Grading Tampa Bay Buccaneers Following Their Loss to Carolina Panthers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were reminded how bad they have been this season after the Carolina Panthers routed them 27-6 on Sunday. Though it looked as though the Bucs were going to be competitive early on, a Mike Glennon fumble led to a downward spiral from which the Bucs could not recover.
There is more than enough blame to go around Tampa's locker room. Quarterback Mike Glennon had his worst game as a pro, the run game again struggled to produce and the defense could not contain the Panthers' pass offense, led by QB Cam Newton.
At 3-9, the Buccaneers are all but eliminated from playoff contention. While they were essentially eliminated weeks ago, this loss stings as it ends a three-game winning streak that might have saved Bucs head coach Greg Schiano's job.
Here are the grades earned by the Buccaneers in their loss on Sunday.
Quarterback
1 of 9
Mike Glennon: D
Rookie QB Mike Glennon played his worst game against Carolina, going 14-for-21 with 180 yards, one interception and a fumble.
Looking very much like a rookie, Glennon was completely out of sorts. No one touched him on his red-zone fumble in the second quarter. The ball simply jumped out of his hands. After the fumble, the Bucs just could not recover.
Glennon threw a rare interception, but it was pretty ugly. Throwing into triple coverage after spending a near-eternity holding the ball, Glennon tried to get a jump ball to wide receiver Vincent Jackson. The pass was well short of Jackson and landed in safety Mike Mitchell's hands.
It was bound to happen. Glennon is a rookie, and it was only a matter of time before a top defense exploited his weaknesses. As many deep balls as Glennon has put in the hands of his receivers, those deep throws don't have much zip on them and require the receiver to adjust in space.
Glennon also missed a fair number of his open receivers for potential big gains. He was also responsible for a few of his sacks as he held onto the ball for way too long when a violent Carolina pass rush was blowing up the Bucs' offensive line.
As bad a game as Glennon played, there is no need for panic. The Panthers have one of the best defenses in the league this year. It needs to be reiterated that Glennon is only a rookie. He needs games like this now to grow into a better quarterback.
Running Back
2 of 9
Bobby Rainey: B-
For a second week in a row, running back Bobby Rainey got very little room to run from his offensive line. He often got stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage.
When the Bucs' offensive line was able to get some push up front, however, Rainey showed impressive vision and patience. Rainey slipped by Carolina defenders in tight windows and maximized the blocking by his linemen and fullback Erik Lorig.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
3 of 9
Vincent Jackson: C+
Jackson caught three passes for 75 yards in what has become a routine for him. Once again, Jackson was the top deep threat for the Bucs' offense, but once again he was held out of the end zone.
Tiquan Underwood: C
WR Tiquan Underwood could not repeat his breakout performance from last week, as he caught only three passes for 51 yards. Underwood has filled in adequately for injured WR Mike Williams.
Tim Wright: C
Tight end Tim Wright remained one of QB Mike Glennon's favorite targets but nabbed only two passes for 17 yards. It was an off day for the entire receiving corps, thanks in large part to Glennon's poor play.
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Offensive Line
4 of 9
Donald Penn: D
Tackle Donald Penn had one of his worst games of the season. He allowed sacks by Carolina defensive end Greg Hardy and linebacker A.J. Klein. He also wasn't much of a factor in run blocking.
Jamon Meredith: D
So much for being the X factor on this offensive line. Guard Jamon Meredith was pushed around all day by Carolina defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. He may be revealing why it took the Bucs coaching staff so long to insert him in the starting lineup.
Jeremy Zuttah: C
Zuttah is about as guilty for the line's poor performance as anyone, but he was by far the best lineman against the Panthers. He worked Carolina DT Kawann Short for some of RB Bobby Rainey's better runs.
Davin Joseph: D
The Buccaneers will have a difficult decision to make with G Davin Joseph at the end of the season. As he demonstrated not only against Carolina but all season, Joseph clearly is not the player he once was. Leadership is his greatest contribution, but no team pays $6 million a year for just leadership.
