Tampa Bay, FL – The marquee matchup of week nine did not live up to the billing. The battle of GOAT QB’s: Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees vs Buccaneer’s quarterback Tom Brady. Both still playing high-quality football in the NFC South in their early 40’s, with their first-ballots stamped and ready to go for the Hall of Fame. Combined, they have seven Super Bowls, three MVP Awards, over 150,000 passing yards, more than 1,100 touchdowns, and 37 years of NFL quarterbacking experience. Everyone and their mother picked the Bucs to win a shootout tonight against the Saints. After all, they had the top-rated defense, an offense that was just beginning to click, and they added yet another dynamic playmaker at wideout in Antonio Brown in mid-October. Instead, it was the Saints that proved to be the better of the two, taking back the division lead with a resounding 38-3 win over the Buccaneers. 

Thomas returns, but Taysom Hill was the real star 

            Tonight marked the return of Saints star wideout Michael Thomas after missing six games due to ankle and hamstring injuries and being suspended for another after punching teammate DB CJ Gardner-Johnson during practice. But Thomas’ returned was overshadowed by another dynamic Saints offensive weapon. And no, I’m not talking about Alvin Kamara, who had 49 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, nor Drew Brees, who completed 26/32 of his passes (81%) for 222 yards and four touchdowns. Indeed, the true key to the Saints’ win on Sunday was back-up quarterback Jameis Winston!... Gotcha, didn’t I’? It was actually the Saints’ third-string quarterback Taysom Hill who served as the catalyst for the offense. Taysom had 10 total touches on the night; two passes (completed both of them), seven carries, and one catch for a total of 123 offensive yards (48 passing, 54 rushing, 21 receiving). Hill provided a sense of offensive mystery for the Saints offense, confusing the top-rated Bucs defense (No. 1 in total DVOA) into giving up 420 yards of total offense.  

            On defense, the pressure came in early and often against Brady, sacking him three times, hitting him nine times, deflecting eight of his passes, and picking the future Hall of Famer off three times. Defensive lineman Trey Hendrickson, who Bruce Arians said was the “easiest Saints player to block up there”, sacked Brady three times on back-to-back-to-back plays, with the first sack being negated by a holding penalty against Gardner-Johnson. In the secondary, it was the Marshon Lattimore show. The shutdown corner only allowed two catches for 25 yards on the whole night, primarily covering Antonio Brown and Mike Evans. Lattimore got the chance to re-spark his rivalry with Evans, proving he’s the only DB in the league that can shut the Pro Bowl wideout down; deflecting a short fade route touchdown pass in the endzone against him. Evans was targeted twice whenever he went up against Lattimore. Both times, he couldn’t make the catch. 

What the expletive was that?! 

            That is what everyone in the football world said unanimously when they saw a Tom Brady-led offense get completely shut out for almost four quarters on Sunday Night. Here’s how every drive ended for the Bucs; 3 and out four times in a row, an interception in Bucs territory, turn over on downs, a pick off a deep pass to Antonio Brown to end the first half, another turnover on downs, a third interception by Brady throwing off his back foot (very uncharacteristic of him), a field goal, and a kneel down by backup QB Blaine Gabbert. Writing that drive sequence was just as painful as watching it play out in real life. Tom Brady was a disaster out there, completing 22/38 of his passes (58% completion percentage) for 209 yards and three ugly interceptions. Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen did a great job conducting his defense against Brady. The trick to defeating TB12 is bringing constant pressure while disguising your coverage well enough to confuse him, and that’s exactly what the Saints D did. None of the supposed “big names” on Tampa’s offense did anything to generate any kind of momentum for the Bucs. A receiving corps comprised of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Scotty Miller, and Rob Gronkowski only managed a combined 12 catches on 26 targets for 144 yards. On the ground, it was so much worse, as Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones combined for four total carries for nine yards, with Blaine Gabbert adding a carry on his kneel to end the game. 5 total carries for the Bucs; that set a new NFL record for the least amount of rushing attempts in a single game. That is a damning statistic for a Bruce Arians team that was supposedly the “most balanced” in the NFL. 

