Buccaneers vs. Redskins: Full Report Card Grades for Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got back in the win column for just the second time this season, dominating the Washington Redskins on both sides on the ball on their way to a 27-7 road victory.
Rookie receiver Mike Evans was the unquestioned star of the day, hauling in seven passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Three of Evans' seven catches went for 30 yards or more, and despite Washington having two taller corners, Evans had his way with the opposing secondary for most of the afternoon.
Josh McCown threw for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns again this week but without the two interceptions that killed last week's comeback bid.
While Evans helped the Bucs pull away in the second half, Tampa Bay's defense set the tone early and made plenty of plays throughout the game. The Bucs sacked Robert Griffin III six times and forced three turnovers, including a pick-six from Johnthan Banks that put Tampa Bay up 10-0 early.
Washington looked like it would make it a game just before halftime, scoring on a 30-yard screen pass from Griffin to Roy Helu Jr. and cutting the Bucs' lead to 13-7 with just 11 seconds remaining in the second quarter. But the home team wouldn't touch the scoreboard again, as two missed field goals by Kai Forbath were as close as Washington would come to putting any more points on the board.
Despite rushing for just 46 yards and converting only three of their 10 third-down attempts, the Bucs outgained Washington 329-322 yards on offense, moving to 2-8 on the season.
Even with such a poor record, the Bucs remain just three games out of first place in the NFC South, a division that has toiled for most of the season with no team taking control of the standings.
Quarterback
1 of 10
This was the Josh McCown that Bucs fans envisioned when he was signed this offseason: He played mistake-free football and took advantage of mismatches from his big receivers.
McCown completed 15 of his 23 passes for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He found rookie Mike Evans on nearly half of those completions, for most of those yards and on both scoring strikes.
McCown didn't turn the ball over and played smart football all afternoon long. Even in the absence of a reliable ground game, he overcame a sluggish opening quarter to help power the Bucs to their second win of the year.
Grade: B+
Running Back
2 of 10
Another week, another lackluster performance from Tampa Bay's backfield.
Rookie Charles Sims got the lion's share of the touches in just his second NFL regular-season game, and while he flashed his skills on a couple of decent runs, there wasn't much to write home about. The third-rounder gained just 44 yards on 16 touches.
Bobby Rainey technically got the start but only managed four yards on his five carries.
As usual, this weak performance wasn't all on the running backs, as the Bucs offensive line continued to struggle to open running lanes. But good backs make plays when there's none to be made, and there wasn't much of that from Tampa Bay's runners this week.
Grade: D
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
This unit's grade is pretty much a one-man show, but it's enough to earn high marks.
Mike Evans continues to prove he was well worth the seventh overall pick in this year's draft, and this was his most emphatic statement yet. The Texas A&M product hauled in seven passes for 209 yards and a pair of deep touchdowns.
Vincent Jackson—who has already passed the torch of No. 1 receiver to Evans—caught three passes for 43 yards, while tight ends Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Brandon Myers each had one reception for seven and 21 yards, respectively.
Evans came just a few yards short of Jackson's single-game franchise record, but he outgained Washington's passing offense all by himself and helped the Bucs run away with this game in the second half.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Tampa Bay had another Jekyll-and-Hyde performance up front this week, struggling in the run game but getting the job done in pass protection for most of the afternoon.
The running backs had very little running room all day, averaging just over two yards per carry for the game. When it came to the passing offense, however, this group gave Josh McCown time to make some big plays down the field, allowing just two sacks to a strong pass-rushing team in Washington.
The biggest issue with this unit continued to be penalties. Holding, false start and illegal use of hands infractions cost the Bucs yardage and killed drives, just like it has all season.
The clean pocket for McCown is a good start, but the offensive line still has plenty of work to do.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Sunday's win was a banner day for Tampa Bay's front four, as the group made the plays necessary to control the game and force Robert Griffin III out of his comfort zone.
