St. Louis Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Full Report Card Grades for Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found a new way to lose this week, falling to the St. Louis Rams 19-17 on a controversial ruling. The Bucs fall to 0-2 on the season and are staring at a short week before traveling to Atlanta to face the Falcons on Thursday night.
For the second straight week, the Bucs were beaten at home by a team that didn't have their starting quarterback, as St. Louis third-stringer Austin Davis seemed to have just as easy a time against the Tampa Bay defense as Carolina's Derek Anderson did last week.
The Bucs started off strong with a touchdown on their first possession, but questionable play-calling, an inability to take advantage of red-zone opportunities and problems on special teams led to Tampa Bay's second loss in as many tries this season.
Both of Tampa Bay's touchdowns came on Josh McCown scrambles, but the veteran also threw a costly interception inside the Rams' 5-yard line, costing the Bucs a chance at valuable points. The Bucs also had both a field goal and a punt blocked, which were immediately turned into points by the Rams on both occasions.
The Bucs' struggling offensive line was much improved, especially considering the quality of the Rams' front four. But across the ball, injuries ravaged Tampa Bay's defense, especially along the line that was already missing starters Michael Johnson and Adrian Clayborn before losing Gerald McCoy to a broken hand.
The Bucs looked like they would have a chance for a game-winning field-goal attempt, but Mike Evans was drilled after making a stellar 33-yard reception and was injured on the play. The Bucs had no timeouts, and the game ended on a 10-second runoff.
Here are my grades for each Tampa Bay unit based on Sunday's performance.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Josh McCown didn't make the catastrophic mistakes he did last week, but his performance against the Rams proved that fans need to temper their expectations for his ceiling.
The box score will tell you that McCown was fairly efficient, as the veteran completed 16 of his 21 passes, but they only went for 179 yards, no touchdowns and a costly interception inside the red zone. After that pick, the Bucs didn't throw another pass inside the 20-yard line, showing they didn't trust McCown to get the job done when it mattered most.
McCown did score both of Tampa Bay's touchdowns on scrambles, showing he can make plays with his legs when necessary, but that's a silver lining on an otherwise growing cloud of questionable capability at the league's most important position.
Grade: C-
Running Back
2 of 10
The Bucs were without starter Doug Martin thanks to a knee injury, but he might be just the slightest bit worried after watching the numbers backup Bobby Rainey put up Sunday.
Martin managed just nine yards on as many carries against Carolina last week, and despite week-long talk of the Rams' superior defensive line working against the Bucs' weak offensive line, Rainey racked up 144 yards on 22 carries and added 30 yards on three receptions.
Mike James was used as relief but gained just seven yards on six carries.
In Martin's defense, Tampa Bay's offensive line seemed to be much more effective at opening holes this week, but Rainey definitely took full advantage. This was another disappointing loss, but Rainey was easily one of the brighter spots for the Bucs.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Another week, another fairly decent effort by this unit. The only thing holding this group back was the conservative play-calling that refused to take advantage of their size mismatches on the outside when given the chance in the red zone.
Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans combined to catch eight passes for 100 yards, while Brandon Myers and rookie Robert Herron each caught two passes for 33 and 13 yards, respectively.
Jackson made an incredible leaping grab that went for 20 yards yet was only targeted in the red zone once. Evans caught a 33-yard rocket from Josh McCown that should have set the Bucs up to attempt a game-winning field goal, but the rookie took a nasty hit on the play and was injured, resulting in a 10-second runoff that ended the game.
Tampa Bay's receivers played a solid game, but they weren't given the opportunity to shine like they should have. If the Bucs can't trust McCown to take advantage of his weapons, it's going to be a long season for Bucs fans.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
This group showed the most improvement from last week's performance, turning in an admirable performance in a matchup it was supposed to lose before the game even started.
Despite facing one of the better defensive fronts in the NFL—even without the injured Chris Long—Tampa Bay's offensive line showed marked improvement in both run blocking and pass protection.
The Bucs racked up 157 yards rushing despite missing starting tailback Doug Martin, while quarterback Josh McCown was sacked just once all game. Bobby Rainey found plenty of holes to run through, to the tune of 144 yards on 22 carries, and McCown looked to have a much cleaner pocket than he enjoyed last week.
Tampa Bay won't face many defensive lines better than the one they faced Sunday, so this performance should be one of the more encouraging takeaways for fans.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
This group was already ravaged by injury heading into this game, and it only got worse once the pads started popping. Already missing both of their starting ends—Adrian Clayborn for the rest of the season—the Bucs were dealt another blow when Gerald McCoy left the game with a broken hand.
That left William Gholston, Da'Quan Bowers, Scott Solomon, Larry English and Akeem Spence joining Clinton McDonald for most of the game, and the Bucs' lack of quality depth along the defensive front was shown. Third-string St. Louis quarterback Austin Davis was given a fairly clean pocket for most of the afternoon, completing 22 of his 29 passes for 235 yards.
