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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered their first loss of the season this past Monday night, dropping their prime-time matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles 25-11.
The night was meant for celebration as Buccaneer legend, Ronde Barber, was celebrated for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but as the clock wound down there wasn't much celebrating going on.
The final score may show that the game was closer than it was. The Buccaneers looked discombobulated throughout the contest and then were dealt with the injury bug in their defensive secondary. The offense couldn't find any consistency, the run game once again couldn't get any traction, and the turnover battle was lost including Baker Mayfield's first interception this season as a Buccaneer.
Although it may have seemed like Tampa Bay was extremely overmatched in this one they continued to fight until the end and never gave up which is something they can build off of the rest of the season. The season is long and one loss will not define a team, but there is still work to be done.
Following the game, Buccaneers' fans took to social media to share their thoughts on the performance and while most pointed to the negatives there is still optimism amongst the fanbase that things can start to move in a positive direction once again.
The Negatives
Need a runner
— State of The Bucs (@Stateofthebucs) September 26, 2023
Never play R. white again. Lol
— David Giglio (@DavidGiglioCA) September 26, 2023
Bowles stop playing cushion coverage and offense more crossing routes and a true north and south RB
— aj_turnup (@ATurner_24) September 26, 2023
Limp game, Limp energy. Woke up too late
— Michael Buccaneers ☠️ (@Mitche2600) September 26, 2023
Much of the complaints came from the lackluster run game that the Buccaneers put on the field on Monday night. Starting RB Rachaad White struggled on the ground only mustering 38 yards on 14 carries for an average of 2.7 yards per carry. White also lost a fumble in the contest. QB Baker Mayfield was the second-leading rusher on the team, which is less than ideal for a team that does not possess a true dual-threat QB. Undrafted rookie Sean Tucker only received two carries on the day. The run game was only allowed to get one first down on the night.
As much as we can place the blame on the backs, the Bucs' offensive line has struggled tremendously thus far into the season with run blocking and will need to get it figured out in order to be balanced, efficient, and successful for the offense to gain consistency.
Optimism
we’re fine. eagles are an elite team and we can’t compete with their lines. learn some lessons from the game and come back better against a division rival next week
— tampa bayker (@ryankovatch10) September 26, 2023
If you told me we had a chance to be 3-1 and head into our bye week I would have taken that in a heart beat. We are in a great spot lots to be optimistic about.
— Dustin (@DustinJC25) September 26, 2023
There were a ton of lessons learned by the team in this loss. Glaring evidence of problems that were already known and new issues that arose during the game gave the coaching staff a good litmus test for where the Buccaneers are currently at as a team. The Eagles are indeed a tough team - coming off a Super Bowl appearance at that - and only dropping the game by two scores showed that the Bucs aren't necessarily that far off from their ultimate goal.
The Bucs will now get their first NFC South test as they head to New Orleans to take on the Saints. The Saints and the Bucs are currently tied with the Atlanta Falcons for control of the division, so a win on the road against the Saints will be huge and the Bucs will need to take advantage as the Saints are missing key players in S Marcus Maye (suspension) and starting QB Derek Carr (injury).
If the Buccaneers can walk out of New Orleans with a win they will move to 3-1 on the season and will enter their BYE week on a high note before getting into the thick of the season.
You can follow Caleb on Twitter @chsnole.
More must-reads:
- Falcons' Jessie Bates addresses the team's QB conundrum
- Dolphins owner turns down multibillion-dollar offer for control of team
- The 'Most career passing touchdowns' quiz
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