3 Reasons to Buy Tom Brady and the Bucs Offense Have Figured It out

Two weeks ago, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady experienced one of the most ugliest games of his long pro career. He threw for just 209 yards and tossed three interceptions, while the Bucs mustered only three points in a 35-point loss to the New Orleans Saints.

On Sunday, Brady and the Bucs rebounded nicely. They dropped 46 points on a solid Carolina Panthers defense, while Brady threw for 341, three touchdowns and rushed for a fourth score. As a team, Tampa amassed nearly 550 yards of total offense.

While Sunday's performance is just one game, there's a fair bit of reason to believe that the Buccaneers have finally found their offensive identity. We'll examine the three biggest reasons why here.

The Saints Game Was an Anomaly

Mark LoMoglio/Associated Press

Before we dive into Sunday's game, let's take a look at the New Orleans contest—and why it was never indicative of where the Buccaneers were headed.

The Saints game was an anomaly. For one, the Tampa offense has only been held below 20 points twice this season, once by the Chicago Bears and once by New Orleans. More importantly, the Tampa defense has only surrendered more than 23 points three times this year. Once to the Los Angeles Chargers and twice to the Saints.

In Week 9, the Buccaneers defense had no answer for Drew Brees and Co. The Saints built a 14-0 first-quarter lead, then a 31-0 halftime lead. Tampa had no choice but to go pass-heavy early to try sparking a comeback.

This left Brady open to pressure and mistakes. At least one of his interceptions seemed to come on a miscommunication with new receiver Antonio Brown.

Against the Panthers, Brown and Brady appeared to be on the same page—Brown caught seven of eight targets—and while the Bucs did get down early, they were largely able to install their normal game plan.

The Saints seem to have the Buccaneers' number, and that could prove problematic in the postseason, but we're not likely to see Brady get behind three touchdowns often during the rest of the regular season.

The Bucs May Have Found Their Rushing Formula

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One reason Brady wasn't under as much pressure against Carolina was that the Buccaneers were able to establish the run. Ronald Jones II amassed 192 rushing yards by himself, 98 of which came on one long touchdown scamper.

On Jones' other 22 carries, though, he averaged roughly 4.3 yards per carry.

This wasn't all about Jones, even though he may be Tampa's top rushing option moving forward. The Buccaneers got guard Ali Marpet back after a two-week absence, and the offensive line dominated.

"You have to thank the big boys up front for getting that push—make my job look easier, and [thank] the coaching staff, too, for believing in me and keep giving me opportunities," Jones said, per Carmen Vitali of the team's official website.

Coach Bruce Arians stuck with the run against Carolina, the offensive line created space and Jones made the most of his opportunities. This formula is going to be the key to any sort of playoff success against teams like New Orleans.

While the Buccaneers are loaded with receiving weapons, Brady is still a 43-year-old quarterback in his first year with a new offense. Supporting him with a balanced offensive game plan is going to yield positive results more often than not.

Rob Gronkowski Is Starting to Regain Form, and Tampa Is Using Him

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Tight end Rob Gronkowski isn't the same all-world pass-catcher that he once was. However, he's started to regain his form in recent weeks and has come on strong as one of Brady's top red-zone targets.

Gronkowski was largely ineffective against the Saints, as was just about every other player wearing a Bucs uniform. On Sunday, though, he caught two passes for 51 yards and a touchdown and has a score in four of his last five games—the Saints matchup being the lone exception.

The Buccaneers appear to have figured out how to best utilize this new version of Gronkowski. Brady is certainly taking advantage of having one of his all-time most familiar targets on the roster. Keeping him involved will be huge moving forward.

Gronkowski only played 54 percent of the offensive snaps against New Orleans. He's played at least 69 percent of the snaps in every other game this season. When Tampa isn't down big and forced to go with multiple-receiver sets, the offense is more efficient.

Yes, there are targets such as Brown, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans on the perimeter, but Gronk can still be a mismatch, especially in the red zone.

Expect to see plenty of Gronk and the ground game moving forward. For Brady—who, again, is still learning the intricacies of this offense—the pieces should continue falling into place.