The Rams also gained 119 yards on the ground, averaging over four yards per carry.
After notching just one sack last week, the Bucs managed a pair this week, but it just wasn't enough against such a favorable matchup with an inexperienced quarterback.
Injuries are a part of life in the NFL, and Sunday reinforced what Bucs fans saw clearly in the preseason: They simply don't have the depth to survive.
Grade: D+
Linebacker
6 of 10
A unit that was supposed to provide splash plays in the Tampa 2 defense, the Bucs linebackers were pretty much a non-factor in this week's loss.
Normally making plays all over the field, Lavonte David made just five solo stops and a pair of assists on the game, going long stretches without hearing his name called. Mason Foster made a couple of solo stops before leaving the game with an arm injury.
Dane Fletcher filled in admirably for Foster, getting pressure on Rams QB Austin Davis on a couple of occasions.
In the Tampa 2, the linebackers have to make plays, simple as that. There were no takeaways or huge plays in coverage from this group, and only a couple of notable stops behind the line of scrimmage. Against an offense run by a third-string quarterback, the entire defense—including the linebackers—should have made more plays when they needed to be made.
Grade: D+
Secondary
7 of 10
The only unit that kept all of its starters healthy for the entire game, Tampa Bay's defensive backs failed to take advantage of a dream scenario for the second week in a row, getting carved up by a team that didn't have its starting quarterback under center.
The Rams converted five of their 11 third-down attempts, as quarterback Austin Davis picked the Bucs secondary apart, completing 22 of his 29 passes for 235 yards.
The only takeaway the Bucs registered this week was thanks to a fluke leg whip from defensive end Scott Solomon, which sent the ball flying out of Zac Stacy's arms into the path of Dashon Goldson. One could point to Goldson's 11 total tackles as a bright spot, but those tackles came as a result of the Bucs allowing too many easy completions to a third-string quarterback.
Much like with the linebackers, the secondary had to make some plays when it counted most Sunday, and it simply didn't happen for the Bucs. If Tampa Bay can't take advantage of two straight home games against backup quarterbacks, it's hard to see it faring well against the likes of Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees over the next few weeks.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
Tampa Bay's special teams unit made some costly gaffes in this game, playing a huge role in handing it yet another loss.
The Bucs allowed two blocked kicks, including what should have been a chip-shot, go-ahead field goal. Between that mistake and a blocked punt, the Bucs cost themselves three points and gave six to the Rams, as those plays led directly to a pair of field goals for St. Louis.
Rookie Solomon Patton also cost the Bucs at times in this game, making a couple of poor decisions to run out kickoffs that were better left as touchbacks. One such instance came just before the half, when Patton used up six valuable seconds and only got the ball out to the 20-yard line.
The coverage teams played well enough, with the kickoff team making a couple of notable stops deep in St. Louis territory.
Tampa Bay's conservative play-calling counted on their special teams to come through, and it simply didn't happen.
Grade: D+
Coaching
9 of 10
The coaching staff was most responsible for the Bucs' loss this week. Questionable play-calling and poor clock management cost the Bucs on multiple occasions and ultimately led to their second straight home loss.
Whether it was offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford or quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo calling the plays, the Bucs' conservative approach—especially in the red zone—was a huge part of their undoing in this game. Tampa Bay's brass boasted all offseason about their offensive weapons and the size advantage they had in the passing game, but they acted like Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans didn't exist once they got inside the 20-yard-line.
Tampa Bay left plenty of points on the field in different ways, but one of the more quizzical situations came near the end of the half. Instead of calling one of their three timeouts prior to a St. Louis field-goal attempt on fourth down, Lovie Smith let the clock run down inside of a minute, wasting 40 seconds that could have been used on the ensuing drive.
This was a disappointing effort from the Bucs' new coaching staff, and one that's left a bad taste in the mouths of fans who were promised plenty this offseason, very little of which was delivered this week.
Grade: D
Final Grades
10 of 10
The strange ruling on the final play was a fitting way for this game to end for the Buccaneers. This was a game full of questionable coaching decisions, missed opportunities and yet another week of expectations that simply weren't met.
There were a few improvements for Bucs fans to draw some encouragement from—namely the offensive line—but this team still has plenty of work to do before it can be competitive on a weekly basis.
Injuries on defense continued to pile up, and that definitely didn't help their cause, but it shouldn't have mattered that much against a third-string quarterback who didn't have many playmakers at his disposal. Instead, the Bucs are 0-2 and face a short week before heading to Atlanta to face Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White.
It's going to be hard to convince Bucs fans that this isn't going to be the same team they watched for years toil under the offensive ineptitude that plagued the team under Tony Dungy. Those fans want to believe that Lovie Smith has learned from his past offensive ineffectiveness, but so far, he's put little evidence on the field to prove it.
Grade: D+
*All stats courtesy of NFL.com
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