Wednesday, 4 a.m.
5 Thoughts
- Sometimes, the deal you don't make is the best one. Remember in the off-season when the world wanted the Bucs to trade Rashaad White for a draft pick? I don't think a draft pick could have run through Houston quite as well.
2. There are some things Baker Mayfield can't do. But give it to the guy. He's a competitive cuss, and that makes up for a lot.
3. I've read through some game blogs by Bucs fans (?), and I have concluded this. According to the consensus, everyone is incompetent, and everyone (but the poster, of course) is an idiot. And these are people who supposedly like the Bucs.
4. The Bucs are going to Calijah Kancey more than you think.
5. Just a thought, but have the Bucs' special teams ever been lousier in victory than they were Monday night?
5 Comments
(From Todd Bowles' Wednesday press conference)
(On whether SirVocea Dennis was benched at the end of the game): No, we did not bench SirVocea Dennis at the end of the game. He didn't play bad. There was miscommunication on the one that was a check down that involved quite a few people. As he gets his footing down and plays, we have full confidence in him that he'll play better and he'll be fine.
(On if he has any concerns with Mayfield's playing style in terms of self-preservation): "My level of concern is fine. Baker runs when he has to -- he doesn't run just to run. He runs when he sees something there and we're comfortable with that. We try to work on sliding here or there, but sometimes you don't know if you've got the first down or not. He's been playing that way his entire life. We'd like him to be careful but we're comfortable with him getting out of the pocket."
(On the success of team's run defense through two weeks): It's the guys up front. The chemistry those guys have -- staring with Vita (Vea) and (Calijah) Kancey -- they do a heck of a job up front studying and getting things out from a technical standpoint."
(On Tristan Wirfs' practice performance last week): He didn't have any soreness. It was just good getting him out there, getting his feet wet for the first time. Hopefully, he's able to do more this week and we'll re-evaluate him at the end of the week."
(On his assessment of offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard adjusting his playing calling with the injuries at tackle): The good thing for Josh is that he didn't have them at the beginning of the season, so he was used to it. He did a heck of a job being aggressive in his play-calling this week, a little different than last week. He was comfortable. I think he was great with the tackles, understanding what he had to do and knowing what kind of passing game he had to have. He had to plan for quite a few things."
Game Balls
Offense: Yeah, you could give it to Rachaad White, who had a great game. But no one should get this over Baker Mayfield, again.
Defense: Vita Vea made the biggest tackle of the night, stuffing Nick Chubb on second-and-one at the goal line with 12:08 to play.
Special teams? Kaevon Merriweather made a tackle to save a touchdown on a 53-yard punt return by Houston’s Jaylin Noel.
Grades
Quarterback: Mayfield was sacked four times, and knocked around for most of the night. Still, he came through in the clutch: Grade: B+.
Running back: The Bucs blended Bucky Irving and Rachaad White perfectly. Grade: A-.
Receivers: The line didn't give Mayfield enough time, but the receivers still caught 25 balls. Grade: B.
Offensive line: A mishmash collection, but they blocked for 169 yards rushing. Grade: B.
Defensive line: They alloed just 84 yards rushing. Still need more pressure. Grade: B-.
Linebackers: Lavonte David had just two tackles and dropped an interception. SirVocea Dennis struggled in coverage. Grade: D.
Secondary: Allowed only 13 completions. Five of them were for 20 yards or more, however. Grade: C.
Special teams: A horrible, horrible night. Grade: F-.
Power Rankings
- Philadelphia.
2. Buffalo
3. Green Bay
4, L.A. Chargers
5. San Francisco
————
8. Tampa Bay
Bottom 5
32. Chicago
31. Carolina
30. Cleveland
29. New Orleans
28. Miami
NFL 5 Stars
- Brandon Aubrey, Dallas
2. Baker Mayfield, Bucs
3. Spencer Shrader, Indianapolis
4. Jake Browning, Cincinnati
5. Jared Goff, Detroit.
5 Flops
- Travis Kelsey, Kansas City
2. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville
3. Justin Fields, N.Y. Jets
4. Geno Smith, Las Vegas
5. Aaron Rodgers, Steelers
5 Bakers' best Bucs' comebacks
Game, year QB Rating
- Atlanta, 2025 99.3
2. Houston, 2025. 98.0
3. New Orleans, 2024 93.4
4. Atlanta, 2023 86
5. Carolina, 2024 69.5
NFL Stats
Category Player Rank
Touchdown passes Mayfield T-3
Rushing Irving 19
Receiving Evans 34
Tackles Tykee Smith T-22
Punting Riley Dixon 11