by Carter Brantley
The Bucs had this game under control. They had the ball at their 15, ahead 17-13, 1st and 10.
Baker took the snap after motioning receiver Jalen McMillan and… well, you probably know the rest.
He fumbled the jet sweep handoff to McMillan, the Bucs lost the ball, and eventually the game on a game winning field goal by Zane Gonzalez, with the final score ending up 23-20.
If this season is to be remembered for anything it will probably be for this team’s ability to lose in crunch time like no other, as the Bucs lost yet again on a last-second play.
They had the game in full control, but instead, the offense fumbled it away and their 2024-2025 season ended with a dull thud.
Mayfield had an average game other than the fumble mishap, ending up with 185 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Mike Evans and Bucky Irving were the stars of the game for the Bucs, as they each hauled in a touchdown and combined for 175 yards from scrimmage.
There were a few more key missteps, with Graham Barton mistiming a snap on a key 3rd down that forced the Bucs to settle for a field goal and a couple of strange designed runs for Mayfield that mostly went nowhere.
All told, the offense put up the fewest point total it had since the 49ers game (which also ended on a walk off field goal).
Defensively the Bucs were again lost over the middle as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels had no trouble picking apart the defense to the tune of a 110.2 passer rating and a pair of touchdowns.
They also failed to force any turnovers, a familiar refrain for a team near the bottom of the NFL in interception rate.
It was a short-lived playoff run, but ”‘tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”
There’s always next season, and the Bucs did have one of the youngest rosters in football this year, meaning the future could very well be even brighter than the present.
Unfortunately for the Bucs offensive coordinator turnover could be a story to monitor for a 3rd straight offseason, with current man Liam Coen potentially getting job offers from one of the many head coaching vacancies.
It’ll be another fascinating offseason for a team that keeps figuring out how to win the division. We’ll see if they can figure out how to put it all together again next season.
