Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Indianapolis Colts: Tampa Bay Grades, Notes & Quotes

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' brief two-game winning streak came to a halt on Sunday, as they dropped a 25-12 contest on the road against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Bucs dropped to 5-6 on the season, failing to gain ground in the NFC playoff race, while the Colts improved to 6-5 to stay atop the AFC South standings.

Despite heading to halftime with a 12-6 lead, the Bucs failed to find the scoreboard in the second half, letting the Colts storm back with 19 unanswered points behind a 300-yard passing game from 40-year-old backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. The Colts haven't lost since Hasselbeck took over under center for an injured Andrew Luck.

Penalties and missed opportunities were the story for Tampa Bay, as it was flagged 12 times for 95 yards, keeping its spot atop the list of the NFL's most penalized teams. They left far too many points on the field thanks to penalties and missed kicks, as their mistakes seemed to come at the most inopportune times.

The Bucs defense did a solid job of forcing field goals at the end of long drives by the Colts, but the floodgates finally burst in the second half, as Hasselbeck would toss two touchdown passes to cement the victory.

Doug Martin topped 1,000 rushing yards for the season on a 56-yard scamper in the second quarter, but he touched the ball just three times after that play, despite rushing for 90 yards in the first half. Mike Evans had five receptions for 64 yards but dropped a sure touchdown that would have been a game-changing moment.

Bucs rookie quarterback Jameis Winston completed 20 of his 36 passes for 245 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while carrying the ball three times for 27 yards.

The Bucs lost despite outgaining the Colts 344-336 on offense and holding them to just 27 yards rushing.

Position Grades for Bucs

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Quarterback: C-

Jameis Winston had an impressive first half, guiding the offense down the field multiple times and making big throws in key third-down situations from long distances. But he struggled in the second half with consistency and accuracy, and the offense's inability to convert on third down in the final two quarters hurt badly.

Running Backs: B

Doug Martin was effective in the first half, rushing for 90 yards and going over 1,000 for the season. But after a 56-yard jaunt in the second quarter, he touched the ball just three times, something offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter will have to answer for this week. Charles Sims didn't find much success on the ground, but he contributed 31 yards on three receptions.

Wide Receivers: C

Tampa Bay got a decent outing from its receiving corps, but it was lacking in key moments. Vincent Jackson led the team with 76 yards on four catches, and while both he and Mike Evans had key chain-moving receptions on multiple third downs, Evans had a huge drop that would have been a sure touchdown and struggled with his focus on a couple other potential big plays.

Tight Ends: B+

There has been much ado about when promising second-year Austin Seferian-Jenkins will return from his shoulder injury, but the play of Cameron Brate continues to make his absence not so painful. The Harvard grad caught five passes for 53 yards and his third touchdown of the season, tying him for the team lead in scoring receptions.

Offensive Line: D

After weeks of setting the tone for the offense with strong play, this unit was easily the weakest link on the field for Tampa Bay on Sunday. They gave up five sacks to a Colts defense that only had 14 on the season coming into this week. They were decent when it came to the ground game, but Winston was battered all day long.

Defensive Line: C-

Three sacks look nice on the stat sheet, but the Bucs simply didn't generate a consistent pass rush throughout the game, giving Hasselbeck way too much time with a clean pocket. They helped bottle up the Colts ground game, but their inability to get after the quarterback rendered their performance against the run useless.

Linebackers: C-

This group was equally responsible for holding the Colts to just 27 yards rushing, but they simply couldn't make enough plays in coverage and didn't manage to force a single takeaway. They bent in the first half, but finally broke in the second half, letting the Colts pull away.

Secondary: D

This group showed flashes of brilliance, but the overall body of work ended with them giving up over 300 yards through the air to a 40-year-old backup quarterback, with no takeaways. For a unit that was on the upswing over the past two weeks, this performance was clearly a step back.

Special Teams: C

With a missed field goal and a missed extra point, Tampa Bay's superb performance on kickoff coverage is the only reason this group gets a passing grade. The kicking game left four points on the board on Sunday, which completely changed the complexion of the game.

Coaching: C-

There were a few questionable play calls and the penalties are still a huge problem, but quite a few of those calls were iffy, at best. The best thing I saw from the coaching staff all day was the normally even-keeled Lovie Smith getting fiery with an official after a blatant false start was missed, with the Bucs being called offsides instead. It was a decent effort, but just not enough.

