Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pay the Price for Missed Opportunities in Week 9 Loss

Already known for finding creative ways to lose, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers outdid themselves yet again on Sunday, falling at home 32-18 to the New York Giants.

A last-ditch effort on the game’s final play ended in a cross-field lateral from receiver Mike Evans sailing over the head of left guard Logan Mankins, bouncing right into the hands of Giants cornerback Trevin Wade, who walked into the end zone as time expired to seal the victory.

That play was a perfect example of how the afternoon went for Tampa Bay—full of head-scratching moments and squandered opportunities.

A quick gander at the stat sheet would show a dominant performance from Evans, who hauled in eight passes for 152 yards. But it was his five drops—most of which came in key moments—that told the story of his performance on Sunday. The second-year pass-catcher cost the Bucs multiple big plays that could have easily changed the course of the entire game.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Others on the offense had their struggles, as well. Doug Martin and Charles Sims each had a costly fumble, and far too many trips inside the red zone ended with a Connor Barth field goal, rather than punching it in for a touchdown.

Tampa Bay ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing coming into Sunday’s game but got completely shut down on the ground by Tom Coughlin’s bunch. Aside from a 59-yard run from Sims in the second half, the Bucs running backs combined to rush for a meager 53 yards on 19 carries.

The defense picked off Eli Manning twice, including the first play of the game, but the Bucs only turned those takeaways into three total points. Tampa Bay’s pass rush was non-existent, failing to register a single sack on Manning and doing very little to force him into mistakes down the field.

Speaking of non-existent, what about the supposed anchor of the defense, three-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy? After managing just one tackle on Sunday, giving him just four over the past three games, the former third overall pick evidently wasn’t in a particularly talkative mood in the locker room, per JoeBucsFan.com:

McCoy has been playing through a shoulder injury, but it’s hard not to be disappointed at his play in recent weeks, especially considering the lucrative long-term extension he inked last season. Many will point to McCoy being consistently double-teamed, but he’s actually had plenty of one-on-one opportunities over the last few games and, like many of his teammates, has simply failed to capitalize.

It seems to be impossible to talk about a Tampa Bay loss without looking at a laundry list of penalties, and Week 9 certainly didn’t disappoint. The Bucs were flagged nine times for 79 yards, maintaining their status as one of the league’s most penalized teams, costing themselves big gains and positive field position on multiple occasions.

Despite the loss, it wasn’t all bad for the Pewter Pirates on Sunday.

The good news? Jameis Winston had another impressive afternoon, throwing for 249 yards, despite the plethora of drops, and adding a highlight-reel touchdown run that ended with a giant leap over the pylon. The rookie field general has now gone four straight games without a single turnover and is tied for the team lead with three rushing touchdowns.

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

Some other bright spots?

How about rookie pass-catcher Adam Humphries stepping up in the absence of injured veterans Vincent Jackson and Louis Murphy? The undrafted free agent out of Clemson finished second on the team with 55 yards on five receptions, coming up with a couple of key catches to move the chains.

There was also the strong play of cornerback Sterling Moore, who picked off Manning on the first play of the game and made multiple key plays throughout the game, often when matched up against one of the league’s most explosive receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. With Tampa Bay’s depth chart as muddied at cornerback as any position on its roster, Moore made quite a statement on Sunday that should warrant increased playing time moving forward.

The Bucs now sit at 3-5 on the season, still inhabiting the basement of the NFC South. In three of their five losses, they’ve had ample opportunity to make enough plays to come away with a win, but these kinds of missed opportunities continue to plague them.

While last week’s surprising road win against the Atlanta Falcons provided a glimmer of hope for fans that the Bucs were starting to turn a corner, Sunday’s loss revealed just how much work they still have to do if they want to be become a playoff-caliber team.

All stats courtesy of NFL.com.

Luke Easterling is a Featured Columnist covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. He is also a senior NFL draft analyst for Draft Breakdown. Follow him on Twitter @Luke Easterling.