucs’ defense looked very good. Joe Tryon had maybe his best game, and Devin White had a nice sack after unexpectedly losing his father this past week. As has become commonplace this season, the defense also had some lapses, mostly in the secondary.

Home-field advantage is probably not on the table.

Let’s not forget that even if our record looks bad at the end of this season, as long as we can win the NFC South, they can’t keep us out of the playoffs. While it would be sweet if we didn’t lose another game this season, that goal is probably unrealistic. The Bucs, with the win Sunday, have reclaimed sole possession of the NFC South lead. Their biggest threat, the Saints are cellar dwellers at 3-7. Even losing against the Saints in two weeks, chances are we still win the division. The Falcons are closest to us, but I don’t need to say that they have basically no chance of winning it. The Bucs won their first meeting, and I don’t feel like it’s a stretch to say we will win the second game as well. It’s been said many times, once you get into the playoffs it’s a new season, and anything can happen. That’s where my hopes lie for a great season. The team has shown signs of improvement these last two weeks. Let’s hope that continues. Go Bucs!!

 

 

ZICKE ZACKE, ZICKE ZACKE, HOI HOI HOI!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel across the pond this week for an NFC showdown with the surprising Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Who would’ve thought that it was Russell Wilson that’s been holding them back? These are two teams who came into the season with very different expectations. The Seahawks far exceeded their expectations, while the Bucs have not lived up to theirs.

Not even close.

Seattle is playing good football. They have been all season. The Bucs have played subpar for most of the season, but they did play a little better last week. Their defense was lights out, but they have a ton of room for improvement on offense. The bad news is that they’re playing a Seattle defense that has been stingy as of the last few weeks. I think we’re in store for a good game on Sunday. So let’s take a deeper look into the Bucs Week 10 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (6-3)

After a 2-3 start, the Seahawks have now won four straight including a convincing 27-13 win over the 6-2 New York Giants in Week 8. Quarterback Geno Smith has resurrected his career in Seattle where he’s completed 73% of his passes for 2,199 yards, 15 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 196 yards and another touchdown. His top two receivers are Tyler Lockett with 51 catches for 598 yards and 4 touchdowns and DK Metcalf with 42 catches for 510 yards and 4 touchdowns. But the Seattle offense is predicated on the run game, where they have six different players averaging at least 4.8 yards per carry. Their leading rusher is rookie running back Kenneth Walker III who has 570 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Seattle’s offense is ranked 11th averaging 360 total yards and 28 points per game. Their passing attack is ranked 14th with just 226 yards per game, while their 10th ranked rushing attack averages 134 yards per game. The defense is ranked 25th allowing 365 total yards and 25 points per game. They’re giving up 226 yards (21st) per game through the air and 139 yards (27th) on the ground per game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

OFFENSE : RB Kenneth Walker III

Walker is averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season and the Bucs defense has been struggling against the run over the last month or so. That’s not a good combination. If Tampa doesn’t tighten up their run defense, then this could be a rough morning in Munich.

DEFENSE : LB Uchenna Nwosu

Nwosu has been outstanding this season totaling 39 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, 3 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles. He should be lined up against Bucs left tackle Donovan Smith in this game, so he could end up having a real effect on this game if Smith doesn’t show up to play.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (4-5)

The Bucs are coming off of a thrilling last second win against the LA Rams last Sunday breaking their 3-game losing streak and avenging the playoff loss that ended their season last year. With the help of the Carolina Panthers win over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, the Bucs now have sole possession of first place in the NFC South. Now they want to start a new streak. One that ends with them hoisting a third Lombardi Trophy. However, they are a long way from that. There’s still eight games left in the regular season, but they can’t win the rest, unless they win the next. And next up is the Seattle Seahawks.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

OFFENSE : RB Rachaad White

The rookie running back has looked better and better each week. He runs with a lot of patience waiting for his blocks, he has great vision and he’s a real factor out of the backfield in the passing game. I think he’s actually been outplaying Fournette lately, so look for him to start getting more and more touches as the season goes on.

DEFENSE : LB Devin White

Sadly, White lost his father on Thursday. That could go two different ways for him on Sunday. It could either be a distraction or it could be motivation. I think he’ll use it as fuel to play an inspired football game.

KEY MATCHUPS

1. Carlton Davis vs DK Metcalf

This should be a fun matchup to watch, especially if Davis plays as physical as he did against the Rams. Metcalf is a physical specimen and a freak athlete. He’ll be a real test for Davis and the Gravediggers.