            As for the defense, this was the real disappointment of the night. As I mentioned earlier, Tampa’s defense overall ranked 1stin overall DVOA, 13thagainst the pass but 1stagainst the run, and was third in the league in total sacks (25), just behind the Pittsburgh Steelers (30) and the Philadelphia Eagles (28). Against New Orleans, this “vaunted” unit allowed 38 unanswered points. Drew Brees, the quarterback that many said was “finished” in 2020 (even me), threw four touchdowns against this young secondary, sprinkling the ball around to 11 different receivers (Winston threw it to the fullback Burton to make it 12 in garbage time) for 222 yards, while Kamara, Hill, and Latavius Murray (plus Dwayne Washington) racked up 138 yards on the ground attack. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles opted for a more conservative approach to the game; opting for zone schemes and prevent defense instead of his trademark blitz packages. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was the only player to register a sack, while the heavily underrated linebacker Lavonte David and defensive back Mike Edwards each got a fumble recovery produced by Devin White and Shaq Barrett, respectively.  

What’s coming up next? 

            The schedule starts to get easier for New Orleans, as they’re set to host an injury-riddled San Francisco squad on Sunday for an afternoon matchup (Fox’s game of the week, indeed). As for Tampa, they’ll be looking for a chance to get right next week, traveling down to Charlotte to face a feisty Carolina Panthers team that just went toe-to-toe with the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs.  

Writer

-By: Juan Guarin-Camargo

For the first time since Super Bowl LII, QB Nick Foles took on QB Tom Brady. The only difference was that both quarterbacks are now in different uniforms. Foles is now a Chicago Bear and Tom Brady is now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. Like the last matchup, Foles got the best of Brady in a hard-fought, 20-19 victory. Let us dive into how this game went down.

Game Details

With two good defenses matching up, this game was expected to be low scoring and it met expectations. Tampa Bay got out to a commanding 13-0 lead from a Mike Evans touchdown and two field goals. After the second field goal, Chicago responded with a 75-yard drive resulting in a David Montgomery rushing touchdown. With just under two minutes until halftime, Buccaneers RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn coughed up the ball, giving the Bears good field position. Chicago cashed in when Nick Foles connected with TE Jimmy Graham who made an outstanding one-handed grab for the touchdown. With a score of now 14-13, Brady led Tampa Bay down the field, but had to settle for a field goal. The teams would trade field goals once more after this, making the score 19-17. With 2:21 to go, Foles played hero ball again led Chicago down the field where, again, the Bears settled for three. The score was now 20-19 and would stay that way until the end, giving Chicago the victory to move to 4-1 while Tampa Bay falls to 3-2.

Chicago Defense Dominates

For a couple of seasons now, the Chicago Bears have been led by their defense. This year, it has been much of the same and they showed up on primetime for a big win. While only allowing 19 points, Chicago gave up just 339 total yards and forced Tampa Bay to a 4-14 third-down conversion rate. LB Khalil Mack had a huge game, sacking Brady twice while also recording a pass breakup. LB Danny Trevathan led the way with seven tackles. While only totaling three sacks, Chicago was getting pressure on the quarterback all night long, forcing Brady to make inaccurate throws and lose his rhythm. If Chicago’s defense can play like this, they will be in contention for a playoff spot, no matter how mediocre the offense plays.

The Kicking Game

In a game where the defense controls the flow of the game, kicking and special teams becomes that much more important and was a big reason in deciding the outcome tonight. After the second quarter, no touchdowns were scored, while four field goals were kicked through the uprights. The last one came from Bears K Cairo Santos, who drilled a 38-yard field goal to put the Bears ahead for good. Both kickers combined to go 6/6 for field goals and 3/3 on extra points. Santos kicked in two, while Buccaneers K Ryan Succop knocked in four. In a game where points are hard to come by, special teams can stick out like a sore thumb, and a clutch field goal was the reason why the Bears were able to come out on top, even though Tampa Bay kicked two more field goals than Chicago. Look for both kickers to continue their success in their next games.

