Buccaneers vs. Vikings: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Tampa Bay
The Jameis Winston era finally got underway Saturday night with plenty of highs and lows, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Minnesota Vikings 26-16 at TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
Winston completed nine of this 19 pass attempts for 131 yards and an interception, adding an eight-yard touchdown on the ground. The rookie quarterback and top overall draft pick overcame a rocky start to deliver some quality throws and command an effective two-minute offense near the end of the first half, leading to his rushing score.
The Vikings offense took advantage of a Tampa Bay defense that is still trying to get comfortable in the Tampa 2 scheme, as their quarterbacks combined to complete 27 of their 33 passes for 293 yards, two touchdowns—both thrown by backup Shaun Hill—and no interceptions.
Minnesota got out to an early 9-0 lead thanks to a 46-yard Blair Walsh field goal and a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Zach Line, followed by a failed two-point conversion attempt.
A 32-yard field goal from Patrick Murray got Tampa Bay on the board, but the Vikings would respond with a pair of scoring drives—both ending in Hill touchdown passes—to grab a 23-3 lead late in the first half.
But Winston would put together an impressive two-minute drill, driving the Bucs down within striking distance and finishing it off himself with a third-down touchdown scramble. The Bucs would miss their two-point attempt, giving Minnesota a 23-9 lead at the half.
The rest of the scoring came in the third quarter, with Walsh stretching the Minnesota lead to 26-9 with a 42-yard field goal, followed by a three-yard scoring run from Tampa Bay's Mike James to cut the lead to 26-16.
The Vikings outgained Tampa Bay on offense 388 yards to 318, but the Bucs held the home team to just two conversions on 10 third-down attempts while converting six of their 16 tries. Despite Winston's interception, the Bucs won the turnover battle thanks to three forced and recovered fumbles from their reserve units.
The worst loss for the Bucs didn't come on the scoreboard, but just before the half when starting right tackle Demar Dotson went down with a left knee injury, the severity of which should be confirmed following an MRI Sunday.
Position Grades for Bucs
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | C |
| RB | C+ |
| WR | C |
| TE | C |
| OL | D |
| DL | D |
| LB | C+ |
| DB | D |
| Special Teams | D |
| Coaching | C |
The Bucs picked up right where they left off last season, but unfortunately, that's not a good thing.
The same things that plagued Tampa Bay throughout the 2014 season—penalties, bad snaps, poor special teams coverage, missed assignments in coverage, a weak pass rush—were still big issues in the team's first preseason action of 2015.
Top overall draft pick Jameis Winston showed flashes of brilliance, including an eight-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He struggled on the team's first few possessions but seemed to settle down as the game moved on, making a few impressive throws sandwiched around an interception.
The offensive line looked much like the same group that played poorly in 2014, allowing three sacks and paving the way for a running game that averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. Throw in poor snaps and costly penalties, and you have a unit that still has a long way to go.
When given an opportunity, the receiving corps made some solid plays, including Vincent Jackson's leaping 40-yard grab on Winston' first completion in an NFL game.
Tampa Bay managed just one sack all night, that coming from newly acquired defensive tackle Henry Melton. But though the pass rush left plenty to be desired, the front seven forced three turnovers; one led to a touchdown, while the other halted a would-be scoring drive for Minnesota.
With little help from the Bucs' front four, Vikings quarterbacks—who had all the time in the world to throw—carved up Tampa Bay's secondary all night. Missed assignments were far too frequent, while Minnesota's three quarterbacks combined to complete 27 of their 33 passes for 293 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Tampa Bay's special teams units had their own struggles, particularly with short punts and poor coverage throughout the game. A missed field goal would have made it a one-score game late in the fourth quarter, as well.
One of the most penalized teams in the league last year, the Bucs looked a bit better in that department Saturday night, committing just four offenses for 19 yards.
Winston Makes Up-and-Down Debut
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As is to be expected with rookie quarterbacks starting their first game in the NFL, Jameis Winston had plenty of positive and negative moments in his debut.
The former Heisman Trophy winner struggled on the team's first few possessions, including overthrowing Mike Evans down the middle and putting the ball in the hands of a Vikings defender. But the rookie also showed flashes of the talent that made him the top overall pick in this year's draft, including a 40-yard strike to Vincent Jackson and an eight-yard touchdown run.
At the end of his night, Winston had completed nine of his 19 pass attempts for 131 yards, adding 18 yards on four rushes.