2. Donovan Smith vs Uchenna Nwosu

Smith had arguably his worst game of the season last week against the Rams, so he’ll need to bounce back fast if he’s going to keep Nwosu off of Brady’s blindside.

3. Run D vs Kenneth Walker III

The Bucs have got to stop the run on Sunday and that starts with the d-line who has not been doing their job up front lately. They’ll need to clamp down if they want to slow down the Seahawks rushing attack.

INJURY REPORTS

BUCCANEERS

The Bucs have three players officially ruled “OUT” for this game including WR Russell Gage Jr (hamstring), G Luke Goedeke (foot) and LB JJ Russell (hamstring). The only other player listed on the injury report is TE Cam Brate (neck) who is “QUESTIONABLE“. Since S Antoine Winfield Jr is not listed, that means he has cleared concussion protocols and will play which is great news for the Bucs secondary.

SEAHAWKS

Seattle is in good shape injury wise with just one player, LB Cullen Gillaspia (knee), officially ruled “OUT” for this game. Their only other player on the report is WR Marquise Goodwin (groin) who is “QUESTIONABLE“.

KEYS TO THE GAME

1. TRENCHES!

The Bucs have to win in the trenches if they want to win this game. They need to stop the run on defense and establish the run on offense. That all starts up front.

2. TURNOVERS!

The Bucs defense hasn’t forced a turnover in 5 games. They haven’t gone that long without a turnover since 2008. They need to end that streak on Sunday.

3. TOUCHDOWNS!

Settling for field goals instead of touchdowns in the redzone won’t cut it against Seattle. They’ve got to start punching the ball into the endzone to have a chance at their second straight win.

ODDS & ENDS

Bucs at -2.5 and Over/Under is 44.5 points

WHEN & WHERE TO WATCH

Sunday, Nov. 13 @ 9:30am on ABC & NFL Network

SCORE PREDICTION

Tom Brady is 3-0 in international games, but the Bucs are 0-3 overseas. Something has got to give here. My hope is that the Rams game lit a fire under this team’s ass and propels them forward to bigger and better things this season. The road to recovery started last week in Tampa and I think it continues in Germany. Bucs win.

Buccaneers  26  Seahawks  20

THE WRAP UP

The Seahawks want this win. The Buccaneers need this win. There’s a difference. The Seahawks are 6-3 and have a two and a half game lead over the 49ers in the NFC West. The Buccaneers are 4-5 and have a half game lead over the Falcons in the NFC South. The Seahawks can afford to lose this game. The Buccaneers can’t. We’re about to find out if Tampa Bay can build on to that win from last week and keep righting their ship and their season on Sunday morning. So now that you know everything you need to know about the Bucs Week 10 matchup, there’s only one thing left to say.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, YOUR ASS IS ON THE CLOCK!

TO QUOTE THE GOAT, “THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME”!

Those were the first words out of Tom Brady’s mouth when he got to the podium for his post-game press conference after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers broke their losing streak and took back first place in the NFC South with a 16-13 come from behind win against their nemisis the LA Rams on Sunday. And it was awesome!

Ugly, but awesome.

Both teams came into this game struggling to find some offense, but neither of them did so in this game either. The Rams and Bucs both sputtered on offense all afternoon trading punts for most of this game. It was quite a boring game for the first 58 minutes if you like offense. If you’re more of a defensive and special teams fan, then this was your game. So here’s my GOOD, BAD & UGLY from the Bucs long awaited win over the Rams on Sunday.

THE GOOD

The Final Drive

Just :44 seconds left and no timeouts. Down by four with 60-yards to go. That’s just how Tom Brady likes it. He’s been in this situation so many times before. The first play was a pass down the seam to Cade Otton for 28-yards and a first down. Hurry down and spike the ball with :28 seconds left and the ball on the Rams 32-yard line. Then it was Brady to Fournette for 4-yards. Brady to Miller for 14-yards and a first down with :19 seconds left. Brady to Miller again for 7-yards with :16 seconds left. Then came the defensive pass interference on Mike Evans in the endzone giving them the ball on the 1-yard line with :13 seconds left. And the final play, Brady to Otton in the flat for the walk-in touchdown and the lead with :09 seconds remaining. It was Brady’s 43rd fourth quarter comeback, tying him with Peyton Manning for most all-time. And it was his 55th game-winning drive, now the most in NFL history.

The Defense

Even though they failed to produce a turnover for the fifth straight game for the first time in franchise history, the Bucs defense played extremely well, considering they were missing two of their best players in Shaq Barrett and Antoine Winfield Jr. They held the Rams to just 9 first downs for the entire game, the fewest they’ve allowed since 2008 and the second fewest allowed by any team this season. It was also the lowest total by the Rams offense in 6 seasons under Sean McVay. They only allowed the Rams to convert just 4 of 15 third downs and forced 9 punts.

