After suffering a disheartening defeat to the Carolina Panthers by a score of 21-3 on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are giving themselves a long, hard look in the mirror.
Todd Bowles, The Leader of a Failing Team
The struggling team’s head coach, Todd Bowles, is hoping that the low moment will wake up the group after they had lost four of their last five games.
Bowles was overheard commenting to the press after the game, “We’re not playing well.” We are not doing well as individuals, we are not doing well as a team, and we are not doing well as coaches. Completely and completely.
Not scoring enough points offensively and not putting up enough stops defensively. Because of this, we have no choice but to shout it from the rooftops.
They are required to be mature adults, and we are going to find out what we are made of and how many individuals can triumph over hardship. Right now it’s about as black as it’s going to get before it gets any lighter.
The Tampa Bay Lightning scored a season-low three points against the Carolina Panthers, who had just parted ways with their best player (Christian McCaffrey) and are now being coached by an interim head coach (Steve Wilks).
It is possible to outline the offensive struggles of the Buccaneers from several different starting points.
But the fact that Mike Evans dropped a pass that would have resulted in a touchdown from 64 yards out on the team’s first drive was the event that set the stage for a frustrating day of poor execution all around.
Evans said after the game that “No one play is the entire reason you lose but it was undoubtedly the largest reason,” as reported by Sara Walsh of NFL Network. “No one play is the sole reason you lose,” “I’ve seen the vitality draining out of us.
In Tom Brady’s Direction
It took me some time to get back into playing, and even though my mind is telling me to simply “play the next move,” it was challenging. I have to get it. I have to grab that. It’s wide open and it’s one of the greatest in the game.
In Tom Brady’s direction, the offense was unable to get into a groove, particularly after the team had already crossed midfield.
Even though they didn’t turn the ball over, the Bucs’ day was unpleasant due to issues such as a lack of communication between receivers, a fruitless rushing assault, and poor blocking from the offensive line.
In the end, the play-calling suffered as the Bucs were only successful on 2 of 12 third-down attempts, had to settle for a field goal on their lone red-zone possession, and were just 1 for 3 on fourth-down attempts.
“It’s never one play,” said Brady, who completed 32 passes out of 49 attempts for 290 yards. “There are a lot of plays, and we’re not making the best of them. It’s plain to see.”
Only five times in Brady’s 23-year career has he been limited to three points or less. According to NFL Research, the G.O.A.T., who is 45 years old, has had two such games in his first 20 seasons with the Patriots and three such games in his three seasons with the Buccaneers.
“Execution is still a topic of conversation,” Brady added. “I believe we all need to do a better job. It can’t be avoided entirely.
We’re trying to perform our job, they’re attempting to prevent us from doing it, and neither of us is very good at it. When you get three points, you’ve very well won the game.”
Finishing Line
The typically reliable Bucs defense wore out in the fourth quarter, and the team’s poor performance on offense was largely to blame. As seen by allowing 173 running yards to a club that was playing without McCaffrey and starting their backup quarterback in P.J. Walker.
It too had its share of problems. Even though they have a dangerous pass rush, the Bucs were only able to record one sack and didn’t create a turnover for the third game in a row.
“Toughness. One must possess mental strength and resolve “To quote Bowles: To paraphrase one of my favorite quotes, “The older people needed to show they can still play, the younger guys got to prove they belong, and the coaches got to grow better every day.”
Surprisingly, Tampa Bay’s 3-4 record has them leading the NFC South heading into Week 8. However, things won’t get easier for the Bucs as they face the 4-3 Baltimore Ravens on a short week.
After Sunday’s humiliating defeat, Bowles will have enough ammunition to motivate his players, but there will also be plenty of cause for alarm if they don’t quickly address their problems.
Bowles predicted that the team’s leaders will appear this week for practice. We’re simply going to dig in and keep our heads down, and our leaders and coaches will do what they do best.
It’s a game of pride, and you either can or can’t play it from the moment you’re born if you’re an aspiring football player. We’re going to put everything we have to the test moving ahead, see how many individuals crumble under pressure, and find out who rises to the occasion and begins playing and coaching at a higher level.
