Preseason Week 3 Most Disappointing: Bucs vs. Colts

Another preseason game, another loss for the Bucs as they fell to the Colts 27-10 on Saturday night in Indianapolis. Quarterback Tom Brady and the starters looked sharp on offense and the starting defense looks like it will be a real problem for opposing offenses this year. However, once the backups came in, it wasn’t pretty.

The interior offensive line in particular struggled with Blaine Gabbert at the helm. For the second straight week, the Bucs’ third-down offense was abysmal, as was coverage on special teams. Here are the most disappointing players and moments from Saturday’s loss to the Colts:

Robert Hainsey

It wasn’t the best night for the Bucs’ starting center, and to make matters worse, he left the game with an injury and didn’t return. On the first drive of the game, he got bullied into the backfield on a first-down run play. Things wouldn’t get much better on the second drive, with Colts defensive lineman Grover Stewart having his way with the interior lineman, knocking him down to the ground. The play resulted in a tackle for loss on Rachaad White, pinning the Bucs inside their own 10-yard line.

Nick Leverett

It was a tough game all around for the young interior lineman, as Leverett was manhandled by Stewart while at right guard on the second drive of the game. Leverett was blown back on the play, allowing a second straight tackle for loss on White, backing the Bucs up inside their own five-yard line. Then, on the ensuing drive, he blocked his defender into Hainsey, causing an injury to the center’s ankle. To cap off his night, he left the game with a shoulder injury of his own.

Luke Goedeke

The second series of the game was not a pretty one for the Bucs’ rookie interior lineman. Goedeke was also blown up by Stewart for a tackle for a loss on White. He then had another tough block on a rushing play where he was lucky he didn’t get called for a holding play as the defender took him for a ride. Goedeke also had a bad rep in pass protection where he was bullied and pushed deep into the backfield.

Third-Down Offense

For second straight game, the Bucs got off to bad start on third downs, going 0-6 to start the night. While they eventually broke the streak with a 21-yard completion from Kyle Trask to Tyler Johnson, that would be the last conversion of the game. Tampa Bay finished just 1-of-11 on third downs against Indianapolis.

QB Containment

The Bucs really struggled to keep Colts quarterbacks in the pocket on Saturday night. The defense allowed 61 of Indianapolis’ 120 rushing yards to be gained by three different quarterbacks. The most egregious was Sam Ehlinger’s 45-yard scramble for a touchdown in the second half.

Keith Armstrong and Special Teams Coverage Units

The kick and punt coverage units continued to look horrid for the Bucs. What’s troublesome is that this is a continuing trend from the last few seasons, with no real improvement in sight. The unit allowed a 53-yard return on the Colts’ lone kickoff return attempt, but perhaps even more worrisome was the 70 yards on punt returns, with a 10-yard average and a long of 17 yards.

Offensive Play Calling

While there wasn’t anything extreme, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich continues to be predictable running on early downs. A trend from last year looks like it could carry over to the regular season if what we have seen in preseason is any indication. The Bucs have one of the best passing offenses in the league and while there is certainly a more concentrated effort to get the running game going, being less predictable will be crucial to success.

Scotty Miller

Saturday was another tough game for Miller after he had a really good camp. After dropping a deep pass last week that could have changed momentum in the game, he dropped another ball this week on a perfect pass form Blaine Gabbert. Miller has had pretty steady hands, but perhaps the competition has gotten to him. He also had a egregious missed block on a running play that led to a big tackle for loss on Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

Jose Borregales

As Bucs head coach Todd Bowles stated after Borregales missed the game winner against the Dolphins, your job as a kicker is to make the kicks. Unfortunately for Borregales, he missed his second kick of the preseason on Saturday night, this one coming from 52 yards out. And with that, he has probably cost himself the kicking competition. While it’s possible the Bucs are able to bring him back on the practice squad, it appears Ryan Succop has a stranglehold on his spot.

Backup Defensive Backs

There were some tough plays for the younger guys competing in the secondary. Safety Chris Cooper missed a tackle that allowed a 26-yard gain on a reception from Indianapolis running back Deon Jackson. Cornerback Dee Delaney also allowed 17-yard completion to receiver Michael Pittman Jr., which lead to a score.

While he’s had a strong camp and put together a stellar game against the Titans last week, safety Nolan Turner struggled with missed tackles against the Colts, including a big whiff on Dezmon Patmon’s 38-yard reception on a screen pass. Undrafted cornerback Don Gardner, who had a near pick in the Miami game and came down with one in last week’s Titans game, struggled against the Colts offense. He had a few missed tackles and was picked on in coverage on multiple plays.

Deadrin Senat

While Senat finished the game with the third-most tackles, it wasn’t on par with the game he had against the Titans. On Phillip Lindsay’s seven-yard run on the Colts’ scoring drive, he took Senat for a ride. He also had an encroachment penalty that set Indianapolis up at the 3-yard line, where Lindsay ran in for the touchdown a play later.

Elijah Ponder

Ponder’s worst play of the night was a missed tackle on Lindsay’s touchdown run when he broke through the line but couldn’t locate the ball carrier. He also struggled with containment and setting the edge. Plus, his pass rush wasn’t generating any real push on the pocket.

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