The Rams offense had 13 possessions and the Bucs forced a three-and-out on nine of them.  They only had one first down in their final six drives and in the 4th quarter they held them to just 10 plays for 4-yards and no first downs. The Rams finished with just 206 total yards, the second fewest since McVay took over as head coach.

The Special Teams

These guys had quite a night. Jaelon Darden had 8 punt returns for 83 yards averaging more than 10-yards per return, including returns of 15 and 17 yards. He now leads the NFL in punt return yards (286) and punt returns (27) and ranks 7th in return average with 10.6 yards per attempt.

Ryan Succop had a good night as well finishing 3 of 4 on his field goals (one was blocked) and making his only extra point attempt. He is now 22 of 24 this season, leading the league in field goals made and attempted and he’s 3rd in the league in scoring with 76 points.

The rookie punter Jake Camarda had himself a career night with 6 punts averaging 59.5 yards per attempt, which ties the highest average ever in an NFL game. He also kicked a 74-yarder, which ties for the longest in franchise history set back in 1997. Oh and he also had 2 tackles on special teams.

THE BAD

The Playcalling

Once again, the offensive playcalling was predictable and unimaginative for most of this game all the way up until that final drive. Whether it’s Byron Leftwich calling bad plays or Tom Brady not calling audibles when he doesn’t like the defense, something has to change with these guys. They have been historically bad this season. They have THE worst run game in NFL history. Literally. They have been terrible on third down. In fact, on 3rd & 7 or longer, they’re converting just about 10% of the time. That’s the lowest conversion rate for any team in the NFL since at least 1994. Even the 2008 Raiders with JaMarcus Russell converted 11.4% of those, which is the next closest. The Bucs offense was 9 of 21 on third down in this game. That’s pretty bad.

The Drops

Tom Brady has struggled enough this season without adding drops by his receivers into the equation. The Bucs had about 7 dropped catchable balls in this game, including at least three by Mike Evans and one in the endzone for a touchdown by Scotty Miller late in the 4th quarter. I’m sorry, but dropped balls at this level is just unacceptable and inexcusable.

The Kupp Runneth Over

Even though the Bucs defense played an outstanding game overall, they did allow Cooper Kupp to get free on a few plays. However, those few plays resulted in him finishing with 8 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown while averaging nearly 16 yards per catch. For whatever reason, he just has his way with the Bucs secondary every time he lines up against them. Hopefully one day, they’ll figure out how to slow that dude down.

THE UGLY

The Offenses

Both offenses in this game were just downright offensive. The Bucs scored just 16 points. The Rams scored just 13 points. The Bucs had just 323 total yards. The Rams had just 206 total yards. The Bucs had just 272 passing yards. The Rams had just 138 passing yards. The Bucs rushed for only 51 yards. The Rams rushed for just 68 yards. The Bucs were 9 of 21 on 3rd down. The Rams were 4 of 15 on 3rd down. The Bucs punted 6 times. The Rams punted 9 times. The two teams combined for 14 three & outs in this game. That’s insane!

BIG BUCS OF THE DAY

OFFENSE :  P Jake Camarda

Had he not dropped that go ahead touchdown late in the game, I would’ve considered wide receiver Scotty Miller for this one. He finished with 7 catches (6 in the final 6 min) for 53 yards and had two big catches on that final drive.

Instead, I’m going with the guy who got the game ball Sunday in Camarda. I already talked about him earlier, but what he did in this game deserves all the recognition it can get. He finished this game with 6 punts and averaged 59.5 yards per attempt, which ties the NFL record for a single game. He also tied a franchise record with a 74-yard punt, which was set back in 1997 and had 2 tackles on special teams.

DEFENSE :  DT Vita Vea

With Akiem Hicks finally back in the lineup commanding double teams, Vita Vea was wreaking havoc in the Rams backfield all game. He finished with 3 tackles and 2 sacks, giving him a team-high 6.5 sacks this season. That’s a career high and matches his total for his last two full seasons combined.

BAD BUCS OF THE DAY

OFFENSE :  LT Donovan Smith

Smith did not have a good day at all. When he wasn’t committing holding penalties (two in the game for 20 yards that cost them a 6-yard gain and a 9-yard gain), he was getting beat like a rented mule by anyone who lined up in front of him. He’s had a decent season so far, but this just wasn’t his game.

