Week four is one to remember.The Buccaneers gained a game in the NFC South with all the other three teams losing. Additionally, Tom Brady broke the passing yards record. For sure this game will be talked about for a while. The accolades of Brady alone will give this game an exclamation point. Outside of those big points, there are some key stats that fans should take note of.
Feature Back
Leonard Fournette rumbled to the tune of 91 yards on 21 carries. That works out to 4.6 yards per carry. If you’ve read my article before you know I prefer to break down a running backs game in a different way. Removing the
longest run it gives better analysist to the actual figures. Taking away the 21 yard run Fournette ran for an average of 3.6 yards per carry. If you do the same for Ronald Jones II he averaged 3.4 yards per carry.
One thing is clear at this point. Fournette is the favorite by the coaching staff to carry the load. With 21 carries to Jones’ 6 you can safely assume Fournette will carry the load until he proves he can’t. This is further bolstered with Fournette getting five targets in the passing game while Jones II was never targeted.
One And Zero
O.J. Howard was targeted one time and didn’t come down with the pass. With Rob Gronkowski out the need for Howard to step up is huge. It unfortunately never unfolded in week four. In fact, Cameron Brate was targeted six times. At this point one has to ponder his future. If he can’t be brought into the
fold of the offensive game plan can he really live up to his first round billing anymore? He will have some more chances with Gronk out a few weeks. If nothing comes of this opportunity then the Buccaneers should put him on the block and get something in return now. The return at this point may be small, but better than him being let go this upcoming offseason for nothing.
Two And Four
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is picking up the game and fast. With two sacks and four quarterback hits, Tryon-Shoyinka is making his presence known. He registered his first sack of his career in Foxboro and doubled down later in the game.
In the first three weeks he had some very close calls. Swinging wide and just missing quarterbacks as they stepped up in the pocket. In week four he looked a little more in control of his speed and power. More Jason
Pierre-Paul like. If this upward trajectory continues he will play a dominate roll in getting to the playoffs.
Final Thought
In a strange and satisfying turn of events the Buccaneers were finally on the other end of a missed field goal in the closing minutes. To make it even sweeter, it was former Buccaneers kicker Nick Folk. In his last season with the Buccaneers in 2017 he went six for 11. This included an infamous performance against New England where he missed three field goals in a 18-14 loss. Thankfully kicking is not an issue nearly as much as it once was for
the Buccaneers.
