Looking back on Bucs’ loss to Saints

Tuesday, 4 a.m.

5 Thoughts

1. 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 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 to 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."

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 Izien combined for eight tackles, solo and assist. 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.

Secondary: Tyler Shough is the new Lamar Jackson. Grade: D.

5 Most Embarrassing Bucs Games of '25

1. New Orleans

2. New York Jets

3. Arizona

4. L.A. Rams

5. Detroit Lions

Bucs coaches defeats

1. John McKay 88

2. Jon Gruden 55

3. Tony Dungy 42

4. Ray Perkins 41

tie - Sam Wyche 41

Power Rankings

1. 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

1. 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 Passing 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

• minimum 100 attempts

NFL Stats

Rushing Yards Rachaad White 474 34

Receiving Yards Emeka 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 Burden III 30 395 1

Travis Hunter 28 298 1