DEFENSE :  OLB Anthony Nelson

When your job is to “replace” Shaq Barrett, you’re expected to play to a certain standard. Nelson did not answer the call finishing with zero solo tackles, just 2 assists and no sacks. In fact, the Bucs started rotating Genard Avery in there in his place and he ended up with a sack in this game. I thought Nelson would step up and shine when given this opportunity, but he didn’t rise to the occasion.

THE WRAP UP

Ok listen, I’m as happy as anyone that the Bucs beat the Rams on Sunday, but let’s put a little perspective on this one before we get too optimistic. Los Angeles is not playing very good football. They haven’t been all season. Then again, neither have the Bucs. A win is a win and I’ll take all I can get at this point, especially against the Rams. But I’m not buying Super Bowl tickets just yet. Keep in mind that the Bucs had to score a touchdown with :09 seconds left to take the lead and win this game against a team that now has a 3-5 record. I still want to see more consistency on defense. I still want to see more production on offense. I want to see a quality win over a quality team. This Sunday could tell us a lot about where this team is and where they could be going for the rest of this season.

THE LOOK AHEAD

Speaking of Sunday, the Bucs have flown across the pond to Munich, Germany to face the 6-3 Seattle Seahawks. Even though Seattle has been a bit of a surprise success story so far this season, they are playing good football. In the last month or so, they have quality wins over the 5-3 Chargers, the 6-2 Giants and they’ve beaten the Cardinals twice. Their offense is currently 11th in the league averaging 360 total yards and 27 points per game. And their defense is ranked 24th allowing 365 total yards and 24 points per game.

Since replacing Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback, Geno Smith has had a career resurgence completing 73% of his passes for 2,199 yards, 15 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. His two leading receivers are Tyler Lockett with 51 catches for 598 yards and 4 touchdowns and DK Metcalf with 42 catches for 510 yards and 4 touchdowns. But their real strength is in their run game where they have six different players averaging more than 4.8 yards per carry. Their leading rusher, rookie Kenneth Walker III, has 570 yards and 7 touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

This is not going to be the “easy win” we all thought it would be when the schedule came out. It’s going to be a dogfight. The Bucs will need to play physical on defense to stop the run and the offense has got to put some points on the board. Hopefully, that win against the Rams helped breath some life back into this team and propels them forward for the rest of this season. We’ll find out bright and early Sunday morning!

Until then, as always…GO BUCS!!!

WHAT BETTER TEAM TO RIGHT THE SHIP AGAINST THAN THE ONE WHO ENDED YOUR SEASON EARLY LAST YEAR!

This is the week. This is when it happens. This is the game where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turn this season around. This is where they get their revenge on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs and ended their season early last year. This is where they get the Rams off their back.

I feel it.

Of course, I felt the same way last week too and we all know how that game turned out. Hopefully, this week is different. Hopefully, this Buccaneers team remembers what the Rams did to them in the second round of the playoffs last season and how they ended their season early. Hopefully, they still have that “unfinished business” that they were talking about all offseason.

The Rams have had a similarly disappointing season as the Bucs so far. The Super Bowl LVI champions have had a major championship hangover this year and are struggling to play good football. Sound familiar? It’s gut check time, so let’s take a look at this upcoming matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the LA Rams.

LA RAMS (3-4)

The Rams are struggling almost as bad as the Bucs right now having lost three of their last four games. They are currently 30th in the league on offense averaging just 297 total yards and 17 points per game. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has had a disappointing season so far passing for 1,763 yards, just 7 touchdowns and 8 interceptions while averaging just 6.8 yards per completion. He’s also been sacked 24 times in 7 games.

On defense, the Rams are ranked 5th allowing just 311 total yards per game, but they are giving up 23 points per game as well. Linebacker Bobby Wagner leads the team in tackles (51). Defensive tackle Aaron Donald leads the team in sacks (4) and tackles for loss (7). And cornerback Jalen Ramsey leads the team in passes defensed (7). They have superstars at every level of this defense, but they’ve still allowed 24+ points in four of their seven games this year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

OFFENSE : WR Cooper Kupp

Kupp IS the offense for the Rams at this point. With 686 receiving yards, 51 rushing yards and 6 total touchdowns, he accounts for nearly 40% of their offense. Translation. Slow up Kupp, you stop the Rams. The problem is that the Bucs haven’t been able to do that. In the 4 games he has faced Tampa Bay, he’s totaled 38 catches on 51 targets for 545 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Bucs have to do a better job of limiting his production, especially after the way he single handedly ended the their playoff run last season.