It's just another step in a long road for Winston, and while he has a long way to go, it's clear he has the talent to be a successful passer at the NFL level.
Bucs Lose Best Offensive Lineman to Knee Injury
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The biggest goal of all 32 NFL teams in the preseason is to emerge without any major injuries to key players. Though the Bucs have avoided huge losses so far in training camp, it looks like they could be dealing with a monumental injury.
Just before the end of the first half of Saturday night's loss to the Vikings, right tackle Demar Dotson hyper-extended his left knee, going to the ground in obvious pain. The veteran needed plenty of assistance to get off the field and was taken to the locker room on a medical cart.
According to Mark Cook of PewterReport.com, Dotson has at least a sprained MCL but possibly also a torn ACL. An MRI scheduled for Sunday is expected to provide the full extent of Dotson's injury.
A sprained MCL would likely only sideline him for a few weeks, but a torn ACL would cost him the entire season. Dotson is easily Tampa Bay's best offensive lineman, and losing him for the season would be a backbreaking development before the regular season even begins.
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Reserves on Defense Force Multiple Turnovers
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Lovie Smith stresses takeaways on defense, and while the starters didn't force any turnovers, Tampa Bay's backups came away with three fumble recoveries.
Late in the first half, William Gholston stripped a Vikings runner of the ball, with Lawrence Sidbury recovering to end a potential scoring drive. In the third quarter, Sidbury would force the fumble this time, with Leonard Johnson recovering. That turnover eventually led to a Mike James touchdown run.
Khaseem Greene would get in on the action later in the second half, thwarting yet another potential scoring drive by forcing a fumble near the goal line that bounced out of the end zone for a touchback.
The quickest way to carve out a roster spot is to make big plays in key moments, and forcing turnovers that either keep opposing teams off the scoreboard or lead to points for the good guys definitely qualifies.
Head Coach Lovie Smith on Jameis Winston's Debut
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Jameis Winston had a roller-coaster debut against the Vikings on Saturday night, but head coach Lovie Smith acknowledged in his postgame press conference that his rookie quarterback showed improvement as the game went on, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com:
"Yeah, he finished strong. You know, we didn’t start exactly where we wanted to, but at the end he threw some good balls and got us in position to get a couple scores. That’s the type of player he is. He’s thrown good passes through camp. He’s going to throw an awful lot for us this year. You have to have a first game, you have to work through some of those things, and that’s what he’s doing.
"
Winston had a rough few series to start out, but fans shouldn't be quick to overreact to his first live action in an NFL game. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and Winston has the talent to find his pace and run a successful race over the course of his NFL career.
Wide Receiver Vincent Jackson on His Confidence in Jameis Winston
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Jameis Winston may have had some negative moments in his NFL debut, but veteran receiver Vincent Jackson still sees a bright future for his rookie quarterback, per Buccaneers.com:
"I have so much confidence in this kid. I think he’s going to have a great year. He’s just so smart. He’s picked up everything fast and he sees things on the field that a veteran sees. It’s a lot of fun playing with him. We work on a lot of things and communicate each and every day in practice and we are going to continue to make big plays. He’s an aggressive guy, he wants to stand there in the pocket. You can see he’s not scared to stand in there and deliver the ball down the field and that’s going to help us this year.
"
Winston emerged from a few rough series at the start of the game to deliver his first NFL completion to Jackson, a 40-yard bomb that got behind the Vikings defense. As Winston continues to learn and progress in understanding NFL defenses, there's no doubt he'll have plenty more big plays to Jackson and the rest of his receiving corps down the line.
Defensive Tackle Henry Melton on the Importance of the Pass Rush
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The Bucs have lacked a consistent pass rush over the last few seasons, failing to find a dominant edge-rusher to combine with their strong rotation of interior players at defensive tackle.
Henry Melton—who had Tampa Bay's lone sack against the Vikings on Saturday night—knows the defensive line's play is vital to the success of any Tampa 2 defenses, per Buccaneers.com: "Clinton [McDonald] called up a little game and he made a lot of it happen for me. I came out scot-free and had to wrap him up. A lot of the success on this defense comes from the d-line, so any chance we get that can help us get to the quarterbacks, we’re all about it."
The Bucs are deep at defensive tackle with Gerald McCoy and the newly acquired Tony McDaniel to go along with Melton and McDonald, but Jacquies Smith and George Johnson will have to provide consistent pressure from the edge if the Bucs want to have sustained success on defense in 2015.
All stats courtesy of NFL.com.
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