The Buccaneers’ trip to the desert ended in a disaster. Not only did we lose the game, our leader Jameis Winston also had to leave the game early due to a shoulder injury. Ryan Fitzpatrick took over when Winston left the game and did not fare too bad, passing for 3 TD and 290 yards. He also had two picks, however, with one of them coming in a very crucial situation of the game, where the Bucs were trailing by 11 and had a chance to make it a one-score game with 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Doug Martin did not find any holes to run through, Mike Evans was covered like a blanket by super star Cornerback Patrick Peterson. It was only when Peterson left the game due to injury that Evans found a way to contribute with 3 Receptions for 95 yards and a Touchdown.
The newly acquired Cardinal Adrian Peterson played with a chip on his shoulder and ran all over us, especially in the first quarter. Our defense could not find a way to contain Peterson, we ended up, allowing him to rush for 134 yards and two scores on the ground. Future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald was left wide open on multiple occasions, making 10 grabs for 138 yards and a score, which was partly a result of Peterson’s strong play and our defense overcomitting on play-action plays.
So, that puts our record to 2-3, basically making next week’s match up with the 3-2 Buffalo Bills a must-win game. Hopefully Winston’s injury is nothing serious, so he can lead us to a much-needed victory next Sunday.
Go Bucs!