DEFENSE : DT Aaron Donald

He’s just a game-wrecker. He’s the best football player on the planet and he proves it every time he steps on the field. He has to be accounted for on every snap and double-teamed as much as possible, or he will wreak havoc in the backfield.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (3-5)

Where do I start with this team? A disappointing season is turning more disastrous by the week. They have lost three straight and five of their last six games. The offense has been disgraceful, ranked 21st totaling just 333 total yards and 18 points per game. They have scored just 146 points in 8 games so far. The only NFC teams to score less points this season are the Commanders (142), the Packers (145) and the Rams (118).

On defense, they’ve been inconsistent and mediocre at best. They now rank 11th allowing just 326 total yards and 18 points per game. The Bucs D usually starts games good, but the problem is that they’re on the field too much because the offense can’t sustain drives. Late in the game, the snaps start adding up and the defense wears down and eventually breaks. Another problem for this defense is turnovers. They haven’t forced one in 4 games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

OFFENSE : RB Rachaad White

I feel like his time is coming. Leonard Fournette hasn’t been playing up to his usual standards and White has been seeing more and more touches each week. Look for him to get more opportunities in this game. It wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up splitting snaps with Fournette more evenly this week.

DEFENSE : OLB Anthony Nelson

With Shaq Barrett out for the rest of the season, the Bucs will need someone to step up and fill in for him. When Nelson does get in the game, he is productive. He has 2 sacks this season in his limited play, so look for him to take advantage of this opportunity and cause some disruption today.

KEY MATCHUPS

1. Mike Evans vs Jalen Ramsey

Best vs Best is always fun to watch. Ramsey is one of the best, if not THE best cover corner in football and Evans is one of the best receivers in the league.

2. Tom Brady vs Himself

Brady has been battling more off-the-field turmoil and personal problems than ever before in his career and I think it’s effected his play on the field. He’s been uncharacteristicly missing open receivers and missing throws. He’s been uncomfortable in the pocket and indecisive with his reads. He’s only thrown one pick this season and he’s one of the least sacked QB’s in the NFL, but he’s only thrown 9 touchdowns this season and his yards per completion is at a career-low. After 8 games in 2020, he had 25 touchdowns. Last year after 8 games, he had 20 touchdowns. He hasn’t been himself and he knows it. Hopefully, with the divorce behind him and his personal life settling down, he’ll get back to playing like the GOAT on the football field.

3. Devin White vs Himself

Unlike Brady, I’m not sure what White’s excuse is for the way he’s played over the last month. According to ProFootballFocus.com, he’s been one of the lowest graded off-the-ball linebackers in all of football and his missed tackle rate is one of the highest in the league. Every week, I keep hoping that he snaps out of his funk and starts playing like the 5th pick that he was, but he keeps letting me down. However, after taking some public criticism about his lack of effort on some plays against the Ravens, I think he’s going to shine today.

INJURY REPORTS

BUCCANEERS

The Bucs have officially ruled “OUT” tight end Cam Brate (neck), wide receiver Russell Gage (hamstring), left guard Luke Goedeke (foot) and safety Antoine Winfield Jr (concussion). They have three more players listed as “QUESTIONABLE” on their final injury report including cornerback Carlton Davis III (hip), cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (quad) and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks (foot), but all three should be playing today.

RAMS

The Rams have just one player ruled “OUT” for this game in linebacker Jacob Hummel (hip). The only other players listed on their final injury report are wide receiver Van Jefferson (knee) and center Brian Allen (knee), but both should be available for this game.

KEYS TO THE GAME

1. STOP COOPER KUPP!

I said it before and I’ll keep saying it until the Bucs defense does it. You can’t “stop” a player like Kupp, but you have to limit his production. You have to keep him from being the gamechanger and effecting the outcome.

2. FORCE TURNOVERS!

The Bucs D hasn’t done it in over a month, but today could be the day the “Gravediggers” get it going. A turnover or two would go a long way with helping the Bucs get a win today.

3. LONG SCORING DRIVES!

The Bucs have to sustain drives today. They have to convert third downs. And they have to score touchdowns in the redzone. They have to start getting their defense more time to rest on the sideline and the best way to do that is for them to stay on the field longer.

ODDS & ENDS

Bucs -7 and Over/Under is 42.5

WHERE TO WATCH

Kickoff – 4:25 pm  Channel – CBS

SCORE PREDICTION

I’m torn this week. Last week I picked the Raven 30-13 over the Bucs. I was pretty close if it hadn’t been for that late garbage time touchdown by Tampa Bay. I said a couple weeks ago that I wouldn’t pick the Bucs to win again until they proved to me that they could do so consistently. But this is the Rams. I hate the Rams. Not as much as I hate the Saints, but I’ve hated the Rams since that 1999 playoff game where Bert Emmanuel was robbed of his catch. I don’t want to pick the Bucs, but I just can’t pick the Rams. Brady gets the offense going and White amps up the “Gravediggers“. Bucs win.

