by Carter Brantley
The fact that the Buccaneers still had hope at the end of the game what’s a potential Baker Mayfield game-winning Drive was more of an indictment of the team they were playing against then a reflection of how well Tampa Bay had played.
They were down 24-20 against the 2-10 (now 3-10, not to spoil the ending) New Orleans Saints, with under two minutes left and no timeouts.
Instead of continuing the heroics that have saved this team from embarrassment all season, the Buccaneer offense went away with a thud as they turned it over on downs for the fifth time Sunday afternoon to end their miserable effort against one of the worst teams in football.
It was an ugly game with the weather matching the mood, as both teams committed silly turnovers, with both quarterbacks throwing an interception, and both defenses looked out of their depth at times.
SirVocea Dennis had several plays where he looked absolutely lost including a key third down conversion where Saints receiver Chris Olave managed to pick up a first down in the fourth quarter to continue a key Saints drive that led to a field goal.
The pass rush managed to get after Saints rookie QB, Tyler Shough, with 3 sacks, yet they failed to prevent disaster at the end of the game with the Saints managing to score an ultimately game winning touchdown on a play where Bucs defenders missed at least 2 chances at bringing down the QB.
There is still a road to Tampa Bay winning this horrendous division, as there always is when the opposing teams are as bad as they are in the NFC south.
Yet Sunday’s game was as deflated as it gets, and it calls into question why it even matters if the Buccaneers make the playoffs or not, as the chances of them winning a game against a playoff caliber team are slim to none.
Head coach Todd Bowles has preached the need for the defense to improve their tackling yet no changes have come to fruition.
The offense looked as lifeless as it’s ever been as even without starting left tackle Tristan Wirfs, a two touchdown performance is not going to cut it against one of the league’s worst defenses.
Now, it’s just a battle of who can suck the least between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers, as Carolina was on a Bye week and now the teams are tied for the top of the division.
If the Buccaneers want to take home yet another NFC South crown they will have to be Carolina at least once which at this point seems like an unlikely proposition.
Their next game takes place Thursday night at Raymond James versus the Atlanta Falcons.
It is indeed a Bucs Life, and things look bleak for the Buccaneers.
