It almost goes without saying that with a huge game against the Rams looming in Week 12, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some serious issues that need to be fixed.
Losing three of their last four games has exposed some massive flaws, but the good news is the season is far from over. Tampa Bay, despite the losing slump, is still the No. 4 seed in the NFC and have a lead in the division.
All of that could evaporate on Sunday, but for now the Bucs still control their own destiny. If they want to keep it that way, they'll have to address some of the biggest things holding them back, or risk another primetime disaster.
Baker Mayfield needs to be more consistent
It's a bummer to write this, because Mayfield was playing so well, even drawing MVP attention during the first six games of the season. Through six games, Mayfield had thrown 12 touchdown passes and had turned it over just once. He was playing lights out football, and was the reason Tampa Bay was winning.
Since then? Over the past four games, Mayfield has accounted for six touchdowns (five in the air, one on the ground) and four turnovers (two interceptions and two lost fumbles).
That is a jarring difference. He went from a 12-to-1 touchdown-to-turnover ratio to a 1.5:1 TD-TO ratio. You wonder why the Tampa Bay offense is struggling.
Mayfield playing better is a part of this as well. Tampa Bay's offense has not been as balanced as it needs to be over the past couple of weeks. Last week, the Bucs had 202 yards on the ground, but just 165 in the air. A few weeks ago against the Saints, both the passing and rushing attack struggled, with just 124 yards through the air and 88 on the ground. In their loss against Detroit, the run game was non-existent, with just 41 yards on the ground compared to 210 in the air.
There was an even bigger imbalance in their win over Seattle, when the passing attack accounted for 370 yards, compared to just 56 yards on the ground.
Both sides of the ball are capable of playing. The passing game has gone for over 200 yards in six of their ten games, and the ground game has gone for 100 yards in seven of ten games. However, there have only been four games this season when the passing game has accounted for over 200 yards and the rushing game has accounted for over 100 yards.
The defense needs to get back to stopping the run
Last week was progress, when Tampa Bay held Buffalo to 97 yards on the ground. That's good, especially when considering Buffalo has a dangerous rushing attack led by James Cook and Josh Allen. However, Tampa Bay's defense is not getting let off the hook that quickly. They let Detroit and New England run all over them in a pair of defeats.
The Lions totaled 164 rushing yards against the Bucs, and the Patriots totaled 166. The Rams will certainly attempt to establish a ground game with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, and it will be on Tampa Bay's defense to slow them down. We know they can do it, based on what they were able to do in Weeks 1-4. They held the Eagles to just 88 rushing yards.