Minnesota Vikings vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Full Report-Card Grades for Tampa Bay
A disappointing 2014 season continues for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as a walk-off scoop-and-score by rookie linebacker Anthony Barr gave the Minnesota Vikings a 19-13 overtime victory.
After struggling to move the ball—and failing to score—for three quarters, the Bucs scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to take 13-10 lead with two minutes remaining in the game. But rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater led the Vikings down the field for the game-tying field goal, sending it to overtime, where Minnesota's defense game up with the big play to steal the road win.
For the second straight game, the Bucs offense managed to convert just one of their 12 third-down attempts, totaling just 225 yards of offense on the day. Mike Glennon was sacked five times and had multiple drops from his receivers, finishing the game with just 171 passing yards.
Tampa Bay rushed for just 66 yards on the game and continued to be plagued by costly penalties. In all, the Bucs were flagged eight times for 52 yards, and the home team was bailed on out multiple occasions by Minnesota penalties.
Tampa Bay's league-worst defense bent but didn't break for most of the afternoon, as is the modus operandi of their Tampa 2 scheme. But penalties were also an issue on that side of the ball, and the unit couldn't keep the Vikings out of field-goal range on the final drive of regulation, with cornerback Johnthan Banks dropping what would have been a game-sealing interception.
It was yet another week of missed opportunities on both sides of the ball for Tampa Bay, as the team failed to capitalize on an advantageous situation heading into this week's game—coming off a bye week, facing a struggling team with a rookie quarterback, with the rest of the teams in the NFC South struggling.
The win gives the Vikings a 3-5 record, while the Bucs fall to 1-6 on the year.
*All stats courtesy of NFL.com
Quarterback
1 of 10
Another week, another game without much help for Mike Glennon.
The second-year signal-caller was roughed up for most of the afternoon, getting sacked five times and knocked down plenty more. A few disappointing drops from his receiving corps didn't help his cause, either.
That said, Glennon made his own mistakes, as well. On the game's first possession, Glennon underthrew Mike Evans by a long shot and was intercepted for the fourth time this season. The North Carolina State product seemed to let the pressure get to him on multiple throws, failing to set his feet because of oncoming pass-rushers.
In the plus column, Glennon did rally the troops for three straight scoring drives in the fourth quarter, and it looked like he'd earned yet another fourth-quarter comeback win.
With Josh McCown on the mend, this was an important game for Glennon to establish himself as the starter moving forward. Unfortunately, he didn't do enough to keep the "quarterback controversy" chatter at bay this week.
GRADE: C-
Running Back
2 of 10
Lovie Smith may want the Bucs to be known as a running team, but the only thing the ground game has done with any consistency this season is struggle.
Already one of the weakest running teams in the league, Tampa Bay failed to hit even their meager average of 89 yards per game, managing just 66 yards on the ground against the Vikings.
Already the subject of pregame trade rumors, Doug Martin rushed for just 27 yards on his 10 carries, while backup Bobby Rainey added 25 yards on eight carries. Quarterback Mike Glennon led the team in yards per carry, which should tell you all you need to know about the team's rushing attack.
Rainey contributed more in the passing game, hauling in six passes for 41 yards. Martin caught two passes of his own but didn't gain positive yardage.
It's hard to fault the backs too much, considering the struggles of the offensive line. Still, a good running game needs its runners to make plays where there aren't any to be made, and that didn't happen.
GRADE: D+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Tampa Bay's pass-catchers didn't get much of a chance to shine, and they didn't do much with the opportunities they were given.
Rookie Mike Evans was the team's leading target once again, catching four passes for 78 yards and giving the Bucs their biggest play of the game on a 40-yard reception. Fellow rookie Austin Seferian-Jenkins snagged three passes for 26 yards—including the go-ahead touchdown—but had the costly fumble that lost the game in overtime.
Another popular name in the trade-rumor mill this week, Vincent Jackson didn't catch his only pass of the game until late in the fourth quarter.
Overall, an underwhelming performance from Tampa Bay's receivers in yet another losing effort. The play-calling doesn't seem to be playing to their strengths, but this bunch needs to be more opportunistic.
GRADE: D+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
This is where all of Tampa Bay's offensive issues continue to stem from.
For yet another week, the Bucs failed to control the line of scrimmage in the run game and couldn't keep their quarterback off his back.
The Bucs managed just 66 yards on the ground, while the offensive line allowed Mike Glennon to be sacked five times and pressured far too often. Penalties continue to be a huge issue for this group as well, as left tackle Anthony Collins and reserve guard Garrett Gilkey each had costly fouls this week.
Tampa Bay continues to get beat up front, and the entire offense is suffering for it on a weekly basis. Too much money was spent overhauling this unit in the offseason for their play to still be this poor at this point in the season.
GRADE: F
Defensive Line
5 of 10
For the third time this season, the Bucs failed to take advantage of a seemingly advantageous quarterback situation, this time allowing a struggling rookie to beat them.
