Bengals vs Buccaneers: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their first win of the 2015 NFL season out of the way Monday night, dominating the Cincinnati Bengals in nearly every facet of the game on their way to a 25-11 victory at Raymond James Stadium.
It was the first home win in over a year for the Bucs—preseason or otherwise—and it came with strong performances on both sides of the ball.
Jameis Winston and the starting offense got off to a fast start, marching the ball 80 yards on their opening drive with Winston finishing it off himself on a one-yard touchdown run. The Tampa Bay defense would bag the next score, as Alterraun Verner snatched a tipped pass off the hands of A.J. Green and raced 24 yards for the touchdown.
Mike Glennon and the Bucs second-team offense kept things rolling with another touchdown drive, as Russell Shepard hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass to put the home team up 20-0 in the second quarter. Kicker Patrick Murray may have missed the extra point, but he bounced back with a 53-yard field goal to stretch the Tampa Bay lead to 23-0.
The Bengals would get on the board with a field goal just before the half, but the damage was already done. Tampa Bay continued to bully the visitors on both sides of the ball, with the Bucs getting on the board on defense again, this time by way of a safety led by linebacker Danny Lansanah.
Cincinnati would get on the board one last time in the fourth quarter, as running back James Wilder Jr.—son of the former Bucs star running back bearing the same name—punched it into the end zone from five yards out.
The Bucs outgained the Bengals 356-152 on offense, converting 25 first downs to Cincinnati's 13. On defense, Tampa Bay won the turnover battle with a plus-3 ratio, tallying four sacks to go with their three takeaways.
*All stats courtesy of NFL.com
Position Grades for Bucs
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | B+ |
| RB | B |
| WR | C |
| TE | C |
| OL | C- |
| DL | A |
| LB | A |
| DB | A |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | C- |
Jameis Winston set the tone for the entire game with an 80-yard scoring drive on the game's opening possession, capping it off with his second rushing touchdown in as many games. Winston looked much more comfortable, moving the offense consistently and effectively.
Mike Glennon and Seth Lobato got the job done as well, as the three quarterbacks combined to complete 21 of their 31 passes for 244 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
Doug Martin continued his strong training camp and preseason with another impressive performance, picking up 59 yards on just six carries. Charles Sims and Dominique Brown didn't move the needle much, but Mike James turned in a solid night with 39 yards on his nine carries.
There were definitely some positives among the pass-catchers—such as the play of Russell Shepard—but dropped passes plagued the receivers, and poor pass protection is an issue the tight ends will need to address.
The offensive line started strong, led by a bounce-back performance from rookie left tackle Donovan Smith, and a solid night from backup center Jeremiah Warren, who started in place of injured veteran Evan Smith. But the team's lack of depth across this unit was evident as the game wore on, as pass protection and penalties continue to be an issue.
As impressive as Winston and the starting offense was, the defense turned in an even stronger performance. The starting units tallied three sacks and forced three turnovers in the first half, looking like a completely different group than the one that got picked apart by the Minnesota Vikings a week ago.
The front seven got after the quarterback early and often, as well as setting the tone with stout run defense. In all, the Bengals were held to just 152 yards of total offense.
The secondary played the kind of opportunistic football head coach Lovie Smith wants, picking off two passes—one of them going for a touchdown, courtesy of Alterraun Verner—and forcing a fumble. Bengals starting quarterback Andy Dalton looked uncomfortable all night long, and it was a strong effort from the entire defense that led to a convincing Tampa Bay win.
On special teams, it was an up-and-down night for the Bucs. There were poor punts and costly penalties, but also two impressive efforts by the punt coverage team to down kicks inside the 5-yard-line.
The biggest thing holding down the coaching grade continues to be the ridiculous amount of penalties the Bucs rack up. Tampa Bay was called for 14 infractions, resulting in 153 yards of lost ground. Penalties are a discipline issue that needs to be addressed by the Bucs coaching staff in practice.
Winston Bounces Back with Strong Showing
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After struggling to settle into a rhythm last week against the Vikings, rookie starting quarterback Jameis Winston looked like a completely different player in the early going of Monday's night's win over the Bengals.
Winston engineered an 80-yard scoring drive on the game's opening possession, seeming much more comfortable with what the opposing defense was giving him this week. He made good decisions for most of the night and threaded the needle on multiple intermediate throws, giving his receivers a chance to make plays regardless of tight windows.