Penalties Kill Bucs Yet Again

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The Bucs came into Sunday's game as the NFL's most-penalized team, and they certainly lived up to that reputation with their Week 12 performance, drawing 12 flags for 95 yards.

Not only were the penalties plentiful for Tampa Bay, but they seemed to come at the most inopportune times, taking points off the board, nullifying big plays and extending drives for the Colts. From a holding call that took away a first-half touchdown run by Doug Martin to a defensive holding call that took away a key turnover in the fourth quarter, the Bucs simply couldn't get out of their own way.

There were quite a few questionable calls, but the Bucs made enough of their own mistakes to lose the game. Good teams overcome penalties and even possibly poor officiating, and Sunday's game proved the Bucs simply aren't there yet.

Bucs Make Hasselbeck Look Like a Spring Chicken

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The Bucs had success against backup quarterbacks in each of their last two games, but journeyman Matt Hasselbeck carved up the Tampa Bay defense, looking like a much younger version of himself.

Hasselbeck completed 26 of his 42 passes for 315 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while not turning the ball over and taking advantage of a Tampa Bay defense that was more than willing to give him easy yards between the 20s. They finally broke in the second half, giving up both touchdown passes to let the Colts pull away.

Sunday's game featured the NFL's oldest starting quarterback in Hasselbeck against the league's youngest in Jameis Winston, with the elder statesman coming out on top.

Lack of Takeaways Dooms Defense

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Success on defense for the Bucs is predicated on creating takeaways, but they went all 60 minutes against the Colts on Sunday without registering a single one.

Despite holding the Colts to just 27 yards on the ground, Tampa Bay simply couldn't get the job done defensively, thanks in large part to its inability to create big plays. They managed to tally three sacks, but they couldn't create consistent pressure throughout the game.

Big plays on defense were a huge catalyst to the Bucs' wins in each of the two previous games. Those plays never came on Sunday, and it was reflected in the final result.

Head Coach Lovie Smith on Penalties, Officiating

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The Bucs racked up 12 penalties for 95 yards, but quite a few of those calls could be described as questionable.

When asked after the game about the officiating, Smith refused to make excuses.

"I disagree with most of the calls that go against us, but it shouldn’t really determine the outcome of the game most of the time,” Smith said, per Eric Horchy of PewterReport.com. "We have to be able to overcome some of things that don’t go our way and there were a few."

The normally docile Smith got fired up at one point in the game after officials missed a blatant false start on the Colts, calling the Bucs for offsides instead. It was clear Smith wasn't thrilled with the officiating, but he avoided any possible fines by taking the high road in his postgame presser.

QB Jameis Winston on Morale, Bouncing Back

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After back-to-back wins and a dominant showing in Week 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay came back down to earth with Sunday's loss.

But Winston made it clear after the game that the team will bounce back and get back to winning ways, per Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com:

"

It’s disappointing we lost, but not our situation. We’ve got to bounce back. We’ve been here before. I talked to the fellas and I can’t stress this enough. The season isn’t over. We’ve got to keep playing. Everyone has days like this my job as the quarterback is to tell team to bounce back – not sit and sulk. We’re been here before, we’re going to bounce back.

"

Tampa Bay has done a solid job of recovering from poor performances all season, so there's no reason to expect anything less down the stretch. They're still in position to make a playoff push, and it's clear their quarterback won't let morale dip just because of one loss.

WR Mike Evans on Winston, Making Plays

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Tampa Bay fell short on both sides of the ball on Sunday, showing flashes of brilliance but missing too many opportunities.

After a strong performance in the first half—especially on third down—Winston and the Bucs offense struggled to move the ball in the second half, with missed throws and dropped passes costing them potentially big plays.

After the game, receiver Mike Evans lauded Winston's performance and admitted he and his fellow pass-catchers need to carry their weight.

"He showed off his talent again today,’’ Evans said, per the Associated Press (via the Tampa Tribune). “If he keeps making plays like he did today, we’re going to be fine. But we have to do our part; we have to do our job."

Evans caught five passes for 64 yards, moving the chains multiple times in key situations. But he dropped a sure touchdown catch and seemed to be out of sync with Winston for much of the game. If the Bucs want to make a playoff push, both Winston and Evans will need to improve their consistency and chemistry down the stretch.