Tuesday, 4 a.m.

5 Thoughts

1. A day after having so many flaws exposed (yes, some are because of injuries), you appreciate how fortunate the Bucs are to be 6-3. The comeback, the near-failure against a miserable Jets team, the fog against the Saints. Maybe it's time to cool the talk on the Super Bowl.

2. Sure, it would have been nice to see the Bucs bring in a player or two at the deadline. But isn't it silly to whine about it if you don't know what other teams were asking in return?

3. We all knew that Bucky Irving hurt his foot way back in September. But did anyone else realize he stepped on a land mine?

4. So would you feel better about the potential outcome of the Bills game if they had hung up 50 on the Dolphins?

5. The loss would have been much more comforting if the Patriots were still coached by grumpy Bill Belichick, right?

5 Comments

(From Todd Bowles' Tuesday press conference)

(On his assessment of guards Dan Feeney and Mike Jordan against the Patriots and whether they would remain the starters moving forward): “They had some good plays. I mean, they had some plays you'd like to have back where they gave a little bit of penetration, but they fought and they battled in there and that's all you can ask of them. They’ve both been in the league for a while right now. So, we’ve got to get some continuity there and they’ve got to get some practice reps in and they'll be better.”

(On whether backup tackles could be moved to guard, or if he will stick with the combination of Dan Feeney, Mike Jordan and Luke Haggard that have started games at guard already this season): “We'll stick with the three right now.”

(On QB Baker Mayfield’s postgame comments about accountability and lacking a killer instinct): “We encourage our players to have accountability. I don't think we had any killer instinct yesterday. I thought we played like we had a Bye Week from an energy standpoint. We have it when we get rolling. It's good for him to speak up and say those things. He's one of our captains, as well as Vita [Vea], ‘Tae’ (Lavonte David), [Antoine] Winfield Jr., Mike [Evans], and all those guys. So, guys listen when they speak. They listen when they speak, and accountability is making sure the guy next to you is doing their job. He’s one of the guys that advocates that. He's the lead example on offense. Lavonte [David] is the leader on defense that way, and we’ve got to follow suit.”

(On the difference between a good team and a great one and where the Bucs stand): "The difference between a good and a great team is preparation on a daily basis. I don’t think we’re great. We prepare. Most of the time, we’re very good. It’s just one or two guys that have a blank or a [mental error] here or there that costs everybody else, and it’s a different guy each time, and we’ve got to get that fixed.”

(On QB Baker Mayfield’s health status and whether injuries limit his effectiveness): “No. I think in the middle of the season right now, everybody is playing with something. Everybody is playing with something. So, we just have to make sure we keep him upright and don’t get him hit as much. I thought he came out and had a good week of practice. He looked better than he did before the Bye Week. All of our guys are playing with something. If you’re at 75%, you’re at 100%. If you’re at 50%, you’re functional. So, he’s functional.”

Game Balls

Offense: Tight end Cade Otton played closer to his ceiling than any player on the Bucs' team.

Defense: Are you kidding me? No winner.

Special teams: Fans haven't forgiven him for a blocked punt, but Riley Dixon averaged 49.5 yards on five punts.

Grades

Quarterback: Baker Mayfield's stats are better than his play. He threw three touchdown passes and no picks, and his rating was 106.1. But where was the sizzle? Grade: B-.

Running back: Sean Tucker was the first back to run for 50 yards against the Patriots. On the other hand, are we going to brag about a 53-yard game? Grade: D.

Offensive line: Practice squad guards did the Bucs in. Grade: D.

Wide receiver: Emeka Egbuka makes you forget he's a rookie. Grade: B.

Defensive line: Decent pressure has to have the occasional sack. Grade: D.

Secondary: For most of the day, the Bucs were playing chase. It was hard to determine who was worse: Benjamin “Toast” Morrison, Zyon “Toast” McCollum, Jamel “Toast” Dean, Antonio “Toast” Winfield Jr. or Tykee “Toast” Smith. Grade: F.

Special teams: The punting was decent. Grade: B.