BUCS  34   RAMS  20

THE WRAP UP

Both of these teams NEED this win, so it’s going to come down to which team WANTS it more. The Bucs would like to avoid a fourth straight loss. The Rams would like to avoid dropping to 3-5 for the season. This is a turning point. It’s THE turning point. Lavonte David knows that. He’s been through enough of these types of season to know that it’s time to put up or shut up. That’s probably why he called a “players only” meeting after their loss to the Ravens on Thursday night. What was said during that meeting we’ll probably never know. But I’m hoping the Bucs players had a come to Jesus moment that lights a fire under their ass. We’ll see if that’s the case this afternoon. So now that you know everything you need to know about the Bucs matchup with the Rams, there’s only one thing left to say.

LA RAMS, YOUR ASS IS ON THE CLOCK!

If winning is a culture, this is cottage cheese.

We all know as fans that there is a culture involved with being a consistent winner in the NFL, or any team sport, for that matter. What that looks like precisely for each successful team isn’t always the same. Yet, certain intangibles are the same. Fundamentals and execution, studying film and being well-prepared for each opponent, knowing what the enemy is going to try to do to you and being able and ready to counter those efforts, in short, good coaching. On defense, it is as simple sometimes as being where you are supposed to be; wrapping up, driving through your opponent, and seeing the tackle through to the whistle. On offense, it’s things like seeing the ball all the way through to the reception before turning upfield. It is remaining on your block and neutralizing the player in front of you until the whistle blows, securing the football and protecting it, being aware of where you are on the field as it applies to the first down marker, the line of scrimmage, or the goal line.

Complacency/depression seems to have the Bucs by the throat.

While all those things seem like football 101 and common sense, they can fall victim to complacency, overconfidence; etc., etc. No amount of “want to” can overcome basic, fundamentally sound football. In other words, when a player/team becomes complacent; usually fundamentals and execution are the first things out the window. That, in turn, leads to multiple missed tackles, needless penalties at the worst moments, dropped passes, sacks allowed, and at times turnovers. Offenses and defenses are only as strong as their weakest links. Winning is contagious, but so is losing, and often, the line between the two is very thin. I’m not going to say that the reasons above are definitively what is wrong with this team, but I am sure that in some way, maybe these things play some part in what has gone wrong. How this team got to that place? I don’t have the answer to explain it. If I did, I could probably write my own ticket into sports psychology. If you have watched the post-game interviews with Brady, Evans, David, and others, it seems as if a cloak of depression has covered this team. Brady, especially seems as if he was just informed of a death in the family. He seems subdued and hopelessly lost. I have seen him before after two disappointing losses in a row when things looked; however, last week was the third in a row. But he was just the same after the first loss. Is it the divorce that has got him? I don’t know. It offers little hope to the viewer that he will; or the team will come out of this tailspin.

Hope on the horizon?

There are nine games left this season. The combined records of the teams we still have to play is 30-39. There are two teams with winning records of those nine: Seahawks 5-3 and Bengals 4-3 — as of this article. There are two more at five hundred 4-4: Falcons and 49ers. The Rams, Browns, Saints, Cardinals, and Panthers are all on the losing side of five hundred; of course, as our losses have already shown, it doesn’t even matter what the record of our opponent is. If the Bucs can shake off this heavy coat of failure and get to the level of play our talent suggests, then playing out this schedule should be to our advantage —that’s a mighty big If! That’s about all the fan base can do: have hope and continue to support our home team. Throughout the Buccaneers’ History, our fan base, especially the older ones, has become a gritty, hardened bunch. They can stare disappointment and loss in the face and not flinch. With that being said, nobody wants what we are being given this season. We shall trudge on with unwavering support and hope for a turnaround while it is still possible. It is what being a true Buccaneer is all about. Thankfully we have had our moments in time; to look on with admiration — because even if we hadn’t, we would still be Buccaneers. Go Bucs!! 

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!

This NFL season hasn’t gone the way Bucs fans, or anyone else in the football world for that matter, had expected. The preseason Super Bowl favorite Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now 3-5 and showing no signs of righting the ship. But it’s not just them. There are plenty of NFC teams who were considered “Super Bowl contenders” that are struggling this year. The Packers are 3-5. The Cardinals are 3-5. The Rams are 3-4. The 49ers are 4-4.

It’s nuts.