Fourth Down?

For his entire career, QB Tom Brady has been known for his arm talent, ability to win, and most importantly, his football IQ. Tonight, Brady made an enormous error and one that cost them the game. After a fourth-down pass to Cameron Brate went incomplete, the Bears celebrated, while Brady thought he still had another down. If he knew it was fourth down, would have he made an easier throw? Went through more of his reads? Or still, sling the ball down the field and up the seam? 

“Yeah, he knew, he knew” head coach Bruce Arians stated after the game.

If he knew then, why the confusion? It was a very confusing scene, but one that ultimately cost them the game. Brady finished the game 25/41 for 253 and a touchdown, adding up to a passer rating of 86.7.

Looking Ahead

Moving on to Week 6, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) have an enormous conference-matchup, hosting the Green Bay Packers (4-0) who will be coming off a bye. As for the Bears (4-1), Chicago will be traveling to Carolina to take on Teddy Bridgewater and the Panthers (2-2), with the hopes of staying in the pace of the Packers in a fight for the NFC North division leader.

Info from profootballreference.com

Bruce Arian’s interview from nfl.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

For the better part of a decade, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been stuck in a spell of mediocrity. This offseason, Tampa Bay made major upgrades at key positions and look like a team that can contend for the Super Bowl. Were the moves enough? Let’s dig into the team that the Buccaneers will be putting on the field in 2020.

Free Agency

Without argument, the biggest acquisition that the Buccaneers made this offseason was signing arguably the greatest player of all-time, Tom Brady, to a two-year deal. Brady is leaving his legacy in New England and is looking to start a new one now in Tampa Bay at age 43. Besides Brady, Tampa Bay was active this offseason, especially trading for Brady’s fellow running mate, TE Rob Gronkowski, who is coming out of retirement to reunite with his quarterback. Fast forward to a week before kickoff, and the Bucs add former first-round pick Leonard Fournette, a running back who was just released by the Jaguars. While Gronkowski and Fournette are unknowns in their role with the new offense, both can be impact players to help Brady succeed.

The Draft

The most underrated part of the offseason for the Buccaneers is easily their handling of the draft. With their first-round pick, Tampa Bay selected Tristan Wirfs, an offensive tackle out of Iowa. Brady is going to need protection and the Buccaneers were starving for offensive line help, making Wirfs a perfect pick for Tampa Bay. In the second round, Tampa Bay selected Antoine Winfield Jr., a safety from Minnesota. Winfield was their best value pick, receiving some first-round grades from analysts, and is poised to make an immediate impact and support the stout defensive line Tampa Bay possesses. Tampa Bay completed their draft by taking RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, WR Tyler Johnson, DT Khalil Davis, LB Chapelle Russell, and RB Raymond Calais, addressing depth at positions they were lacking talent from. I fully expect a few of these rookies to make an impact right away and contribute to winning football games in 2020.

The Returning Team

Besides the offseason acquisitions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster was solid, but held back by their quarterback in the past season. The receiving duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will be a force yet again, O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate will join Rob Gronkowski in the TE room, and Ronald Jones will most likely be the featured back, even with the acquisition of Fournette. On the defensive side, they return pass-rusher Shaq Barrett, DT Ndamukong Suh, and OLB Jason Pierre-Paul. Match this team with the greatest quarterback of all-time and you are going to have success.

Are they a Super Bowl Contender?

With all these moves, are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers super bowl contenders in 2020? On paper, yes, there is no question that they are. But I would not be surprised if this team falls into mediocrity again. As great as Tom Brady is, who knows if he and head coach Bruce Arians are going to mesh well. Plus, Brady is 43 now with his best years behind him, and Gronk is coming off a year away from the game. Can they be contenders? Yes, but they are going to need Brady to play close to vintage Brady and not show that his age is getting to him. The running game and defense can get them to the playoffs, but as far as Super Bowl contenders, the Buccaneers are going to need Brady to be great to get there in 2020. 

Offseason info from nfl.com

Writer

By: Richie Dordas