5 Thoughts
- I get that fans expect their teams to win, but did it ever occur to anyone that the Bills at home are simply better than the beaten-up Bucs? (Of course it didn't.)
2. I don't know Bad Bunny from Bugs Bunny, but I have to laugh at the continuing debate over the Super Bowl halftime show. I don't have his music on my phone, but I didn't have any of Kendrick Lamar's last year, either. I'm not exactly in the NFL's target audience.
3. The Bills averaged 39 yards per kickoff return Sunday. They would have averaged 40, but 464-pounf Desmond Watson wasn't available to bring one back.
4. So Sean Tucker is a monster ever two years or so? I can't wait until 2028.
5. Yeah, it's the quarterback. Jarad Goff had a 91.3 rating against the Bucs. Consider the team's last three losses. Drake Maye had a 107.6. Josh Allen had 104.4. Together, they were responsible for nine touchdowns.
5 Comments
(From Todd Bowles' Monday press conference)
(On if there’s an update on CB Jamel Dean’s injury status): “He’s got a hip flexor strain. Right now, he’s day-to-day. He’s getting more tests run – we’ll see later on this week.”
On if he has any more clarity on the statuses of WR Chris Godwin Jr. and RB Bucky Irving for Week 12 at Los Angeles): “They’ll get worked in more and get more reps and then we’ll kind of evaluate them as the week goes on, but they’ll definitely get worked in.”
(On the decision to punt on fourth-and-2 late in the game): “I think it was on the minus-39[-yard line]. From a schematic standpoint, we talked about it – one [yard] or less was positive, two [yards] was more or less figuring to punt. We figured we had enough time to get the ball back. I think [there were] seven-something minutes left. We thought we could get a good punt and hold them down there. Obviously, it didn’t work out, but that was the thought process.”
(On if there’s a reason for the team’s special teams struggles): “Yesterday was just the kickoff team, and there were no new players involved in that. You’ve got to be able to tackle and want to tackle and give maximum effort to tackle. The effort was there – we didn’t make the plays. You’ve got to make the plays when you’re not a starter on this team and you’re here because of special teams. You’ve got to play better than that. We’re better off kicking it out of bounds or in the end zone than what we did yesterday.”
(On if there’s a commonality to the chunk plays that the defense has been allowing lately): “There’s no commonality. On the screen play, we misfit – either two guys jump inside or two guys jump outside and leave the crease. We’ve got to get that corrected. From that standpoint, you’ve got to get it corrected. He had time to throw, we were in zone coverage, and we drifted out of our zone. That part has got to be corrected as well. It’s almost like it’s a different guy each week. It’s Week 10 or 11 right now – we’ve got to get that corrected.”
Game Balls
Offense: Sean Tucker had a huge game with 106 yards and three touchdowns.
Defense: Jacob Parrish had a pick and two tackles for losses.
Special teams: No winner.
Grades
Quarterback: Baker Mayfield wasn't good. Maybe he's out of receivers. Grade: C-.
Running backs: The Bucs averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Grade: A.
Offensive line: Good running game, one sack allowed. Grade: B+.
Defensive line: Shouldn't they have sent Josh Allen a card so he wasn't lonely? Grade: C.
Linebackers: Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis had just four tackles each. Grade: C.
Secondary: Jacob Parrish had some big plays. Grade: D.
Singed Secondary
(Bucs' passing yards allowed)
Mac Jones 49ers 347
Sam Darnold Seahawks 341
Josh Allen Bills 317
Michael Penix Falcons 298
Jarad Goff Lions 270
Power Rankings
- New England
2. Indianapolis
3. Denver
4. L.A. Rams
5. Philadephia
--
11. Tampa Bay
Bottom 5
32. Tennessee
31. N.Y. Jets
30. N.Y. Giants
29. Cleveland
28. New Orleans
NFL Coaches Hot Seat
- Mike McDaniel, Miami
2. Jonathan Gannon, Arizona
3. Pete Carroll, Las Vegas
4. Raheem Morris, Atlanta
5. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati
5 NFL Stars
- Josh Allen, Buffalo
2. Bryce Young, Carolina
3. Cairo Santos, Chicago
4. Bo Nix, Denver
5. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona
5 NFL Flops
- Justin Herbert, L.A. Charger
2. J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota
3. Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland
4. Sam Darnold, Seattle
5. Joe Flacco, Cincinnati
Rookie Receivers
- Tetairoa McMillan 54 748 4
2. Emeka Egbuka 45 717 6
3. Elic Ayomanor 28 334 2
4. Travis Hunter 28 298 1
5. Mathew Golden 24 286 0
Baker Stats
Passing Yards 2365 11
Touchdowns 27 t-9
Interceptions * 3 t-7
Rating * 97.0 25
Rushing 197 12
Worst Mayfield Bucs grades
Detroit 2023 56.8
San Francisco 2025 66.2
Carolina 2023 68.5
Carolina 2024 69.6
Carolina 2023 72.0
Buffalo 2025 72.5
NFL Stats
Rushing Yards Rachaad White 376 33
Receiving Yards Emeka Egbaku 717 32
Tackles Tykee Smith 79 t-21
Field goals Chase McLaughlin 20 5
Punts Inside 20. Riley Dixon 17 t-3