Tuesday, 4 a.m.
5 Thoughts
- Call them The Incredible Shrinking Team. The Bucs have had a lot of bad teams over the years, but rarely with a 5-1 start.
2. Here's a question. Will the Bucs win again? And if so, how many?
3. I don't know who the Bucs should draft. I just know they should do it now.
4. Am I the only one who thinks it feels like the Bucs are four games behind the Panthers?
5. I know that the Bucs are in love with Baker Mayfield. But can we be sure the wide receivers agree?
5 Comments
(From Todd Bowles' Monday press conference)
(On struggling to convert on third and fourth downs this season after doing well in that area in 2024): "It didn't have to be at the strength it was last year, but we do have to execute it better, especially. We [have] to execute fourth downs better as well, especially the fourth-and-shorts, the fourth-and-1’s. You want to come out on the plus side of most of them, and we understand that as a group. [On] third down, we are shooting ourselves in the foot. Sometimes it's the pressure or the rush, sometimes it's things that we [get] wrong, but we [have] to get that fixed."
(On if QB Baker Mayfield's injuries are affecting his throws): "I think he's a lot better now than he was. I don't think it's affecting him in that way. It's all-included – it’s offensive line blocking, it's running routes and getting open, it's play-calling. It's all-inclusive – it's never just on one guy. Offensively, we just haven’t done a good enough job, especially on third down and getting loose on first and second down."
(On if the "misfit" plays from the Saints game are due to recurring issues or if they’re new mistakes): "They're not new, they don't happen every week, but when they do happen, it's a misfit. It happened earlier this year, it happened in the middle of the year, and it happened yesterday."
(On how the team is approaching a short week going into Week 15): "Professionally. We lost yesterday and we’ve got to get over it. We’ve got big boys, we’ve got to get over it and own what we did, and we’ve got to get better at things we need to get better at. We’ve got to look in the mirror – we understand that as a group we've been through this before, but it's different every single year and every time [we] do it. Nobody likes to lose, and you're coming on a short week, [we have] a chance to get the bad taste out of your mouth, but they should be upset. They should own what they do, we as coaches own what we do, and as a team own what we do, and we’ve got to come out Thursday and we’ve got to correct them."
On going up against Atlanta Falcons' QB Kirk Cousins): "I don't consider him a backup quarterback, I consider him a starter, and he has [been] for a long time. [He] knows where to go with the football, [is] very accurate, knows the offense inside-and-out, so it's going to be a challenge for us, especially everyone needing to be where they need to be. The challenge is just facing the entire team. The entire team, we’ve got to learn from what happened last year – we did some good things the first time, but that was a lontg time ago. We just [have] to make sure we execute and make plays."
On WR Emeka Egbuka’s recent dropped passes and how he can get his confidence back): "[We can] just get him some quick throws early, get him some easy catches and try get him in a groove and get him in a rhythm. He's got to get himself in a rhythm, as well. We trust him completely, he's a great player for us. When your great players drop the ball, you just [have] to live with it, but he's hard on himself and he'll come back from that, and he'll play better."
g time ago, [it] feels like since Week 1 or Week 2 that we played them, and this
Game Balls
Offense: Ben Chukwuma wasn't mighty in his first start, but he didn't embarrass himself. Most of the Bucs linemen did.
Defense: Christian Itzien combined for eight tackles. Whee.
Special team: The Bucs should let Chase McLaughlin attempt 42 field goals in a game. Beats getting mugged on fourth down.
Grades
Quarterback: Baker Mafield had a 55.1, his second-worst grade of the year (Rams). Were they grading on a curve?
Grade: F.
Running back: A 32-yard run brought Bucky Irving up to just below average. But he was mediocre. Grade: D.
Wide receiver: You could tell the big downs. Those were Bucs' drops. Grade: F.
Offensive line: The offensive line was very good for one drive. But it wasn't enough. Grade: C.
Defensive line: Vita Vea played well, but he needs help. Grade: C+.
Linebackers: Lavonte David had three tackles. SirVocea Dennis had one. Grade: F.
Secondry: Tyler Shough is the new Lamar Jackson. Grade: D.
5 Most Embarrassing Bucs Games of '25
- New Orleans
2. New York Jets
3. Arizona
4. L.A. Rams
5. Detroint Lions
Bucs coaches defeats
- John McKay 88
2. Jon Gruden 55
3. Tony Dungy 42
4. Ray Perkins 41
Sam Wyche 41
Power Rankings
- New England
2. L.A. Rams
3. Denver
4. Green Bay
5. Seattle
Bottom 5
32. N.Y. Giants
31. N.Y. Jets
30. Tennessee
29. New Orleans
28. Tampa Bay
5 NFL Stars
- Jared Goff, Lions
2. Aaron Rodgers, Steelers
3. Tony Pollard, Titans
4. Shedeur Sanders, Browns
5. Josh Allen, Bills
5 NFL Flops
1.. Brady Cook, Jets
2. Jayden Daniels, Commanders
3. Kirk Cousins, Falcons
4. Samaje Perine, Bengals
5. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City
Baker Grades
(Lowest Grades with Bucs)
Rams, 2025 32.0
Saints, 2025 55.1
Lions, 2023 56.8
Saints, 2025 66.1
Carolina, 2023 68.5
Baker Stats II
Yards Passing 2722 14
TD Passes 20 10
Rating * 90.6. 18
Interceptions * 6 38
Rushing Yards 385 10
NFL Stats
Rushing Yards Rachaad White 474 34
Receiving Yards Emeke Egbuka 806 16
Tackles Tykee Smith 90 38
Field Goals Chase McLaughlin 24 6
Punting Riley Dixon 45.2 27
Rookie Wide Recievers
Tetairoa McMillian, Carolina 57 826 6
Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay 54 806 6
Eric Ayomanor, Tennessee 30 353 3
Luther Buden III 30 395 1
Travis Hunter 28 298 1