The Falcons now lead the South at 4-4. The Vikings lead the North at 6-1. The Seahawks lead the West at 5-3. And the East might be the best division in football with the undefeated Eagles leading at 7-0 and the Cowboys and Giants both at 6-2. The Commanders are even 4-4.

Yeah, the NFC is weird right now.

Things are strange in the AFC as well. There are the expected division leaders like the 6-1 Bills in the East, the 5-2 Chiefs in the West and the 5-2 Titans in the South. But the Ravens lead the North at 5-3 over last year’s Super Bowl contender the Bengals who are 4-4. The biggest surprises are the Jets and Dolphins who are both 5-3 right now. That’s right, the Jets.

Strange, but true.

In any case, the Bucs are 3-5 after that Thursday night loss to the Ravens. Tom Brady is two games below .500 for the first time in his career. They fell to second in the NFC South now trailing the Falcons. It was their third straight loss and fifth loss in their last six games. Brady hasn’t lost three in a row in 20 years and he’s never lost five of six games in any stretch of his 23-year career. The really bad news is that there’s no light at the end of this tunnel. Todd Bowles says “that’s the team they are right now and they should own that record“. We’ll see how the team responds to that on Sunday.

Meanwhile, it’s the Wednesday following a Bucs game which means it’s time to break down what happened, put it behind us and move on to next week. So let’s take a look at the “Good, Bad & Ugly” from the Bucs Week 8 matchup against the Ravens and see what went wrong.

THE GOOD

The First Quarter

Well, it was a strong start at least. The Bucs started on defense where they held Baltimore to a 4-play/23-yard opening drive forcing a punt. Then Jaelon Darden muffed the punt when he was ran into by Bucs teammate Dee Delaney who wasnt paying attention to where he was on the field. The Ravens recovered giving them the ball at the Tampa Bay 6-yard line. However, the Bucs D held strong again and forced a field goal.

When the offense finally got the ball, they marched down the field on an 8-play/75-yard drive resulting in a Leonard Fournette touchdown. The defense forced a quick three & out and the offense went 50-yards in 10-plays to kick a field goal. They ended that opening quarter with a 10-3 lead and all was looking good in Tampa Bay.

Or so we thought.

THE BAD

The Rest of the Game

After taking that 10-3 lead, the 2022 Bucs offense showed up and that’s when things started going downhill. Fast. A 3-play/6-yard drive. A 3-play/2-yard drive. A 6-play/24-yard drive. A 3-play/-1 yard drive. And a 4-play/24-yard drive. That’s right folks. Five straight drives consisting of 19 plays, gaining just 2 first downs and 55 total yards. The worst part is that they only took about 6:45 off the clock, which means the defense didn’t have much time to rest in between series. And that is part of the reason for their second half collapse.

While Tampa’s offense was sputtering out, the Ravens offense was revving up. After being held to just 3 points in the first half, they exploded with a 24-point second half. Their second half possessions were as follows:

9 plays, 77 yards, 4:53 T.O.P., 5 first downs, touchdown

11 plays, 80 yards, 6:52 T.O.P., 5 first downs, touchdown

9 plays, 83 yards, 5:31 T.O.P., 5 first downs, touchdown

5 plays, 49 yards, 2:42 T.O.P., 1 first down, field goal

That’s four straight drives consisting of 34 plays, 16 first downs, 289 total yards and 24 points. The bad part is that they kept the Bucs defense on the field for nearly 20 minutes during those drives. That was ultimately their downfall. The Bucs offense did manage a 9-play/67-yard drive and an 11-play/75-yard that resulted in 10 points late in the fourth quarter, but by then the game was already over.

THE UGLY

Devin White’s Play

Let me make this clear before I tear into this, I’m not blaming the Bucs defensive problems solely on White. With that being said, he’s SUPPOSED to be a defensive team captain. He’s SUPPOSED to lead by example. He’s SUPPOSED to be one of the top linebackers in the league. He was none of those things in this game. In fact, he hasn’t been those things since Week 2 in New Orleans when he won NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September. Missed assignments. Missed tackles. A lack of effort. A lack of accountability. A lack of responsibility. Poor decision making. Just really bad football. ProFootballFocus.com gave him an overall grade of 44 and a run defense grade of 34 for this game. They currently have him ranked 142nd out of 153 off-the-ball linebackers so far this season. His missed tackle rate is almost 15%, which ranks him near the bottom of the league. So I’m not picking on the dude, it’s just facts! He’s got to start playing like the #5 pick that he was or this defense will continue to struggle.