Tampa Bay's pass-rush got close to Teddy Bridgewater on many occasions, but it just wasn't enough. Gerald McCoy backed up his hefty contract extension with his third sack of the year, but it was the only one the Bucs could muster all day. Bridgewater got rid of the ball quickly for most of the afternoon, rendering Tampa Bay's efforts obsolete.
Big-money free agent Michael Johnson continues to disappoint, as he was handled all game by Matt Kalil, who has struggled for much of the season. William Gholston made a couple of key plays, using his massive wingspan to knock down multiple passes.
This unit did a decent job controlling the line of scrimmage against the run, but they still allowed rookie Jerick McKinnon to rush for 83 yards on just 16 carries.
The phrase that keeps coming to mind with this group? Almost doesn't count.
GRADE: D+
Linebacker
6 of 10
Despite being one of the worst defenses in the league, the Bucs have arguably the best linebacker in the NFL in Lavonte David.
The former second-round pick continues to be one of the few bright spots in Tampa Bay's season, leading the team with 14 tackles. David spent the entire afternoon flying around the field, and it felt like he was in on every single stop.
The rest of the unit didn't give much to write home about this week, though reserve Danny Lansanah had an up-and-down performance. The training-camp standout had a rough two-play stretch when he was called for holding and missed a tackle on the following snap, but he responded with a strong effort the rest of the game.
Tampa Bay fans didn't hear the middle linebacker's name called much, and that's a good thing. Mason Foster has returned to his starting role in the middle, sending the struggling Dane Fletcher back to playing sparingly on the strong side or as a reserve in the middle.
Yet again, David lifts the grade of this unit all by himself.
GRADE: B
Secondary
7 of 10
This wasn't a terrible performance by Tampa Bay's defensive backfield, but missed opportunities by this group led directly to yet another loss.
The Bucs secondary kept the big plays to a minimum, allowing the team to stay in the game for 60 minutes and beyond. Still, they allowed a struggling rookie in Teddy Bridgewater to throw for 241 yards and a touchdown, while going yet another game without forcing a turnover.
Not only did they not create any takeaways, but this group dropped at least two sure interceptions, including one that would have sealed a victory. Alterraun Verner misplayed an easy pick by letting Charles Johnson come back and nearly catch a poorly underthrown deep ball, while Johnthan Banks made a perfect break on a play during the final drive of regulation, but he just couldn't haul it in.
Once again, a lackluster pass rush definitely didn't help this group, but they kept things in front of them for most of the game. Still, this defense simply has to have takeaways to be successful, and they're simply not creating any.
GRADE: D+
Special Teams
8 of 10
This was a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance from the special teams.
In the kicking game, rookie Patrick Murray had a strong showing, connecting from 54 and 45 yards to get the Bucs on the scoreboard and put them in position to take the lead late in the game. When it came time to punt, Michael Koenen overcame an early 29-yard effort by responding with multiple 50-yarders, including one that pinned Minnesota inside their own 5-yard line.
Newly acquired return man Trindon Holliday had an impressive 17-yard punt return, but he made poor decisions in the kick-return game that cost the Bucs precious yardage on multiple occasions. Holliday's decision to bring kicks out from deep in his own end zone put the Bucs in poor field position on more than one occasion.
The coverage teams did their job, keeping the explosive Cordarrelle Patterson contained on kickoffs and holding the Vikings to just a six-yard average on four punt returns.
The return game needs to improve, but this game was a big step forward for both Murray and Koenen.
GRADE: C+
Coaching
9 of 10
This week didn't feature any clock-management gaffes from the Bucs coaching staff, but penalties and questionable play-calling continue to be a concern.
It's hard to blame quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo for not being the most creative play-caller in the world, since he's calling an offense he didn't design. Still, it's tough for Bucs fans to continue to watch this offense and think what it would look like if Jeff Tedford weren't on a leave of absence to tend to his health.
Despite having a bye week to focus on fundamentals, the Bucs committed another eight penalties in this game. If Lovie Smith is stressing penalties in practice, the players don't seem to be responding.
GRADE: C-
Final Grades
10 of 10
The Bucs found a new way to lose this week, failing to take advantage of a favorable matchup with every reason to come away with a victory.
This team has plenty of talent on paper, but it's just not translating to the win column. The coaching staff will keep preaching patience to the fans and media, but losing a game like this—and not scoring on a 2-5 team until the fourth quarter—isn't going to sit well in Tampa much longer.
Tampa Bay continues to win and lose games up front—they can't get after the quarterback and they can't protect their own. Their defense is built on takeaways, and they're not getting any. They want to be known as a running team, but they can't control the line of scrimmage.
This was arguably the most "winnable" game left on the Bucs' schedule, and they couldn't get it done. The entire NFC South is struggling, but the Bucs can't seem to take advantage. A long season just got a lot longer for Tampa Bay fans.
GRADE: D+
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