Key takeaways from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 23-20 loss to the 49ers

It’s another bitter pill to swallow as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their fourth straight game of the season and their second straight game in walk-off fashion, losing 23-20 to the San Francisco 49ers. The Bucs season is in jeopardy and with the bye week approaching, it’s time to rest, recover and take a hard look at what this team needs to do to turn things around. They are two games and a tiebreaker behind the Falcons and the NFC South title and are quickly falling out of the playoff picture. Schedule-wise, there is an easier path ahead of them, but the Bucs will need to play flawless football, something they have failed to do of late, to gain any kind of ground.

There is still hope that the Bucs can kick-start their season and make a run, and with key players like Mike Evans and Jamel Dean returning from injury this should ease some of the pressure on both sides of the ball. Despite all the problems the Bucs have faced. the silver lining remains. This team hasn’t been blown out of the water and has held its own against the perennial powerhouses of the NFC and AFC and nearly defeated them. Moral victories only go so far, but the Bucs are a resilient team and if they can turn the tide and make the dance, they will struggle.

The Bucs need Mike Evans in the worst way. For the second week in a row, the Buc wide receivers were nowhere to be seen. The final stat before the wideout in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers was a paltry four receptions on 11 targets for a paltry 28 yards. The week before, in their overtime loss to the Chiefs, Bucs receivers accounted for eight receptions on 13 targets for 91 yards and a score. However, most of that production came on the Bucs’ final drive of the game with six catches, 69 yards and the score. Go back to the Falcons game and the production was slightly better with 159 yards on 15 receptions, but that was between five different receivers for a 31.8 yard average.

Cade Oton, Rachaad White and Bucky Irving were the saving grace of this Bucs passing attack with the absence of Evans and Chris Godwin. Fortunately, Evans is coming back after the bye week and that should help the offense, but Baker Mayfield isn’t flawless here either. He missed several throws that were too short or too deep, with not enough contact or too wide. Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen has done his best to get these guys open and coach them, but he’s working with edge three receivers and practice squad guys and Mayfield has struggled to hit them. Mayfield has just 316 yards passing on 60 attempts between the last two games and it’s clear he desperately needs Evans back in the lineup to try and turn around this season.

The Bucs defense has no answers late in games this season after suffering their third walk-off loss of the season. Their previous two losses came in overtime, one in Week 5 against the Falcons and the other last week on Monday Night Football against the Chiefs. This one is even tougher, as the Bucs dropped two games under .500 in a game that really felt like they were going to win. With 41 seconds left, Tampa Bay’s defense marched the Niners down the field for the time-expiring field goal to seal their fate.

Heading into the bye week, this team needs to take a good look at where they fell short. Yes, injuries played a role, but poor tackling, lack of execution and the dreaded miscommunication led to the Bucs’ late-game collapse on defense. After the bye week, the Buccaneers face an easier path with some very winnable games, but they will have to change and adapt if they want to make a run at the end of the season. Simply put, the Bucs need their playmakers to step up to close out games. If they can’t get more production out of their top playmakers, this season is doomed and their run of playoff appearances and certainly the division titles are in jeopardy.

The Bucs just can’t seem to avoid the injury bug. It feels like the team is losing one or two crucial starters in every game this season due to injury. This week it was All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs who went down with a knee injury early in the second quarter. Wirfs had a player’s right knee blocked and came off the field slowly, requiring assistance from the medical staff. It wasn’t long before he limped to the locker room and was ruled out for the remainder of the match. Testing has revealed the best possible outcome of an MCL sprain and he will only be out for a few weeks with a slim chance of being able to chase the valedictorian.

It wasn’t just Wirfs, though. Before the game even started, standout rookie nickel cornerback Tykee Smith was ruled out due to a knee injury he suffered during Friday’s practice. And fellow rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who was tracking to play and was active, was unable to go after testing his injured hamstring prior to the game. Later in the game, the Bucs lost starting cornerback Zyon McCollum, who is having an All-Pro caliber season, to a hamstring tweak and rookie pass rusher Chris Braswell to an oblique injury. As the injury bug continues to take its toll, the Bucs have a much-needed bye week to rest, recuperate and repair not only their bodies but their minds as they enter the final stretch of the season.

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