BIG BUCS OF THE DAY

OFFENSE : LG Nick Leverett

With starting left guard Luke Goedeke supposedly injured, Leverett got the start in this game and played well. He played with a lot more confidence and aggressiveness than Goedeke has all season and I personally feel like he earned the starting nod for next week against the Rams as well. In fact, Goedeke shouldn’t start again this season in my humble opinion. Leverett should be the guy moving forward.

DEFENSE : OLB Shaq Barrett

He was FINALLY having a “Shaq-like” game until he tore his achilles early in the 3rd quarter. He only finished with 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks, but he was harassing Lamar Jackson the whole game. Unfortunately, he is now lost for the season with a confirmed torn achilles injury.

BAD BUCS OF THE DAY

OFFENSE : RB Leonard Fournette

Once again, the Bucs run game was nonexistent, especially with Fournette in the backfield. He finished with 9 carries for 24 yards, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry. On the flip side, rookie running back Rachaad White had 4 carries for 19 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. For some reason, Lenny just isn’t playing the kind of football that he’s capable of and White looks like the better all around back. We’ll have to see how that plays out in the coming weeks if this trend continues.

DEFENSE : LB Devin White

I beat him up earlier in the “UGLY” part of this story, but his play (or lack of) warrants even more criticism. Even though he finished this game with 10 tackles, he was caught loafing and out of position a number of times, which has been a big issue with him over the last month.

Todd Bowles defended White saying “I don’t think there’s a drop off“, but the tape doesn’t lie. Even Buccaneer legend Warren Sapp chimed in on social media with some film evaluation of his own on a few of White’s plays from this game and he said he’d “strip that letter “C” off his chest“. Again, I’m not picking on him or putting all the blame on him. However, the kind of play that he’s displayed over the last few games has been unacceptable and inexcusable for any player, let alone someone who’s supposed to be a leader on this team.

THE WRAP UP

This game summed up the Buccaneers season so far pretty well. Lack of consistency. Lack of focus. Lack of production. Lack of effort. Lack of preparation. Lack of urgency. Lack of accountability. Lack of football IQ. Just an all-around lack of good, smart football. It’s mind-boggling. How can an entire team, this talented, suddenly forget how to play football all at the same time? No, seriously? How? I know injuries have played part in it, but they’re not the only team going through them. There are far less talented teams battling through injuries who are playing much better football and have better records than the Bucs right now. Does it come down to coaching? Is it playcalling? Is it simply poor execution? Is it all of the above?

It’s not just that they’re losing games. It’s how they’re losing games. It’s who they’re losing games to. I don’t believe in that “any given Sunday” crap. Good teams don’t lose to bad teams. Period. Good teams win the games they’re supposed to win and compete in the games they’re not. The Bucs are not a good football team right now. At this point, I’m not sure they can be. If the season ended today, they’d have the 7th pick in the draft.

That’s insane.

Tampa Bay got dominated in this game despite the 27-22 score. The Ravens ran 74 plays and the Bucs ran 62 plays. The Ravens had 453 total yards and the Bucs had just 349 total yards. The Ravens had 231 rushing yards and the Bucs had 44 rushing yards. The Ravens had 27 first downs and the Bucs had 20 first downs. The Ravens had the ball for 38:23 and the Bucs had it for just 21:37. The Ravens had five players who ran the football and all five averaged more than 4.8 yards per carry. The Bucs had 20 missed tackles as a team in this game. TWENTY! They only had three players (David, Dean, Gholston) who were rated 65 or higher by ProFootballFocus.com. The offense can’t convert third downs or score touchdowns in the redzone. The defense can’t stop the run or get off the field on third down. They haven’t forced a turnover in 4 games. The offense has scored more than 22 points just once and that was against the Chiefs in Week 4. Tom Brady has 9 touchdowns in 8 games. Last year, he had 25 touchdowns after 8 games. In 2020, he had 20 touchdowns after 8 games. The whole team is a mess. The coaching staff is a mess. The locker room is a mess. The organization is a mess. And I’m not sure they can get it all cleaned up this season.

THE LOOK AHEAD

On Sunday, another struggling NFC team comes to town in the LA Rams. Like the Bucs, they are 3-5. Like the Bucs, their offense can’t put points on the board, averaging just 297 total yards and 17 points per game. Like the Bucs, they’ve scored more than 24 points just once when they put up 31 points in a Week 2 win against the Falcons. Like the Bucs, their defense can’t stop anyone from scoring, allowing 23 points per game. And like the Bucs, they’re searching for a game to get it turned around. It’s going to be a battle for pride on Sunday. We’ll have to wait to see if the Bucs have any left.

Until then, as always…GO BUCS!!!