Power Rankings

1. Indianapolis

2. Detroit

3. Philadelphia

4. L.A. Rams

5. New England

---

12. Tampa Bay

Bottom 5

32. Tennessee

31. Cleveland

30. N.Y. Giants

29. N.Y. Jets

28. Las Vegas

NFL Coaches Hot Seat

(After Brian Daboll's firing)

1. Mike McDaniel, Miami

2. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland

3. Pete Carroll, Raiders

4. Jonathan Gannon, Cardinals

5. Zac Taylor, Bengals

5 NFL Stars

1. Drake Maye, Patriots

2. Jonathan Taylor, Colts

3. Davis Mills, Texans

4. Matthew Stafford, Rams

5. TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots

5 Flops

1. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh

2. Trevor Lawrence, Jags

3. Justin Fields, Jets

4. Bryce Young, Panthers

5. Christian McCaffery, 49ers

Rookie Receivers

Tetairoa McMillan 46 618 2

Emeka Egbuka 40 677 6

Travis Hunter 28 298 1

Elic Ayomanor 26 323 2

Mathew Golden 23 262 0

Baker Stats

Passing Yards 2192 9

Touchdowns 16 11

Interceptions * 2 t-11

Rating * 99.2 11

Rushing 158 16

• Minimum 100 attempts

NFL Stats

Rushing yards Rachaad White 325 33

Receiving yards Emeka Egbaku 677 9

Tackles Lavonte David 66 32

Field goals Chase McLaughlin 18 t-5

Punting Riley Dixon 40.7 25

Bucs QB TD passes

1. Jameis Winston 121

2. Tom Brady 108

3. Baker Mayfield 85

4. Josh Freeman 80

5. Vinny Testaverde 77

Monday, 4 a.m.

When last we saw the defense of the Tampa Bay Bucs, they looked fairly sound.

Of course, that was against the horrible New Orleans Saints.

Sunday, against the big-boy New England Patriots, it was a different matter. The Bucs' defense was a sieve, constantly giving up huge plays in 28-23 defeat.

New England scored on a 72-yard pass.

Then it scored on a one-yard pass on fourth down.

Then it scored on a 55-yard run.

And then it scored on a 69-yard run.

In all, the Pats gained 435 yards to beat the Bucs on its home field, after a bye week. Quarterback Drake Maye threw for 270 yards (and two scores). TreVeyon Henderson dran for 147 yards (and two scores). Mack Hollins caught six passes for 106 yards.

"There were four (explosive plays) that we didn't make," said Bucs' coach Todd Bowles. "Obviously, we didn't play it well enough. We definitely didn't coach it well . Those things can't happen if you're playing against a good team liek that. Or any team in this league. We gave them up and it was inexcusable on our part. Bad on the coaches, bad on the players."

In all, New England averaged 7.4 yards per play.

Oh, the offense wasn't terrific either. For once, the Bucs weren't able to offset their injuries. Baker Mayfield threw for 273 yards, but he lacked the danger he often brings. Rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka caught six passes for 115 yards, but it took 13 targets for him to get that. Tight end Cade Otten caught nine balls for 82 yards.

"We didn't play well," Bowles said. "We've got to take it on the chin. Give (Patriots' coach Mike) Vrabel and the Patriots the credit. Their players made the plays, our players did not."

Fortunately for the Bucs, both of their nearest chasers in the NFC South -- Carolina and Atlanta -- lost. The Saints upset Carolina and Indianapolis beat the Falcons.

Following the game, quarterback Baker Mayfield suggested the Bucs lack "killer instinct."

"We just did not execute good enough," Mayfield said. "We have to do all the little things right in critical moments and we did not do that. At some point, when the stuff comes up during the week, whether it's mistakes or things we talk about, and then it shows up on Sundays. You have to have some pride about you. You have to have the fear of that failure and messing up for for your teammates. You have to have better responsibility and acountability and get it fixed. In tight ballgames like this, when you play a good team like the Patriots, little things will get you beat."

The Bucs, now 6-3, have to travel to Buffalo next week.

Sunday, 4 a.m.

Do you dare to whisper it yet? Do you dare to say it out loud? Is it time to scream it to the sky?

Are the Tampa Bay Lightning...good again?

The Bolts won their seventh game in eight tries Saturday night, beating the Washington Capitals 3-2. The Bolts are now 8-5-2 on the season.

Tampa Bay won a close one against Washington, holding on after Brandon Hagel snapped a 2-2 tie with a shot with 11:18 left to play. Hagel, like his team, got off to a slow start this season, but he now has seven goals.

The Bolts had apparently cinched the game with 15 seconds left when Nikita Kucherov scored on an empty netter. A video replay ruled Kucherov was offsides, the second time such a call has cost Kucherov a goal.

Emil Lilleberg and Jake Guentzel also scored for the Bolts.

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28 of 30 shots and won his fifth game of the year. He stopped Alex Ovechkin three times, including a shot with 1:18 to play.

The Bolts play at home at Benchmark International Arena on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.