Baltimore Ravens vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Full Report Card Grades for Tampa Bay
After getting blown out on national television by the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had given fans hope of a bright future with two straight solid performances over the past two weeks.
All of that hope vanished into a cloud of purple smoke this afternoon, as the Baltimore Ravens mounted a record-breaking 38-0 halftime lead before finishing the Bucs off with a 48-17 victory.
That halftime lead was the largest halftime deficit of any home team in NFL history, as Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco tossed a career-high five touchdown passes, four of them in the first quarter. In all, the Ravens racked up 475 total yards on Tampa Bay, sending the Bucs into their bye week with a 1-5 record.
Lovie Smith's Tampa 2 defense needs pressure and takeaways to be successful, so it should come as no surprise that the Bucs failed to register a sack on Flacco. Their only turnover came late in the fourth quarter with the game already well in hand.
The stat sheet betrays the naked eye, showing some fairly decent total numbers for the Bucs, but nearly all of Tampa Bay's offensive success came in the second half after Baltimore had backed off with a healthy lead.
The Bucs continue to struggle on third down on both sides of the ball, allowing the Ravens to convert on seven of their 13 attempts, while only managing two conversions themselves on 12 tries.
Here are my grades for each Bucs unit from Sunday's game.
*All stats courtesy of NFL.com.
Quarterback
1 of 10
It's hard to grade Glennon on his performance considering he seemed to hit the deck after every single pass attempt. Still, if the second-year pro wants to move forward as the Bucs' franchise quarterback, he'll need to overcome constant pressure and get off to better starts than he did today.
His final stat line looks respectable enough—24-of-44, a career-high 314 yards, two touchdowns and an interception—but Glennon struggled mightily for every moment of this game that actually meant something.
His receivers had difficulty creating separation for most of the game, but Glennon's placement was off on multiple throws where he had a chance for a completion.
Glennon didn't play his best football today, which might lead to grumbles about Josh McCown potentially returning as the starter coming out of the bye week. But even though the dogs were called off, Glennon stayed vocal in the huddle and bounced back to have a strong second half after his team got embarrassed in the first 30 minutes.
The numbers might not look worthy of such a low grade, but most of his positive plays were in garbage time.
GRADE: D+
Running Back
2 of 10
Another week, another weak rushing performance from the Bucs.
This game obviously got out of hand quickly, but Tampa Bay's inability to get anything going on the ground helped Baltimore get the ball back early and often thanks to short, ineffective drives.
Doug Martin's stat line might look decent, but 19 of his 45 yards came on one carry, as he continues to struggle in his third NFL season. Former Raven Bobby Rainey had a similar performance, gaining 42 yards on seven carries but getting 21 of those on one play.
The Bucs obviously had to abandon the run pretty early in this game, but aside from two decent runs, their ground attack was largely disappointing yet again.
GRADE: D
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
As was the case for most of the team, Tampa Bay's receivers picked up some nice numbers once the game was out of hand but delivered a fairly lackluster performance while the game was still in the balance.
Both Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans struggled to create separation in the first half, possibly due to the fact that both are fighting injuries. Jackson—who had four catches for 66 yards on the day—nearly had an impressive toe-tapping touchdown catch, but it was ruled an incomplete pass on review. Evans hauled in the second touchdown catch of his rookie season, ending the day with 55 yards on four catches.
Louis Murphy continued his three-game streak of solid play, catching seven passes for 72 yards and a touchdown, though most of his success came in garbage time. Rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins also looks to be recovering well from a foot injury, catching four passes for 58 yards.
Rookie sixth-rounder Robert Herron snagged a pair of passes for 31 yards, while veteran tight end Brandon Myers caught two passes of his own for 29 yards.
This group didn't get much help from the offensive line, and Mike Glennon missed on multiple throws that could have been completed with better placement. Overall, it's still a performance you wouldn't write home about.
GRADE: C-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
This group played as poorly as any for Tampa Bay today, allowing Mike Glennon to get hit on what seemed like every dropback and keeping its offense from sustaining any meaningful drives in the first half.
Glennon was sacked five times and knocked down plenty more, and he wasn't able to settle comfortably into the pocket until Baltimore started pulling back on the reins in the second half.
In the running game, the Bucs' blockers failed to pave the way for more than 100 yards rushing yet again, keeping their backs bottled up for most of the game. The final stats say Tampa Bay averaged just shy of five yards per carry, but 40 of the team's 87 yards rushing came on two plays.
Simply put, this unit kept the Bucs offense from putting together successful possessions early in the game, which kept the defense tired and led to the lopsided halftime deficit.
