Look Buccaneers fans, losing a game never feels good, but this amount of overreaction from the fan base for losing to an undefeated team that last year won the Super Bowl is hilarious. The Bucs didn’t win, but there are some positive takeaways from this game. With that said, there are plenty of negatives.
Surprise, surprise, the defense kept getting gashed. Not only were they assaulted by old man DeAndre Hopkins, but by old man Kareem Hunt on the ground. The Chiefs had 100 more yards than the Bucs offense did. Probably the worst thing the defense did was ask Josh Hayes to cover DHop. On his own. With no help whatsoever. I appreciate the confidence Bowles has in his guys, but that is absurd. DHop is still a pretty good receiver. And you have Zyon McCollum right there. The Chiefs also did whatever the hell they wanted on third down. A recurring theme from last season and my personal hellscape.
Buccaneers Defense Wasn’t Completely Awful
With that said, the defense wasn’t completely awful, they did make a few stops and even forced a turnover. The Bucs did a pretty good job of capitalizing on mistakes by the Chiefs. The Chiefs had a number of baffling play calls early and the defense did manage to sniff them out. They also manhandled their o-line in the first half and got to Patrick Mahomes several times. We got four sacks, which is hard to do against that slippery son of a bitch.
On offense, it wasn’t perfect, but considering who they were missing, pretty damn good. Cade Otton is finally developing and it seems Baker Mayfield still has some connection with Sterling Shepard. We need to give Liam Coen all the money that he could possibly want, and then add another zero to it. He has been absolutely amazing with the play calls and it has paid dividends. The Bucs run game got lost in the muck, but still got a solid performance from most the backs, even Sean Tucker.
However, I did say it wasn’t perfect and I stand by that. The offense too often went three and out or punted the ball back without taking too much time off the clock. It seemed to happen especially when the defense would get a rare stop. As good as the offense has been in this game and others, it does have a penchant for stuttering in the worst possible times. But that is a minor complaint and considering who they’re missing, it was still damn impressive, especially since they faced one of the best defenses.
We also need to talk about some questionable coaching decisions. Bucs’ had 4th and 2 from midfield and decided to punt. A decision I disagree with, but I understand not wanting to give the ball to Mahomes at midfield. But the one that has drawn a lot of ire is when the Bucs didn’t go for two to take the lead. Now, I am of two minds.
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Yes, having the chance to take the lead there against the Chiefs is tempting and I have faith Coen could’ve gotten it. If you’re aggressive, you take that chance. However, if your argument hinges on the fact the defense is too awful to make a stop in OT, isn’t there something to be said about it also being too awful to stop a FG with 27 seconds left and three TOs. At least in OT, the Bucs had a chance of getting the ball back.
At the end of the day, there are no moral victories. The Bucs are 4-5 and have no one to blame but themselves. While I am happy they didn’t get blown out, they have plenty of work to do. If the defense can’t be consistent, the Buccaneers won’t get very far into the playoffs. Just get through the San Fran game and hope you can go on a run after the bye week.
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