TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles lamented a wasted opportunity while reiterating there’s no need to overreact to his team’s first loss of the season.
“It was as bad as I thought it was,” Bowles said Monday when asked his takeaway from watching video of a subpar performance against the Denver Broncos. “We didn’t play well in any facet of the game — offense, defense, or special teams.”
That said, the Bucs (2-1) — at least record-wise — are exactly where most people believed they’d be through three games.
Instead of arriving there by winning a pair of home games in which they were favored while losing at Detroit in Week 2, the defending NFC South champions beat the Lions and went 1-1 against Washington and Denver, which are both led by rookie quarterbacks.
Tampa Bay’s defense shut down No. 2 overall draft pick Jayden Daniels in the season opener against the Commanders but had no answers against Bo Nix and Broncos in Sunday’s 26-7 loss.
Nix, the 12th pick in the NFL draft, still hasn’t thrown his first touchdown pass. He ran for a TD and threw for 216 yards without an interception to beat the Bucs.
In addition to not forcing any turnovers Sunday, Tampa Bay failed to sack the opposing quarterback for the second straight week.
“There are a lot of things to be disappointed about. I mean, we can coach it better, we can play it better,” Bowles said. “We didn’t move the ball on offense, we didn’t stop them on defense well enough, and we didn’t do anything special on special teams to make a difference. So, it’s a complete team collapse, a complete team loss.”
The coach’s message to the team this week?
“Not too high on the wins, not too low on the losses,” Bowles said. “We’ve got another game to prepare for. We’ve got to get ready to go after we watch the tape and correct everything. Get the taste out of their mouth and get to work.”
What’s working
Rookie Bucky Irving led the Bucs in rushing for the second time in three weeks, finishing with 70 yards on nine attempts for an average of 7.8 yards per carry. He broke runs of 32 and 13 yards on Tampa Bay’s only scoring drive against Denver. The fourth-round draft pick also averaged 6.9 yards per attempt in Week 1, but remains second on the depth chart behind starter Rachaad White.
What needs help
Baker Mayfield has been sacked 12 times in the past two games. Denver finished with seven, and Mayfield claimed some of the responsibility.
“There were a few pressures this week that were actually on me. … There’s a mindset of trying to fix the protections when they’re bringing some of these pressures, and there’s also a mindset to snap the ball and get it out of your hands,” the quarterback said. “Not all of that is on the O-line.”
Stock up
While Bowles didn’t indicate that Irving has played his way into a starting role, the rookie may find himself on the field more moving forward.
The coach was asked Monday if Irving hasn’t received more snaps due to his limited understanding of the playbook or his ability to pass block.
“It has nothing to do with anything. We were behind, so we threw it a little bit more (Sunday),” the coach said. “Rachaad is probably a better pass protector, at this point, but Bucky has definitely earned more reps.”
Stock down
White rushed for 990 yards in 2023, when Tampa Bay had the least productive rushing attack in the NFL for the second straight season. The versatile third-year pro, who’s a valued component in the passing game, is averaging 2.13 yards per carry (31 attempts, 66 yards). He has 12 receptions for 98 yards.
Injuries
Bowles said it’s too soon to project the status of four starters — defensive linemen Vita Vea (knee) and Calijah Kancey (calf), safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot) and right tackle Luke Goedeke (concussion) — who sat out against Denver. Long snapper Evan Deckers left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury.
Key number
5 for 21 — Tampa Bay’s conversion rate on third down over the past two games, including 3 for 11 against the Broncos.
Next steps
The Bucs host Philadelphia on Sunday in a rematch of a playoff game won by Tampa Bay last season.
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