Demar Dotson: C
T Demar Dotson struggled along with everyone else on Sunday, though he looked generally solid on pass protection. He might be the most consistent lineman the Buccaneers have right now.
Defensive Line
5 of 9
Adrian Clayborn: C+
DE Adrian Clayborn was again held without a sack and was unable to apply much pressure to Cam Newton; however, he was a factor in the run game, assisting on a tackle for a loss and generally containing Carolina RB Jonathan Stewart.
Gerald McCoy: B
Gerald McCoy did not appear on the stat sheet, but the entire defense revolved around him. McCoy's presence up front kept the Carolina run game in check, aside from Cam Newton's big 56-yard run.
Akeem Spence: B
Spence was also instrumental in the Bucs' run defense. He owned the other half of Adrian Clayborn's TFL and laid a sick hit on Kenjon Barner on a Danny Gorrer tackle. Spence has proven to be a good addition to the Bucs defense this year.
Linebackers
6 of 9
Lavonte David: A
Buy this man a ticket to Hawaii. Another game, another big play. David intercepted Cam Newton late in the third quarter, keeping the Bucs alive for at least a little while longer. He is the first Buccaneer to record five sacks and three interceptions in a season, according to Buccaneers.com. David also added another nine total tackles.
Mason Foster: C+
LB Mason Foster had a decent game, notching nine tackles. Although he made several tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage, he was too often chasing Carolina players downfield.
Jonathan Casillas: B
Casillas was solid against the Panthers. He was credited with six stops, most of which came near the line of scrimmage. He set the edge pretty well and for the most part contained runners coming his way.
Cornerbacks
7 of 9
That was a game Darrelle Revis would sooner forget about. He allowed Carolina WR Ted Ginn Jr. to double-move his way off Revis Island for a 36-yard touchdown. Such a mental mistake is rare for Revis and it cost the Bucs six points.
Revis also dropped an interception on a play where he suffered an apparent shoulder injury. His recent run of maladies begs the question whether his knee surgery and rehab left the rest of his body unprepared to play a full season.
Leonard Johnson: C
Like most of the defense, Johnson was less than spectacular against Carolina. Coverage was soft and the Bucs played far too much zone. The screen plays and underneath throws were ripe for the picking by Cam Newton and the Carolina receiving corps.
Johnthan Banks: C
While CB Johnthan Banks was not blown up on any particular play, he failed to make any plays like he did last week against the Detroit Lions. Like QB Mike Glennon, Banks is just a rookie and often plays like it.
Safeties
8 of 9
Mark Barron: B
S Mark Barron led the Buccaneers defense with 10 total tackles. He has all but eclipsed fellow Buc S Dashon Goldson as the team's premiere safety. His coverage skills still need work, but he is a force to be reckoned with in the run game.
Dashon Goldson: C
Returning from a one-game suspension, S Dashon Goldson was quiet against Carolina. He made five tackles but made no real impact on the game. He was late coming over to help CB Darrelle Revis on Ginn's TD reception and was nowhere near WR Brandon LaFell on his TD catch.
Keith Tandy: B+
Tandy has turned into a real playmaker, notching an interception for a second consecutive week. While the pick came on a tipped pass, Tandy's knack for being in the right place at the right time complements his playmaking ability.
Special Teams
9 of 9
Rian Lindell: C+
When was the last time kicker Rian Lindell DIDN'T miss a field goal? Yes, he made 27- and 53-yard kicks, but he missed on a third kick of 48 yards.
His inconsistency is maddening. This team can't get injured Bucs K Conner Barth back soon enough.
Michael Koenen: B-
Punter Michael Koenen boomed most of his punts, but he also laid a real egg with a 36-yard punt from the Bucs own 19-yard line. He was also called for a delay-of-game penalty.
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