Tampa Bay has to take a long look in the mirror at themselves this week if they’re going to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Sunday’s result might be a good indicator of which direction the Buccaneers might head in.
The Buccaneers coming off two weeks since they last played a game, weren’t able to take advantage of the extra time allotted with the bye week. Tampa Baby’s offense sputtered, as Jameis Winston turned over the ball four times en route to the Buccaneers falling 27-23 to the Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon.
With the loss, the Buccaneers now fall to 2-5 on the season, which slowly is looking to be another below .500 one. Though Winston threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, the Buccaneers’ starter wasn’t able to avoid the turnover bug that’s bitten him his entire career, as he had two fumbles and two interceptions, which one came on a desperation throw to Breshad Perriman in the final seconds.
Tampa Bay now are possibly facing the prospects of going 2-6, with a matchup against NFC power Seattle Seahawks on the road on the west coast. The last time the Buccaneers traveled out west was when they were able to pull off the major upset of the Los Angeles Rams back in Week 4. That upset seems like months ago, however, as the entire club has regressed since then.
Arguably that was the last time Winston and the offense look in sync, as the Buccaneers at times looked on schedule and other times made poor choices. Coming off a 5-interception performance in London two weeks ago, many counted Winston to bounce back and have a big game. Like his career, it was a mixed bag.
Though Winston was able to give the Buccaneers a 23-17 lead in the third quarter after a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans, the defense wouldn’t be able to hold up their end of the bargain in the fourth. Ryan Tannehill was able to hit AJ Brown with 6:55 left in the game for the go-ahead touchdown, ruining a 11-catch, 198 yard effort from Evans, who also had two touchdowns.
Now Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht must answer the realistic questions of where the Buccaneers are heading after this latest performance. Winston now sits at 14 touchdowns to 12 interceptions on the season with a little over 2,000 yards passing. Though Winston May have a career year in touchdowns, he also may set another in turnovers as well.
