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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) suffered a tough loss at home Monday night at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens (5-2), 41-31, in a game that was more of a blowout than the final score indicates. The Buccaneers started hot by scoring on their first drive and taking a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Things would quickly turn as the Baltimore Ravens found their offensive groove and scored a gut-punching 34 unanswered points. The Bucs would score three garbage-time touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the game appear closer than it was, but it would come at the cost of losing some star players to injury. This whole game was a brutal blow to the Buccaneers and may even affect their playoff dreams.
The Injury Bug Bites Again
The Bucs lost two huge pieces on Monday night. First, Mike Evans went down with a hamstring injury. The injury is expected to sideline him until after the Buccaneers' bye week, meaning we won't be able to see Mike Evans suit up again won't be until November 24th. This may also mean Evans will lose his streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons. It's a brutal way to end such a fantastic streak, but if Evans returns hot, he'll have a shot at it. Evans's absence will also affect the Buccaneers' red zone offense. Going into the night, Evans was the league leader in receiving touchdowns with five. He caught most of those passes on jump balls in the end zone. He was a huge safety blanket for Baker Mayfield, and his injury could slow this offense's momentum tremendously.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers were trying to come back from their massive deficit, and in doing so, star wide receiver Chris Godwin went down with a broken ankle. After the game, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was heavily criticized for still having Godwin in, as the game was already out of reach. Bowles defended his decision, stating, "He's a player, we're trying to win the game."
Godwin was having a career-best season, leading the league in reception, tied first in touchdowns, and was third in receiving yards. Losing him and Mike Evans for an extended time may be the nail in the coffin for the Buccaneers' playoff chances.
Defensive Implosion
Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens went ballistic against the Buccaneers. The Bucs' defense started the game well, stopping Baltimore from scoring any points in the first quarter. Unfortunately, as the Ravens unloaded, things got ugly in the second and third quarters. Baltimore went on a thirty-four-point run led by Lamar Jacksons arm. Jackson was impeccable Monday night, tossing five touchdowns and 281 yards. He completed 77% of his passes, throwing as many touchdowns as he did incompletions. Lamar also added fifty yards on the ground and had a passer rating of 158.1, only 0.2 off of a perfect passer rating. The Buccaneers did sack Jackson twice but could not bring down Derrick Henry.
Derrick Henry went off for another 150-plus-yard game, finishing with 169. One of his runs, Henry blasted for an 81-yard run before stepping out of bounds. Tampa was not interested in tackling Henry in this game, especially when he was running on the open field. The Buccaneers did break his rushing touchdown streak but instead allowed a Derrick Henry receiving touchdown. The Buccaneers' defense has been riddled with injuries to start the year, but with most of their guys back, there's a significant concern about how this defense plays. Todd Bowles is a defensive-minded head coach who needs to lock in on his defense. If the Buccaneers continue to implode like this, Todd Bowles will be on the hot seat.
Baking Turnovers
In my prediction article before the game, I said that if Baker continues to turn the ball over in this game, the Ravens offense will take advantage of that, and the Buccaneers will fall behind fast. That is precisely what happened, as Mayfield threw two interceptions. Mayfield's interceptions were head-scratching, with one of the worst Mayfield throws coming in the red zone during the second quarter. The Buccaneers were at the Baltimore three-yard line; it was second and goal. Mayfield dropped back to pass and had an eternity to throw the ball as the Raven's pass rush could not get to Mayfield. Every route was covered up, and with it being second and goal, Baker could have thrown the ball away and tired again on third and goal. Instead, he forced the ball to the corner of the endzone toward Chris Godwin. Unfortunately for Baker and the Bucs, Marlon Humphrey stood directly in front of Godwin and easily intercepted the ball. It's a horrible mistake that a quarterback as experienced as Mayfield has no excuse to make.
Things would get worse for Mayfield when, on the very next drive, he again threw an interception to Marlon Humphrey. This time, Mayfield forced the ball into double coverage, and the only two players who had the chance to catch the ball were both on the Ravens. He threw for three touchdowns in the game, but two came in the fourth quarter against Ravens backups. Mayfield had a QBR of 21.5 and has five interceptions in the past two games. With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin missing extended time, things will become even more difficult for Baker and the Buccaneers passing attack.
Up Next: The Atlanta Falcons
Next week, the Buccaneers will get the chance to get revenge on the Atlanta Falcons after a crushing overtime loss a few weeks ago. The Falcons are coming off a blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks, losing 34-14. Atlanta will be chomping at the bit to replicate their 500-yard performance this weekend as the Buccaneers continue to struggle on defense. This next game will say a lot about the future of Tampa Bay, both offensively and defensively. This could be the beginning of the end of the Buccaneers season.
Final Score: Baltimore Ravens 41, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31
Bastable's Three Stars:
1st Star: Rachaad White (111 Total Yards, 2 TDs)
2nd Star: Antoine Winfield Jr. (10 Tackles, 1 Sack)
3rd Star: Cade Otton (8 Rec, 100 Yards)
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