Bucs Nation
For the first time in more than a month, the Buccaneers and their fans again experience victory — though one would hardly call it a particularly encouraging one.
Clunkiness on offense and defense continued to plague Tampa, but enough plays from both sides led to a narrow 20-17 win against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday.
The win pushes Tampa’s record to 7-5 and finally stops the bleeding caused by the team’s annual mid-season slump, as it’s the first W since Oct. 26 against the Saints. It also narrowly holds off the resurgent Carolina Panthers, who sit at 7-6 (the two rivals meet up for the first time in three weeks).
Let’s do some shoutouts and see if the Bucs can build on their moment next week against the flailing New Orleans Saints.
Without the spark Irving’s long-awaited return provided, it’s very arguable that the Bucs would have lost.
Irving returned from his battle through shoulder and foot injuries (as well as related mental health struggles) suffered in Week 4 and made a huge impact. The second-year dynamo notched 19 total touches to easily outpace Rachaad White (5) and Sean Tucker (2), turning them into a very efficient 61 rushing yards and 20 receiving yards to go along with a TD. He weaved around tackles, hit the joystick on defenders, and generally looked like his old self, which is massively important for an offense that has been sputtering.
Ideally, you’d like to see the other two more involved, and White did have a touchdown taken away on a questionable OPI penalty, but overall this was a sight for sore eyes.
Another relief came from Chris Godwin, who has continued his uphill battle through leg injuries to make his most prominent impact of the season. Godwin corralled 3 big catches for 78 total yards to lead the team, and he could’ve posted an even better outing if he had held onto an easy TD catch in the first half. There’s still rust to shake off, but there’s clearly still an impactful player wearing No. 14 for Tampa Bay.
But, is there any argument against the best receiver of the day being TRISTAN WIRFS?? The big man made his first career catch and touchdown on a marvelous playcall in the second quarter. Clean release, soft hands, what can’t this man do?
The defense looked lazy and undisciplined again, and it’s officially panic time on that front.
The issues with blown assignments, tackling, and overall effort are an indictment on Todd Bowles, and it’s really questionable how he’s going to fix it during this stretch run. That said, some credit must be given for a couple critical 4th and short stops — one of the few areas where the unit has been reliable this year, as it has allowed only 6 conversions out of 14 attempts on 4th and 2 or shorter.
In terms of individual performances, Winfield Jr. showed...
