5 Things The Bucs Need To Change
The Bucs aren’t halfway through the season, and although they have a winning record, there are still things the Bucs need to change. The loss of the Ravens on Monday Night Football was more than just a loss of a game. The Buccaneers lost Mike Evans to a hamstring injury for most likely a few weeks. The bigger loss was wide receiver Chris Godwin to a dislocated ankle, which most likely ended his season.
There are things the Bucs need to change and they need to change quickly or else this season will be lost. Now I know what you were thinking the Bucs are tied for first place with the Atlanta Falcons after week seven. They are playing the Falcons at home in week eight so they could take the lead in the division. That’s easier said than done. Remember the Buccaneers lost on Thursday Night Football to the Atlanta Falcons 36 to 30 in overtime. That game was a lot like the loss to the Ravens as the defense gave up 500 yards of offense in both games.
Bucs Need To Change These 5 Things
So in my opinion, here are five things the Bucs need to change for the rest of the season.
Todd Bowles. Now he is the head coach of the Buccaneers, but he is also the defensive coordinator. As I mentioned above this team has given up 500 yards of offense to the opposing team twice this season. After week seven, the Buccaneers have the second worst defense in the league. So maybe Todd Bowles should not be calling the defensive plays anymore.
Baker Mayfield. Yes, he still should be the quarterback moving forward, but his decision-making in the past few games has been extremely poor. The Bucs were up 10 to 0 against the Ravens with a chance to go up 13 or 17 to 0 but instead threw a pretty bad interception. The Ravens ended up scoring and then he ended up throwing another bad interception. Those need to stop if the Bucs are going to have a successful season.
The Defense. Todd Bowles likes to blitz and sometimes when you blitz, and you don’t get to the quarterback. That leaves wide open wide receivers and that has been happening way too much to this team. The secondary isn’t the best and there are a few linebackers that do not know how to cover. A different defensive scheme needs to happen if the Bucs are to be successful.
Wide Receivers. With Mike Evans likely down for a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury and Chris Godwin mostly likely out for the year who is going to step up in their place? You can’t replace two future Hall of Famers, so the passing game will definitely not be the same as it has been. The team will rely on Sterling Shepard, Trey Palmer, and Jalen McMillan as their top wide receivers.
The Running Game. This is one of the bright spots for the team. They are a top 10 running team in the NFL, but the things the Bucs need to change about the running game is who the top running back is. Rachaad White has been the #1 running back, but when he was injured Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker replaced him and did better than White has done. Now, White is a great pass catcher out of the backfield and scored two touchdowns against the Ravens. All three of these running backs should get a lot of shared time during games.
Mike Evans Milestone Touchdown Catch
Mike Evans, before he got hurt in the game against the Ravens, caught his 100th touchdown catch of his career. On the Bucs website it talks about the NFL Legends he joins on that list. “Jerry Rice. Randy Moss. Terrell Owens. Cris Carter. Marvin Harrison. Larry Fitzgerald. Antonio Gates. Tony Gonzalez. Tim Brown. Steve Largent. And now Mike Evans. There are now 11 players in the 105-year history of the National Football League who have caught 100 or more touchdown passes in their careers, as Evans joined that incredibly elite club on Monday night with his 25-yard scoring reception in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens.”
