In the last game of the 2018 campaign, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Falcons and ended the season with a mere five wins. The good thing about this disastrous year is the Bucs end up picking fifth in the 2019 draft, which enables them to add an instant playmaker.
Offensively, the Bucs, particularly Jameis Winston, played very well. He finished the afternoon with 22 completions on 35 attempts and 4 touchdowns and, most importantly, without making any major mistakes. He did get picked off once, but he is not the one to blame for the interception, as it came on a deflection off a beautiful bullet pass to Mike Evans, who simply could not bring it in.
Peyton Barber ran hard and had a very decent game. His stats, 66 yards on 15 rushing attempts, do not show how well he ran, especially when it comes to gaining extra yardage after first contact.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin each had a great game, and a similar one, statistically. Both receivers were targeted 9 times and made 6 receptions for over 100 yards and two scores.
Offensively, you could not ask for much more than what Winston and the Bucs gave us.
However, defensively, the Tampa Bay was not able to contain Matt Ryan and Atlanta’s high-flying offense. Julio Jones dominated the Bucs, as he usually does. Jason Pierre-Paul collected another sack and Andrew Adams was able to pick off Ryan, but other than that they found no answers for the Falcons and allowed them to score 34 points. Bucs lose 34-32.
The season is officially over and there are plenty of question marks as far as the future of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are concerned. Now with Koetter gone, it is going to be an exciting offseason for the Bucs.
Happy new year, Bucs nation!
