The Buccaneers second half comeback fell as short as five points as Tampa Bay falls to last place in the NFC South.
Carson Palmer and newly-acquired running back Adrian Peterson had a field day as the Arizona Cardinals beat the Bucs 38-33.
Arizona came out of the gates and scored in their three opening drives and finished the first half 31-0. Carson Palmer ended the half with a perfect 13/13. Palmer finished with 283 yards and three touchdowns.
Adrian Peterson was the focal point in the Cardinals offense, feeding the future hall-of-famer 26 times, tallying 134 yards and two touchdowns. The Cardinals move to 3-3 as they have the running back they need to push them into the playoff hunt.
Jameis Winston exited the game with a shoulder injury in the first half, leaving Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm. For the most part, he delivered.
After the first half ended, Tampa Bay came in with 20 straight points. The team looked completely different when Fitzpatrick was behind center.
He's IN!
That's SIX for @DougMartin22 and the @TBBuccaneers. #Bucs pic.twitter.com/BJEo5tSURu
— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2017
Although Tampa Bay was close, the start they had set them up for failure as another second half comeback fell just short.
There’s enough blame to go around, but the Tampa Bay defense was to blame in the first half. 31 points in the first half gave the Cardinals enough momentum to sneak out with the win. The coaching also was another topic you could add to blame.
As for Jameis Winston, not much has been said on his injury prior to the post-game press conferences, but if Winston were to miss time, I don’t think Dirk Koetter would be too upset with his back up. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three touchdown and 290 yards, that’s not even the full game either.
There’s once again a lot to criticize. But for now, the team needs to bounce back against Buffalo, as the Bucs now sit in last place in the NFC South.
