Offensive players weren’t ready.
Did the Bucs offense not set the correct alarm for their afternoon naps Monday.
If you think about this, tonight’s 24-9 loss to the Lions should have been an absolute blowout. The Lions did their best in the first half to keep the Bucs in the game.
The Bucs got a precious takeaway early. Then, Lions coach Dan Campbell decided to listen to ESPN analytics and go for it on fourth down and failed when he easily could have kicked a field goal. Then, when Campbell did decide to kick a field goal, Detroit kicker Jason Bates missed it.
(Have you ever heard a BSPN announcer say during a game, “ESPN Analytics say don’t go for it?” It could be fourth-and-50 from the 10-yard line and an announcer will say, “ESPN Analytics says go for it!”)
And how many points did the Bucs score while the Lions did their best to spot the Bucs points? Zip. Nada. Nothing. Goose egg!
Joe knew the Bucs were in trouble after that, with just a field goal by Chase McLaughlin in the final seconds of the first half, trailing 14-3.
> “We have to get better on offense, I think that’s pretty clear,” Bucs tight end Cade Otton said on the Buccaneers Radio Network after the game.
That was the difference in the game. A good team like the Lions hands the ball over by turnovers or missed opportunities to score — and the Bucs took those gifts and exchanged them at Rural King for a pile of horse dung.
You don’t beat good teams by passing on free beers.
The offense was simply sleepwalking in the first half. They weren’t ready to play. They weren’t sharp. They weren’t physical enough. And it cost them dearly.