New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa Bay Grades, Notes & Quotes

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' playoff hopes are hanging by a thread following a deflating 24-17 home loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Despite a juicy matchup against the NFL's worst defense, the Tampa Bay offense simply couldn't find any rhythm or consistency for most of the afternoon, failing to put together sustained drives or take advantage of an opportunity to mount a game-tying drive in the final minutes.

The Bucs could only muster 291 total yards against the Saints, as Jameis Winston struggled with accuracy and other miscues piled up on both sides off the ball throughout the afternoon. Whether it was overthrows, drops or costly penalties, Tampa Bay sputtered on offense when on paper, it should have had one of its more dominant performances of the season.

Tampa Bay wasn't much better defensively, as Saints quarterback Drew Brees was given a clean pocket for most of the afternoon, carving up the Bucs secondary with relative ease. The future Hall of Famer completed 31 of his 41 passes for 312 yards and a pair of touchdowns, passing Dan Marino for fourth place on the NFL's all-time passing touchdowns list with 421.

The Bucs failed to force a takeaway for the second time in three games and gave up five yards per carry on the ground despite the Saints being without leading rusher Mark Ingram, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

Tampa Bay's receivers combined to catch just six passes for 66 yards against the league's most porous pass defense, and despite Doug Martin continuing his impressive success on the ground, the NFL's second-leading rusher was given just 12 touches the entire game.

The loss drops the Bucs to 6-7 on the year, all but ending their hopes of a late-season playoff push.

Position Grades for Bucs

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Quarterback: D

This certainly wasn't the finest hour for rookie Jameis Winston, as he was erratic and inconsistent all game long. When he finally settled down in the second half, it was too little, too late. He couldn't muster the magic from last week on his final drive, a fitting end to a disappointing performance in which he should have taken advantage of a juicy matchup.

Running Back: A

The only bad thing that happened to this unit was the team's unwillingness to stay committed to the ground game. Doug Martin was given just 12 touches and was largely abandoned in the second half again, while Charles Sims led the team with 64 yards on six receptions. Both backs did plenty with their opportunities; they simply weren't given enough of them.

Wide Receivers: D

This group should have had a huge day against an awful Saints secondary but left much to be desired instead. The entire unit combined for just 66 yards on six receptions, failing to create big plays or come away with enough clutch catches in third-down situations. This was probably the most disappointing outing from the receiving corps so far this year.

Tight End: C

Austin Seferian-Jenkins repeated his exact stat line from last week—three receptions for 31 yards—showing off his potential after missing 10 games due to injury. Cameron Brate added two catches for 16 yards, but much like the rest of the receivers, this group failed to take full advantage of a poor secondary.

Offensive Line: B

The offense couldn't take advantage of the attractive matchup against the Saints, but it wasn't because of this group. The Bucs averaged 5.6 yards per carry on the ground while only allowing Winston to be sacked once all game. This group did their part to put the offense into the position to succeed, but the skill positions simply didn't get the job done.

Defensive Line: D

How did the Bucs beat the Saints on the road in Week 2? With consistent pressure on Drew Brees. That didn't happen on Sunday, which allowed Brees to pick apart the Tampa Bay secondary. They only allowed 2.5 yards per carry on the ground, but their inability to affect Brees made that inconsequential.

Linebackers: C-

There was plenty to like from this group, but it just wasn't enough. Bruce Carter filled in nicely for Kwon Alexander with eight tackles and a sack, while Lavonte David led the team with 13 tackles and was all over the field. But with as often as they blitzed, they came away empty-handed way too many times and didn't make any big plays in coverage.

Secondary: D-

The lack of pass rush didn't do them any favors, but Tampa Bay's defensive backs looked lost all afternoon, giving up too many easy yards and breaking way too late on too many throws. They've been inconsistent when it comes to red-zone effectiveness over the last few weeks, following up a strong outing last week with an awful one on Sunday.

Special Teams: D

The punting was inconsistent, Connor Barth missed an easy field goal and the return game was a non-factor. If Tampa Bay's special teams were making any kind of significant impact on Sunday, it was in a negative way.

Coaching: D

The penalties were down a little, but they were still just as costly in the worst possible moments. The biggest knock on the coaching staff is how mentally unprepared the team looked on Sunday, coming out completely flat in a big game against a team it should have beaten handily. The Bucs have gotten much better since beating the Saints in Week 2, but you couldn't have guessed it from their lackluster performance in every phase of the game this week.

Playoff Hopes on Life Support After Disappointing Loss

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Tampa Bay knew it had little room for error down the stretch if it wanted to sneak into the playoffs, but hopes were high with three of its last four games coming against teams with losing records.

