The Tampa Bay offense has not been its usual self in the past three games, and the Buccaneers appear to be short on answers to fix it.
The Bucs rank 19th in expected points added after seven games, and while the passing offense is 11th in EPA per dropback, the running game is dead last in EPA.
The lack of offensive execution was on full display in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers as Tampa Bay only scored three points in a loss against their inferior NFC South rivals. The Buccaneers offense has been held to 21 points or less in all but one game this season — Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The blame has been squarely put on Tom Brady with many believing his head is not in the game due to his marriage troubles with Gisele Bündchen. But head coach Todd Bowles had a different critique of what has gone wrong with the Bucs offense.
“That comes as an offense,” Bowles told reporters when asked if Brady needs to push the ball more, even at the expense of turnovers, per team-provided transcript. “That comes as an offense as far as not just him making plays (but) everyone else. We’ve got to call it right, we’ve got to block it right, we’ve got to get downfield and we’ve got to get open. There’s a lot of variables that go into that right there, and every time it’s something different, so it’s just not Tom’s fault. We commend him for not throwing picks, but we need more big plays on offense, more consistent plays from everybody.”
A different story would be told coming out of Sunday if Mike Evans didn’t drop a deep ball from Brady. However, Bowles did point to what is lacking with the Buccaneers — dynamic playmakers.
Despite his off-the-field antics, Antonio Brown was a key asset to the team with how he could stretch the field. It was likely why Brady did everything in his power to get Brown to Tampa Bay, though he may be regretting that now. Rob Gronkowski was also a player who could open up a defense for other pass catchers.
Evans and Chris Godwin are great wide receivers, but their skill sets or health do not match the hole that is open in the offense. The Bucs have been poor on third down, ranking 25th in EPA, which is something Bowles acknowledged.
But to pin the blame solely on Brady would be an oversimplification. The seven-time Super Bowl champion is the 13th most-efficient quarterback in the league when combining EPA per play and completion percentage over expected. He is eighth in that metric when looking at early downs.
Of course, all eyes will be on the QB and rightfully so. But it appears the Buccaneers need more playmakers in the offense, which is why they have been utilizing rookie Rachaad White more in the run game, and it’s also why they are likely in the hunt for Odell Beckham Jr. But it appears the Buffalo Bills and the Chiefs are more linked to the free agent wide receiver than Tampa Bay.
The Bucs will have to find an answer quickly, facing a short week as they prepare to take on Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8 on Thursday.
