Wirfs caught a TD pass./can you believe this?TIM WIRT
Tuesday, 4 a.m.
5 Thoughts
- I don't know about anyone else, but I'm dying to see Tristan Wirfs on a post pattern.
2. 'Question: How many appendages does Baker Mayfield have to injure before anyone is happy to see Teddy Bridgewater in action?
3. The Bucs ran 21 times (non-scrambles. Bucky Irving ran 17. So much for easing him in.
4. Anthony Nelson only makes headline plays, I assume.
5. Yeah, it feels like the Bucs are chasing Carolina, not the other way around.
5 Comments
(From Todd Bowles' Tuesday press conference)
(On when WR Jalen McMillan might be able to return to practice): “He’s been running. It’s just a matter of him putting on a helmet and seeing where he is strength-wise with his neck. He’ll start doing more this week, and we’ll see exactly what [he can do] – whether it’s individual or whether it’s some more things this week as well – but he will start moving around.”
(On his evaluation of the defense’s performance against Arizona): “I thought we improved in the run game early on. I think we stopped it. We knew they threw the ball a lot, so we knew the passing yards were going to be up. They threw it less against us than the two previous weeks – they threw it 60-plus [times the previous two weeks], they threw it 40 [times] against us, which was still a lot. I think we’ve got to get better with the tackling aspect of it, especially in the second half. I thought we tackled well in the first half. In the second half, we let some plays out. It wasn’t necessarily deep balls, but the five-yard passes – especially the one on third-and-three or -four where three guys missed him behind the line of scrimmage – we’ve got to tackle and wrap up better.”
(On why the Buccaneers had a negative point differential in the second half against Arizona): “Most of these games are tough in this league – they’re one-score games. We knew they were going to try to make a run. We couldn’t get the quarterback down before the half. I think he got out two or three times and we had hands on him, and we couldn’t get him down. Even on one of the touchdowns [where] he scrambled, we had two guys free and couldn’t get him on the ground. Credit to him – he made a play. We knew he was a sneaky scrambler from that aspect of it, but the guys came out in the last series and they closed it out. Considering we lost the last three, that’s pretty good.”
(On his assessment of the pass rush against Arizona, and what he thought of OLB Haason Reddick’s performance in his return from injury): “As a pass rush group, I thought we got back there quite a bit. I thought we missed quite a bit of them, but we did get back there and put pressure on him, Haason included. I thought he did well for his first game back, but we’ve got to get him on the ground. We missed about five of them where we could have had him on the ground.”
(On his assessment of QB Baker Mayfield’s performance, considering his injured shoulder): “He’s competitive, and he did get down and got out of bounds one time as well. I thought he took care of it pretty [well]. I thought he played very well. I thought he moved the ball around. I thought he got out of the pocket a few times, made some key throws, and he didn’t turn the ball over. Considering how he was coming into the game, I thought he did a good job.”
Game Balls
Offense: The big difference was Bucky Irving.
Defense: Nelson made the game's biggest tackle.
Special teams: Chase McFarland makes you think the NFL should have a four-point shot.
Grades
Quarterback: You could tell Baker Mayfield was restricted, but he continues to be a gamer. Grade: B.
Running back: Irving brings back possibilities. Grade: B.
Wide receiver: Chris Godwin looked closer to being back than any time this year. Grade: B.
Offensive line: Are the Bucs throwing to their tackles enough? Grade: B.
Defensive line: Carolina threw for 301 yards and averaged five yards a carry. Not good. Grade: D.
Linebackers: SirVocea Denis had 11 tackles, but more impact was needed. Grade: C.
Secondary: The Cards' wideouts aren't bad, but again, there was too much playing chase. Grade: D.
Special teams: McLaughlin was excellent. Riley Dixon pinned three inside the 20. Grade: A.
Power Rankings
- New England
2, Denver
3. Chicago
4.L.A. Rams
5. Seattle
13. Tampa Bay
Bottom 5
32. Tennessee
31. Las Vegas
30.N.Y. Giants
29. New Orleans
28. N.Y. Jets
5 NFL Stars
- Jordan Love, Green Bay
2. Dak Prescott, Dallas
3. C.J. Stroud, Houston
4. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
5. James Cook, Buffalo
5 NFL Flops
- Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins
2. Saquon Barkley, Eagles
3. Shedeur Sanders, Browns
4. Cam Ward, Titans
5. Max Brosmer, Vikings
Rookie Wide Receivers
- Tetoria McMillian, Panthers 57 826 2
2. Emeka Egbuka, Bucs 52 791 6
3. Elic Ayomanor, Titans 29 339 2
4. Travis Hunter, Jaguars 28 298 1
5. Luther Burden III, 26 238. 1
Baker Stats
Passing Yards 2600 14
TDs 19 12
Rating * 93.4 19
Int. 5 21
QB Rushing Yards 243 12
NFL Stats
Rushing Yards Rachaad White 421 36
Receiving Yards. Emeka Egbuka 791 14
Tackles Tykee Smith 87 t-27
Field Goals (50-plus) Chase McLaughlin 8 t-1
Punts (in 20) Riley Scott 20 t-5