GRADE: F
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Lovie Smith's Tampa 2 defense is predicated on getting pressure with the front four, so it should be no surprise that the Bucs were shredded by Joe Flacco all game.
The Bucs failed to sack Flacco a single time, helping to allow the former Super Bowl MVP to toss five touchdowns in the first half. They didn't fare much better defending the run, as the Ravens racked up 169 yards on 35 carries, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
Not only did the Bucs defensive line not come away with a sack; it failed to even put any real pressure on Flacco for most of the game, allowing him a clean pocket and the chance to develop a comfortable rhythm with his receivers.
Just like on the offensive side of the ball, the blame on defense for Sunday's lopsided loss falls lands squarely up front with this group.
GRADE: F
Linebacker
6 of 10
Just like most weeks, aside from another strong performance from Lavonte David, the Bucs linebackers failed to make a significant positive impact in the blowout loss.
David racked up 14 total tackles for the second week in a row, with 10 solo stops. His combination of natural athletic ability and superb instincts continue to make him one of the best defenders in the league.
But unfortunately for Bucs fans, David can't play every linebacker spot. Mason Foster returned to his starting spot in the middle after missing multiple games with a shoulder injury, but the Ravens were still able to successfully attack the middle of the field, whether on the ground or through the air.
Danny Lansanah missed some action with an injury, and Dane Fletcher continued to struggle, especially in coverage.
David keeps carrying this unit, which has to improve its play down the middle of the field if the Tampa 2 scheme is to be successful.
GRADE: D
Secondary
7 of 10
This group was missing a pair of starters, but there's simply no excuse for allowing any quarterback to throw five touchdown passes in the first half—four of them in the first quarter.
Crezdon Butler made his first career NFL start, and the Ravens went after him early and often with much success. Major Wright made his second straight start in place of injured safety Dashon Goldson, and he didn't do much to impress.
In all, the Bucs secondary gave up yet another 300-yard passing performance, letting Joe Flacco complete 21 of his 29 passes for 306 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.
Drew Brees racked up plenty of yards against this unit last week, but at least the Bucs defensive backs were able to come away with a couple interceptions. This week, Flacco was able to have his way with this group, and it led to an embarrassing afternoon for the entire team.
GRADE: F
Special Teams
8 of 10
Tampa Bay's special teams unit turned in a fairly unspectacular performance complete with a missed field goal, weak punting and questionable decisions in the return game.
Rookie Patrick Murray bounced his first attempt off the right upright, though he did connect from 47 yards later in the game to give the Bucs their first points of the day.
Michael Koenen continues to disappoint, averaging just 37 yards on his five punts today despite his hefty paycheck. The Bucs would be wise to re-evaluate this position for next season.
Solomon Patton—an undrafted rookie free agent—struggled again this week with his decision-making, bringing out multiple kickoffs from deep in the end zone when he should have simply taken a knee. He continues to look timid as he approaches first contact rather than being confident in choosing his lane and exploding through it.
The punt coverage team held Jacoby Jones to just a seven-yard average on returns, but he was able to rip off a 58-yard kickoff return.
GRADE: D-
Coaching
9 of 10
Lovie Smith was supposed to bring defensive dominance back to Tampa Bay. So far, that unit has done anything but dominate, allowing opposing offenses to carve it up at will.
Pressure and takeaways are key in Smith's Tampa 2 scheme, but the Bucs didn't get to Joe Flacco a single time, and their only takeaway came late in the fourth quarter with the game already put away.
On offense, the play-calling still seems a bit stale, with quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo doing his best after being thrown into the job in place of Jeff Tedford, who hasn't been with the team due to health reasons.
Smith keeps preaching patience, but Tampa Bay fans are already tiring of his defensive scheme penchant for wanting a conservative personality for his offense. Today's performance won't to anything to help his cause.
The only thing keeping this grade from being an "F" is the fact that the Bucs cleaned up their penalties a bit, only committing five offenses for 43 yards.
GRADE: D-
Final Grades
10 of 10
After showing some life over the past two weeks, Bucs fans were subjected to yet another humiliating performance, this time in their home stadium.
Many of those fans didn't return for the second half after watching their team go down 38-0, and it's hard to blame them. The only reason they started moving the ball on offense and getting an occasional stop on defense is because the Ravens called off the dogs in the second half.
The receivers couldn't separate, the offensive line couldn't keep its quarterback off the ground and Joe Flacco looked like he was playing catch in his backyard all day.
Though there was a glimmer of hope for the Bucs heading into this game, their performance showed how long they still have to go before they're relevant in the NFL's big picture.
GRADE: D-
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