No answers.
Sloppy, sloppy football game to open the season. But it was oh, so pretty in the end.
Pass the Rolaids. The Bucs are 4-0 in opening days under head coach Todd Bowles.
Baker Mayfield? He was rustier than a 40-year-old snow shovel, but he sure delivered with the game on the line, a perfect strike to Emeka Egbuka to give the Bucs a 23-20 lead with one minute to play. It was Egbuka’s second of the day.
Joe has so many questions. Where did the Tampa Bay running game disappear to? Perhaps Joe can explain that away by the three-player mysterious pregame shakeup on the Bucs’ offensive line.
Graham Barton moved to left tackle to start for backup left tackle Charlie Heck, and the Bucs rolled with Michael Jordan at left guard and moved left guard Ben Bredeson to center. Answers on that will be forthcoming, as Joe is in Atlanta with Ira Kaufman.
You know it’s going to be rough day when Chase McLaughlin misses a field goal — and an extra point. But the Buccaneers’ grit kept showing up in key moments.
The Bucs defense had plenty of quality moments, including Haason Reddick getting a drive-killing sack on a third down in the third quarter, but overall it was the same old story with a couple of ugly roughing the passer calls late in the fourth quarter. And Falcons quarterback Michael Penix had too much time much of the game and Bucs defenders gave too much cushion. Penix finished 27-of-42 for 298 yards and 1 TD. He also ran for 21 yards.
Joe gives high marks to Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey and YaYa Diaby for their work in the Bucs’ run defense.
New Bucs playcaller Josh Grizzard seemed to have a rough debut, but Joe expects him to get better and better.
Any road win is sweet, and this one is no different.