But Sunday's loss sucked most of the air out of those playoff dreams, as Tampa Bay missed a chance to gain an important game on the Minnesota Vikings, who lost to the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night. The Seattle Seahawks took care of their business, as well, widening their lead over the Bucs to two games.

The Bucs are still technically alive, but they'll certainly have to win their next two games before facing the undefeated Carolina Panthers in Week 17, and they'll need plenty of help to still be in contention even then. They missed a golden opportunity to gain ground on Sunday.

Bucs Offense Stalls Despite Attractive Matchup

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On paper, this was a matchup the Tampa Bay offense should have dominated in every way. Instead, they looked lost and off-key all afternoon, especially when throwing the ball.

Trying to take advantage of the Saints' poor secondary is understandable, but when the Bucs went down 14-0 early in the game, they were too quick to abandon Martin and the ground game. Martin was extremely effective when the ball was in his hands, but he only got 12 touches all game.

Winston's ball placement was inconsistent, his receivers weren't getting separation down the field and they simply couldn't generate the big plays New Orleans gave up by the boatload against the Carolina Panthers last week. In the end, it was the offense's shortcomings that were the biggest factor in Sunday's disappointing home loss.

Jackson's Absence Painfully Evident

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Vincent Jackson caught one pass for five yards on Sunday, but it was what didn't happen that made his impact on the game so significant.

On Tampa Bay's first play from scrimmage, Jackson gained 35 yards on a catch-and-run that got the Bucs off to a fantastic start. But the excitement was short-lived, as the play was brought back due to a holding call. The missed opportunity seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game for Tampa Bay's offense, as they struggled to get into a rhythm all afternoon.

After his one short reception, Jackson left the game in the first half after re-aggravating his knee injury, and he didn't return. The veteran missed four weeks with the injury earlier in the season, and his absence was just as troublesome on Sunday as it was during that stretch.

Head Coach Lovie Smith: "Nobody Played Well Today"

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With a chance to stay in the thick of the playoff race, the Bucs blew a golden opportunity to gain ground by taking care of an extremely winnable game on paper.

Head coach Lovie Smith didn't mince words after Sunday's loss, per Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com:

"

Nobody played well today. It’s kind of simple as that. There were plays to be made out there today that we did not make. I wish I could sit up here and tell you someone played well. We didn’t. Maybe the video will say something else. Right now, a day like today – just being real – no one, none of us, of course starting with the head football coach. That’s as bad a job as I have done.

"

The Bucs have shown plenty of promise this season and the future is still plenty bright, but Sunday's performance was a painful reminder of their lack of experience and need for talent and depth on defense. It also proved the coaching staff needs to make improvements of their own, something Smith was willing to admit.

QB Jameis Winston on Losing Duel with Drew Brees

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Winston bested Brees in their first meeting earlier this season, but this time around it was the future Hall of Famer who got the upper hand on the rookie.

Winston took responsibility for the loss on Sunday, admitting the defense did their part, per the Tampa Tribune:

"

When you’re playing against one of the best quarterbacks in the game, you can’t make it hard on yourself.

Our defense held them to 24 points and those guys can put up points like nobody else. This is one of those games where the offense has to come through.

Drew Brees just outplayed me. This was the game for me to have a breakout game and put some points on the board. He played better. I have to take advantage of the weapons I have and put more points on the board. Me as a quarterback, I lost the battle against Drew Brees.

"

Winston looked uncomfortable for much of the afternoon, while Brees was his usual calm, collected self as he dissected the Tampa Bay secondary with ease. The future is still extremely bright for Winston, but the elder statesman from New Orleans won this round.

C Joe Hawley on Difficulty of Winning Every Week

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On paper, the Bucs should have had no problem beating the Saints. Tampa Bay was 6-6 and coming off a dramatic home win over another division rival, while the Saints were 4-8 and fresh off a taxing loss to the undefeated Carolina Panthers.

But as center Joe Hawley pointed out after Sunday's loss, it's never easy to win in the NFL, no matter what the records are, per Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times:

"

Sometimes in football, this is the way it goes. You can't get a rhythm going. … Very frustrating. We all left plays on the field. I think we're learning it takes every little thing to beat teams in the NFL. Nobody is easy. They're all getting paid a lot of money. They're all good players, so you've got to give your best every week.

"

The fact that New Orleans took Carolina to the brink last week should have been more than enough evidence of why the Bucs shouldn't overlook it this week. For whatever reason, Tampa Bay still came out flat and got outplayed in every way by a team it should have handled, and it looks like it will cost it a chance to remain a legitimate playoff contender.