The Buccaneers
lost their third straight game to start the season, falling to the Minnesota Vikings 23-16. While the defense rebounded nicely after a disappointing game last week against Cleveland, the offense continued to sputter behind an erratic Baker Mayfield and a shaky offensive line. Overall, mistakes and sloppy play doomed the Bucs, who squandered almost every opportunity to get their first win of the season.Here is the Bucs' report card from their Week 3 loss to the Vikings:
Quarterback: D
Baker Mayfield's struggles this season continued as he completed just 50% of his passes for 217 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. He had no answers for the Minnesota defense's aggressiveness and was largely bottled up as a runner. He finished the day with
a dislocated thumb and is likely to miss time, which may not be the worst thing for a Bucs team going nowhere fast with him under center.
Running back: C
Tampa Bay leaned hard on Bucky Irving, who finished the day on the sidelines after running the ball 15 times for just 31 yards. Tampa Bay's struggles running the ball do not fall at Irving's feet, as offensive coordinator Zac Robinson all but telegraphed their run plays by consistently sending a tight end in motion on every run play.
Wide receiver: C-
Emeka Egbuka led the Bucs with five receptions for 62 yards, but it is apparent that he and Baker Mayfield are not on the same page. Despite getting open throughout the game, Egbuka was targeted with errant passes that he had little chance of catching. Chris Godwin was robbed of a big game when an 85-yard touchdown reception was nullified by an offensive hold on right tackle Luke Goedeke.
Tight end: D
Tampa Bay's loss to the Vikings laid bare all of the Bucs' limitations at the tight end position. Cade Otton caught just three of his six targets for 56 yards and was a complete liability in pass protection. Payne Durham was not any better, drawing one of Tampa Bay's many holding penalties on the day.
Offensive line: D
The Bucs' offensive line struggles persisted for the third straight week as pass protection broke down even when the Vikings were not blitzing. All but one of the linemen was called for a penalty, bringing Tampa Bay's offense to a grinding halt. Between Baker Mayfield's struggles and the offensive line's, the Bucs offense was completely inoperable for most of the game.
Defensive line: B+
After two weeks of unremarkable play, Tampa Bay's defensive line finally made an impact. Led by defensive tackle Vita Vea, the Bucs shut down Minnesota's run game and kept Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray on the run for much of the game. Outside linebacker David Walker recorded his second sack in as many games and appears poised to be the Bucs' breakout defender this season.
Linebacker: B
Josiah Trotter's absence was not the disaster it looked to be after last week. Alex Anzalone appears to have gotten his head around Todd Bowles' defense and the concept of tackling, recording his first sack and tackle for a loss as a Buccaneer. Even SirVocea Dennis, who struggled all of last year in a starting role, played a solid game.
Secondary: B
The Bucs' defensive backfield bounced back well after a disappointing outing last week against Cleveland. Kyler Murray struggled to find open receivers all day. The tight coverage was also the principal driver behind the Bucs' three sacks. The one poor play came when cornerback Jacob Parrish slipped in coverage against Jordan Addison, who found the end zone on a 41-yard pass play.
Special teams: C-
Tampa Bay's special teams were fine for most of the day, but one play changed the entire complexion of the game. After the Bucs' first offensive drive, Riley Dixon punted the ball to Vikings returner Myles Price, who returned the ball 86 yards to put Minnesota up 10-0. This blunder proved to be a pivotal moment in a game in which Tampa Bay lost by seven points.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Report Card Grades from the Bucs' Week 3 loss to the Vikings
