While they did finish 5th in terms of passing yards, the Bucs also finished 31st in yards gained per passing attempt. When the Buccaneers threw the ball things weren’t much better. However, it’s important to note that they also had the lowest yards per attempt average, so the low number of attempts are more of a result of being forced to throw the ball due to their inability to run. Granted, they also had the fewest rushing attempts in the league so their raw numbers should be towards the bottom. The Bucs were dead last in rushing yards (1308) and rushing touchdowns this season (5). However, the numbers are even worse than they look at a glance. A 8-10 record with the 25th ranked scoring offense and the 15th ranked scoring defense. Once again, to a lesser degree compared to the offense, the production didn’t live up to the production. They also failed to create a lot of turnovers with a secondary that was poised to take the next step forward this year with emerging stars like Antione Winfield Jr. With perhaps the best pair of linebackers in the NFL in Lavonte David and Devin White and a defensive line that is anchored by Vita Vea, the Bucs were susceptible to the run this year. However, this defense wasn’t able to establish themselves as one of the best defenses in the league this year. The Buccaneers front seven is mostly the same group they have had in recent years where they have dominated. Combine that with emerging rookies such as Cade Otton and Rachaad White as well as and offensive line that, despite injuries, still feature Tristian Wirfs, Shaq Mason and Donavan Smith and there is more than enough talent to far exceed what they accomplished this year.ĭefensively it is no different. And with Tom Brady at quarterback, it’s fair to expect the passing game to thrive. Looking at the pass catchers of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage it’s not hard to say that this is one of the better wide receiver rooms in the league. ![]() I would even say they had more talent than the Dallas Cowboys, who just beat the Bucs soundly to eliminate them from the playoffs. ![]() Even with injuries to key players such as Ryan Jensen and Shaq Barrett, this Bucs roster still had plenty of ability to be better than they were. Talent LevelĮven now, I still believe that this is one of the most talented rosters in the NFC. Were expectations unreasonable for the talent of this team? Or was this just a series of failures across the board? I took a deep breath and evaluated this team’s season in hindsight. In the end, this team finished 8-10 and fell well short of expectation. While the Bucs did win the NFC South, it was a result of their peers’ failures more than their own success. Even a trip to the Super Bowl was well within reason for this roster. The Bucs were widely considered to be a favorite in not just the NFC South, but to win the entire NFC. The biggest part of that is the expectations the team had for this year.
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