Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 15 Stock Report

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw their playoff hopes all but disappear last week with a disappointing 24-17 home loss to the New Orleans Saints, a game they should have had no problem winning on paper.

Instead, the Bucs now sit at 6-7 and would need to win out and get plenty of help to have a chance at sniffing the postseason. Tampa Bay is now two games behind both the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks with just three games remaining in the regular season, the last of which has the Bucs traveling to Carolina to take on the undefeated Panthers.

Sunday's loss was deflating in just about every way. The Bucs were outplayed in every facet of the game and outcoached on both sides of the ball. There were a couple of bright spots, but it was an overall dreary afternoon for Bucs fans.

With Week 14 in the rearview mirror, let's take stock of who's moving up or down for the Bucs heading into Thursday night's matchup with the St. Louis Rams.

Down: WR Mike Evans

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

In his second NFL season, Mike Evans has flashed some of the playmaking ability that made him Tampa Bay's most explosive offensive weapon in 2014, but he's struggling to perform like a No. 1 receiver consistently.

His latest disappointing performance came last week against the Saints, who owned the NFL's worst pass defense and had been torched the week before by Ted Ginn and the Carolina Panthers. Instead of taking advantage of the attractive matchup, Evans only mustered three catches for 39 yards. The most significant impact Evans had on Sunday's game was when he either drew or committed a penalty.

Evans has topped 64 yards receiving in only four of his 13 games this season and hasn't done it since Week 10. After catching a franchise-record 12 touchdowns last year, Evans has found the end zone just three times in 2015. He's on pace to top 1,000 yards again this year, but in a season where most would expect to see some progression, Evans simply hasn't delivered yet.

Up: LB Bruce Carter

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With rookie sensation Kwon Alexander serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, the Bucs have turned to the man they originally expected to start at middle linebacker this year, and the early returns were positive last week.

Bruce Carter made his first start since signing with the Bucs last offseason and turned in a solid performance. The former Dallas Cowboy and North Carolina product tallied eight tackles—two of them behind the line of scrimmage—and added a pass breakup before leaving late in the game with what appeared to be a minor injury.

Alexander will miss the remaining three games of the regular season, leaving Carter to fill his role for the rest of Tampa Bay's 2015 campaign, barring a playoff miracle. If his performance on Sunday is any indication, Carter should give the Bucs more than enough at the position to offset Alexander's absence.

Down: Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter

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The addition of offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter in the offseason has been one of the best moves of 2015 for the Bucs, but his play-calling over the last few weeks has left fans scratching their heads at times.

In particular, Koetter's trend of abandoning the run too early seems questionable, at best. Against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12, Doug Martin racked up 90 rushing yards in the first half but was given just two carries in the second half, despite the Bucs' 12-6 halftime lead. Last week against the Saints, Martin had just 12 touches all game, despite having plenty of time in the second half to stay committed to what the Bucs do best on offense.

Martin is just 37 yards behind Minnesota's Adrian Peterson for the NFL rushing title and 225 yards ahead of the next closest challenger. Koetter's trend of seeming to forget Martin exists at the most important times—in the second half of close games—has been downright baffling.

Overall, Koetter has been a fantastic addition for Tampa Bay. But he would do well to remember he has one of the NFL's best rushing tandems in the backfield when the Bucs need to control the ball in the second half.

Up: Offensive Line

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Heading into the 2015 season, Tampa Bay's offensive line was expected to be one of the team's weakest units. Instead, it has been one of the most pleasant surprises all season, with last week's performance in a losing effort being just the latest example.

The Bucs got the job done up front in every way Sunday, clearing the way for a rushing attack that averaged 6.1 yards per carry while giving Jameis Winston a clean pocket for most of the afternoon, allowing just one sack.

Despite starting two rookies from Week 1, thrusting two late-addition veterans into the starting lineup and dealing with multiple injuries to key players, this group continues to produce. The O-line has been the driving force behind the entire offense's success, and while the offense sputtered against the league's worst defense last week, it wasn't because these guys didn't do their part.

Down: Secondary

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

Though the Buccaneers have had some strong performances since making some changes to the starting lineup in recent weeks, Sunday's outing was one of the most disappointing of the season for the Tampa Bay secondary.

Drew Brees carved up the Bucs' defensive backfield with ease last week, completing 31 of his 41 passes for 312 yards and a pair of first-half scores. Tampa Bay looked lost and sluggish on the back end, breaking way too late on passes and blowing multiple assignments. By the time the defensive backs seemed to settle down a bit in the second half, the damage was already done.

Sterling Moore and Jude Adjei-Barimah have flashed the ability to be effective at corner, but overall, this entire unit needs a ton of work. Expect the Bucs to address both safety and corner during the offseason.