The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason finale wasn't exactly one they'll want to frame. Tampa Bay was shut out 19-0 by the Jacksonville Jaguars
at EverBank Stadium on Friday night, finishing with just 87 total yards, six first downs and 1.9 yards per play. The Bucs converted two of 12 third downs and punted 10 times, which tells you just about everything you need to know about how the offense performed.It didn't really matter who was at quarterback, running back, wide receiver or along the offensive line. Tampa Bay couldn't get much of anything going. Jalon Daniels got the start and played into the third quarter, and there were still flashes of the arm talent that made him interesting throughout the preseason. He made a really nice throw on an out route
to Kameron Johnson that should have been completed, and after missing Garrett Greene low late in the second quarter, Daniels went right back to him and fired an 18-yard completion between defenders on third-and-11.
The problem was everything between those sudden flashes of arm talent. On most dropbacks, Daniels held onto the ball too long, didn't consistently get through his reads quickly, and as a result of that, he took three sacks. The Bucs also had a botched exchange with center Ben Scott at the Tampa Bay 15, which resulted in the Jaguars recovering the football, but the defense bailed the offense out by forcing a turnover on downs. Daniels finished 8-of-15 for 57 yards, and Jake Browning didn't fare any better when he entered late in the third quarter. Browning completed two of four passes for two yards and took two sacks as Tampa Bay finished with only 31 net passing yards.
Daniels didn't look completely overwhelmed, but he didn't look insanely polished, either. There were times when he appeared to be trying to orchestrate everything after the snap instead of trusting his read and getting the football out. The physical tools are there, especially the arm strength, but Friday looked much more like a developmental QB3 performance than one that should make Tampa Bay comfortable handing him the QB2 job.
If anyone helped himself against Jacksonville, it was Jack Pyburn. He was consistently around the football as both a pass rusher and run defender, finishing with two sacks and three tackles for loss. He also created an offensive holding penalty late in the first half after beating his blocker and threatening the quarterback. For a player fighting at the back end of the roster, that's about the kind of final preseason statement you want to make.
Aiden Garnes had another encouraging night in the secondary, too. The undrafted corner showed good recognition, closed quickly on underneath throws, and tackled well in space.
Caden Fordham continued making his own case by handling responsibilities at MIKE linebacker while also contributing on special teams. Those were some of the few individual performances worth taking away from a defense that gradually started to unravel in the second half.
Jacksonville found more room underneath and outside as the game went along, eventually putting together a 14-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that lasted nearly seven minutes. Mohamed Kamara was injured during that possession, adding another concern for Tampa Bay with roster cuts approaching. The Jaguars capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown pass to DJ Dallas and converted the two-point attempt to make it 11-0.
Then there was the punt team, which somehow went from one of the best parts of Tampa Bay's night to one of the worst. The coverage looked good early, and special teams coordinator Danny Smith was on the sideline chewing enough gum to make Ace Ventura proud while his unit handled its business. That success didn't last very long. Jacksonville finished with 152 punt-return yards, with Montrell Wortham accounting for 123 of them and taking one back 63 yards for a touchdown with 5:48 remaining. The ensuing two-point conversion pushed the final margin to 19-0.
It's preseason, and most of the players Tampa Bay will depend on this season weren't playing Friday night. Still, this was the final audition for guys fighting for jobs, and there simply weren't many bright spots in a 19-0 shutout. Pyburn made his presence known, Garnes continued to look like an intriguing young corner, and Fordham showed the type of versatility that can matter when the final roster spots are decided. Beyond that, the Bucs closed the preseason with an offense that couldn't move the football, a defense that faded as the night went on and a punt unit that went from promising to problematic in a hurry.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Instant analysis from Bucs’ 19-0 preseason loss to Jaguars
