AL Keck’s BUCS-FALCONS PREVIEW

The Buccaneers are entering Amen Corner.

Most sports fans know that is a series of three holes at the Masters golf tournament.  In fact, Amen Corner is comprised of the three most compelling holes at Augusta National. It tests a golfer’s skill, patience, and poise.  And that’s what the Buccaneers are about to enter an NFL version of Amen Corner.

They will need a whole lot of “Amens” because they are “cornered.”

Last week, they lost their top two offensive players this side of Baker Mayfield.  Chris Godwin has a dislocated ankle, and Mike Evans has a bad hamstring.  Goodwin is out for the season, and Evans won’t be back anytime soon.

The top two targets for Mayfield will be rookie Jalen McMillan and tight end Cade Otto.

Rut-ro!

The Bucs stand at 4-3.  They are hosting Atlanta.  The Falcons scalded Todd Bowles’s defense earlier this month, scoring both the tying and then the winning points in overtime to take a 36-30 victory.  And therein lies the elephant in the room.  Can there be anything bigger than an elephant in any room?

The Bucs’ defense is shaky at best.  Oh, it has pieces.  Vita Vea, Lavonte David, Yaya Diaby, Antonio Winfield, Zyon McCollum.  All good players.

My question is, can this defense slam the door on any offense with the game on the line?  Not often enough for NFL standards.  

Look at all three losses, and the defense played a major role.

• Against Denver, the Broncos were previously winless.  Yet the Buccaneer defense allowed Denver, with a rookie quarterback, to build an early lead and pull away.  Bo Nix passed for 216 yards with no turnovers and ran for a touchdown. 
• Against Atlanta, Kirk Cousins passed for four touchdowns and 509 yards!!  Enough said.
• Against Baltimore, Lamar Jackson passed for five touchdowns.  Derrick Henry ran over the Buccaneers for 169 yards. The Ravens had 508 total yards!! Again, enough said!!

This Buccaneer defense gives up way too many yards and way too many big plays.

In fact, the Buccaneers are 31st out of 32 NFL teams in giving up 386 yards per game.  The Buccaneers have given up the fourth most plays of 20 yards or more.

The Buccaneers front office may want to have serious convos with their defense coordinator about tightening this up.  Oh, wait!!  That defensive coordinator is also their head coach.

Rut-ro!

Quarterback Baker Mayfield is so living up to his new $100-million contract.  Yet, every week, he has to out-score opposing teams AND his own defense. Quite honestly, he has led the offense to numbers where they should have beaten Atlanta and Baltimore.

This team should be 7-1.  Add in the fact that most defense head coaches know how to make life miserable for rookie quarterbacks; you can make a case that the Bucs should be undefeated …IF they had a reliable defense.

That’s on Todd Bowles.

Inside the Buccaneer offices, Bowles may be seen as a very effective head coach.  We don’t know.  We aren’t inside the building.  Yet, what he puts on the field with his defense simply ain’t enough.

Again, against Atlanta …a whole lot of “Amens” ..because they are “cornered.”

~Written By Al Keck ~