The Bucs racked up six sacks on the day, with waiver-wire pickup Jacquies Smith leading the way with a pair. Gerald McCoy added 1.5 of his own, keeping him in the team lead with 6.5 on the season. Michael Johnson and Clinton McDonald each had one of their own, while T.J. Fatinikun shared one with McCoy.
Tampa Bay's pass rush also led to two interceptions, showing the potential of the Tampa 2 when it's firing on all cylinders.
Tackling continues to be an issue when defending the run, as Alfred Morris nearly topped 100 yards on the ground for Washington. And while Griffin was contained for most of the game as a passer, he converted multiple third downs by escaping Tampa Bay rushers.
This was the best performance of the year so far for this unit. Hopefully, the team can build some momentum as it heads to Chicago next week.
Grade: A
Linebacker
6 of 10
The big plays are starting to come from this unit, but the tackling has to follow.
Tampa Bay's linebackers had a hand in both interceptions logged by the team this afternoon. Danny Lansanah snatched a tipped ball on the first play from scrimmage, and Mason Foster tipped another into the waiting arms of cornerback Johnthan Banks.
But while the coverage was impressive, this group is still missing far too many tackles on running backs, whether in the run game or when they catch passes out of the backfield. Alfred Morris and Roy Helu Jr. both had big plays that could have been avoided with sure tackling from Tampa Bay's linebackers.
As is customary, Lavonte David led the team with 12 tackles, but no other Bucs linebacker registered more than five.
Grade: C+
Secondary
7 of 10
Without starting corner Alterraun Verner, this group was supposed to get carved up all day long by Robert Griffin III. A pair of overthrown, would-be touchdowns sure helped, but Tampa Bay's secondary kept the Washington passing game in check all day long.
Johnthan Banks provided the biggest play of the day for the defense, snatching a pass tipped by linebacker Mason Foster and taking it back all the way for a score. Leonard Johnson got his hands on one of Tampa Bay's other turnovers, scooping up a fumble forced by defensive end Jacquies Smith.
Griffin threw for only 207 yards on the day, looking uncomfortable for most of the afternoon thanks to a furious Tampa Bay pass rush. The defensive backs took full advantage, and with the help of those overthrows, they kept the big plays to a minimum.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Rookie Patrick Murray continued to get the job done in the kicking game, connecting on both of his field-goal attempts and all three extra points on Sunday.
Michael Koenen got plenty of flak for his weak average last week but responded with a strong performance this week, averaging just shy of 40 yards per punt and pinning Washington inside its own 5-yard line twice.
Marcus Thigpen had an impressive 53-yard punt return last week but took a step backward by fumbling a punt and handing Washington its best field position of the day, deep in Tampa Bay territory.
Tampa Bay's coverage units had a solid day, preventing any long returns and making some hard-hitting stops on Washington's return specialists.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
Tampa Bay's offensive success was more about Mike Evans dominating than it was about superb play-calling, but at least it didn't seem to hold the Bucs back as much as we've seen in recent weeks.
The penalties were still there, and they're still coming at the most inopportune times, negating positive gains on offense and keeping opposing drives alive. In all, Tampa Bay was penalized 11 times for 101 yards on Sunday, which is a direct reflection of a lack of discipline.
All that aside, there's something to be said for rallying the troops of a 1-8 team to a 20-point road victory, even if it's against a bad team. Lovie Smith's defense got the pressure and takeaways he's been preaching since Day 1, and his team came away victorious.
Grade: C
Final Grade
10 of 10
This was as complete a game as the Bucs have played all year. Except for their continued struggles on the ground, Tampa Bay executed in all facets of the game, limited their mistakes and took advantage of the ones they forced upon their opponent.
The sacks and takeaways were there on defense, while the big plays were there on offense. The Bucs held onto a fourth quarter lead for the first time this year, earning their second win of the season and receiving a much-need boost to the team's overall morale.
I'd like to see the Bucs do this against a better team, but you can only play the team in front of you. Last week, the Bucs lost to a bad team. This week, they played another bad team and won handily. That's the kind of progress that Tampa Bay fans need to see every week.
Grade: B
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