Sometimes in life, things don’t always go as planned. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, things didn’t go as planned in their game against the Saints. What was a tight game throughout turned into a dumpster fire by the fourth quarter for the Buccaneers.
In my last article I specifically said that in order for the Buccaneers to beat a team like the Saints, they would have to lay off the penalties. What did the defense go and do? They went ahead and got almost every penalty in the book. This significantly killed our chances of beating a team we should have won against.
Tom Brady enjoyed another great performance, but even legends have off-nights, and the pick-six he threw to lose the game at the end was not like him. His blunder capped off a night of things just going wrong for the Buccaneers.
At the end of the day, it was apparent that the Saints just wanted the game more. They were the team that executed the most, was the most disciplined of the two, and the team that showed the most heart. When you combine those three things you can accomplish anything on the football field.
A huge shoutout to Chris Godwin who had a monster of a game, procuring 140 yards and 1 touchdown on 8 receptions. Godwin is quickly establishing himself as a deep aerial threat, something all teams chasing a Super Bowl must have in their arsenal.
I believe that even though the Bucs lost this will be a huge lesson for them, one that will sharpen their play and make them a lethal team come playoff time. This shows that you can’t take any team too lightly.
Simple as that, the Buccaneers lost to a team that played harder this Sunday, and there is no shame in that. They must learn from this and not make the same mistakes again. They also have to hold a meeting and come to an agreement that the penalties are killing them. If this was a playoff game, those penalties would be getting talked about on every sports show in America. Stephen A Smith would be having a field day!
They are still the best team in the NFL, and this loss has only made them better. Their next opponent comes in the form of the Washington Football Team, a team they can easily dismantle. The trick is not to put your guard down, because you never know what’s going to happen.
What were your thoughts on the game? Let me know in the comments below!