A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article where I detailed how the Buccaneers running game needed to significantly improve if they wanted to get back to the Super Bowl this year. Well, it took three games for the problem to come to light, but the light shined bright enough Sunday where people are now talking about.
Tom Brady did all he could on Sunday afternoon, throwing for 432 yards, and going 41 for 55, great numbers which should probably win you a game. Alas, that wasn’t the case, as Brady also managed to lead the team’s rushing yards as well. Yes, that’s right, Brady led all Tampa Bay rushers with 14 rushing yards.
I’m not sure many people understand that when you have Ronald Jones II and Leonard Fournette in the lineup, having Brady lead the rushing is unacceptable. I don’t say things I don’t mean, and I strongly believe this team is still the best team in the NFL, but something has to be done about their running game, it just doesn’t have any juice right now.
There were many positives from the game on Sunday, as Mike Evans had a terrific game, catching eight balls for 106 yards, as well as Tyler Johnson, who stepped in and was a deep-threat, securing three catches for a total of 63 yards.
I also have to give it to the L. A Rams, who played an excellent game of football. Simply put, the Buccaneers were outclassed by the Rams on Sunday. Matthew Stafford did exactly what I thought he would do and attacked the Bucs aerially, throwing for 343 yards and a whopping four touchdowns.
Tampa’s defense also looked out-of-whack in this game as well, as they weren’t their usual, intense selves. Hopefully, this game was an outlier for the Bucs, because the Rams were the only real playoff team they have come up against so far. Their next “playoff-worthy” opponent comes in the form of the Bills on December 12th, a long way away from now.
This may be a bad thing, as there are no significant challenges for the Bucs on the schedule in the near future. They shouldn’t get too comfortable, and they should get to work on their run game as soon as possible.
All in all, they could have done a lot better this past Sunday, but hopefully, this serves as a lesson.