It's still just another half of a preseason game, but Winston looked incredibly sharp against a solid Cincinnati defense. It's still a long road to sustained NFL success for the No. 1 overall pick, but Monday night's performance proves he has the potential to be a star player at this level.
Minor Injuries Give Fans a Scare
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With recent preseason injuries to stars like Jordy Nelson and Kelvin Benjamin that will cost them the entire 2015 regular season, fans of every NFL team are holding their collective breath every time one of their players goes down.
The Bucs saw two of their biggest names—quarterback Jameis Winston and receiver Mike Evans—leave Monday night's win over the Bengals due to injury, giving fans a quick scare. But neither injury is expected to be severe.
Winston got his ankle rolled under a defender during an ugly sack in the second quarter, but he finished the series despite a noticeable limp, and dismissed the significance of the injury in his postgame interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters.
Evans left the game with a hamstring injury, but according to NFL.com's Rand Getlin, the injury isn't thought to be serious, and Evans was only held out of the rest of the game as a precaution.
So take a deep breath and relax for now, Bucs fans. You might see those two players take it easy this week in practice, but they should be fine by Week 1 of the regular season.
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Defense Makes a Statement
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After getting carved up by the Vikings on the road last week, Tampa Bay's defense bounced back with an impressive performance in front of their home crowd on Monday night.
The Bucs held the Bengals to just 152 yards of total offense, tallying four sacks and three takeaways. They got after Bengals starting quarterback Andy Dalton early and often while bottling up a normally effective Cincinnati run game.
Tampa Bay's starting unit was particularly impressive compared to last week's effort, and it's even more encouraging considering the fact they were playing a playoff team from last season. It's only a preseason game, but the Bucs defense made huge strides between last week's loss and this week's dominant win.
QB Jameis Winston on Team Morale After the Win
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It may have been just a preseason game, but the Bucs were excited to get their first win of the 2015 season, especially in front of their home fans.
Quarterback Jameis Winston says the team has a thirst for winning, regardless of the situation, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com):
"Obviously, people are going to look at this as a preseason game, but in that locker room, our team morale, we are going to look at it as we get a win. That's definitely important. We get a win. It does matter. It doesn't matter if it's a football game in a Walmart parking lot. We want to win.
"
It's been a long time since Bucs fans have gotten used to the feeling of victory on a regular basis. It may not mean much on the stat sheet at the end of the day, but changing a losing culture has to start somewhere, and the Bucs hope it started on Monday night.
CB Alterraun Verner on Bucs' Takeaways
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The Tampa 2 defense is predicated on getting consistent pressure from the front four and forcing takeaways, two things the Bucs weren't terribly good at in 2014.
Monday night's win over the Bengals was a different story, as Tampa Bay bagged four sacks and forced three turnovers.
Cornerback Alterraun Verner—who picked off Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and took it 24 yards for a touchdown—said the Bucs practiced Monday night what they've been preaching all along, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com:
"Obviously, it’s something that we harp on and have worked on all training camp, and what we’ve been able to do tonight is what we’ve been preaching. It all starts with our front four, front seven. They got pressure, they got in the quarterback’s head early, and then the opportunities arose and we caught them. That was just a good job by everybody. It’s something we can build on as a defense.
"
If the Bucs want to return to their glory days, they'll need to consistently put together defensive performances like this one, where all three units pull their weight and deliver exactly what it takes to make the Tampa 2 click.
RB Doug Martin on Starting Fast
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Tampa Bay's offense was sluggish at the beginning of last week's loss to the Vikings, and the team knew it was important to get out to a much faster start in their preseason home opener.
Doug Martin says the team stepped up to the challenge, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com:
"Coach Lovie [Smith], he really harped on the idea of coming out here and starting fast, and that’s what we did. He challenged the O-Line to open up and play strong, play hard, and that’s what they did. The momentum couldn’t have happened without the line starting fast, doing their jobs and opening holes for me. It allowed me to continue to do my job, and then it carried along with the interceptions. The momentum had definitely been in our favor during the game, and it’s all because we started fast.
"
Martin helped set the tone for the starting offense with 68 total yards on seven touches. The Bucs marched the ball 80 yards for a touchdown on the opening drive, which is something they need to see more of when the regular season rolls around.
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