PR Roundtable: What’s The Bucs’ Source Of Hope Down The Stretch?

A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough question. This week’s prompt: What is the Bucs’ main source of hope down the final stretch of the season?

Scott Reynolds: Liam Coen’s Creativity And Adaptability Is A Big Positive

Bucs OC Liam Coen – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Before the season started I wrote that Liam Coen’s offense was going to be a huge upgrade for the Bucs in a previous SR’s Fab 5 column. And it has proven to be a major improvement over Dave Canales’ offense from a year ago. In fact, Coen’s offense has helped carry the team this season. Despite head coach Todd Bowles running the defense, it’s Coen’s side of the ball that is Tampa Bay’s strength. Despite playing the last three games without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Bucs are still averaging 27.9 points per game, which ranks fifth in the NFL, and are averaging 361.5 yards per game, which ranks eighth in the league.

That’s a testament to Coen’s creativity and adaptability as a play-caller. He’s a smart coach who holds himself accountable and has put himself in position to get a head coaching job in the league sooner rather than later. Perhaps in Tampa Bay as Bowles’ replacement in 2025, depending on how this season plays out. Oh, and Coen also figured out how the Bucs can run the ball effectively, which really hasn’t happened since Doug Martin was on the team in the Dirk Koetter years.

The fact that the Bucs have a guy that is showing signs of becoming an offensive wizard is encouraging moving forward. Tampa Bay will face several teams with terrible defenses down the stretch. Carolina, whom the team will face twice, has the worst-ranked scoring defense, allowing 31 points per game. Dallas has the 31st-ranked scoring defense, surrendering 28.8 points per game. Las Vegas is allowing 27.9 points per game, which ranks 30th in the league. And New Orleans is giving up 24.6 points per game, which ranks 24th in the NFL. Coen and his offense need to keep delivering around 27 points per game or more and keep donning the Superman cape in Tampa Bay.

Matt Matera: Bucs’ O-Line Is A Strength Of The Team

Bucs C Graham Barton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Star left tackle Tristan Wirfs getting injured in Sunday’s game puts a bit of a damper on this, but considering it’s not season-ending and Wirfs will only miss a couple of weeks, everyone can exhale. It’s somewhat miraculous how the Bucs offensive line has been completely able to turn around its fortunes this season. After being dead last in rushing yards over the last two seasons, Tampa Bay has revamped the ground game, averaging 125.3 yards per game, putting them at 11th best in the league.

Much credit should go to offensive coordinator Liam Coen and running backs Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker, but the offensive line deserves its praise, too. Wirfs is one of the best in the league and right tackle Luke Goedeke continues to ascend. Right guard Cody Mauch took a big step forward this year and rookie center Graham Barton, the Bucs’ 2024 first round pick, is looking like the team made the right choice on him. Even the free agent signing of starting left guard Ben Bredeson has worked out.

It’s not just the running the ball well, either. The Bucs have also been great in pass protection. They’ve kept Baker Mayfield upright for the most part this season, and the team’s passer rating of 103.6 is fourth best in the NFL. With the injuries at receiver, the offensive line giving Mayfield extra time has led to the group still finding success. Despite who’s in and who’s out at the skill positions, a great offensive line can keep a team in every game and that’s what Tampa Bay has. This is also a group that can stay together for a while. Wirfs signed a long-term extension while Goedeke, Mauch and Barton are still on their rookie deals. Only Bredeson would be the one who might be replaced after the season. So the Bucs are set up well for their short term and long term plans.

Bailey Adams: Bucs’ Final Seven Games Are Far More Manageable

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey and OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Panthers QB Bryce Young – Photo by: USA Today

There’s a case to be made that the Bucs being 5-5 or 4-6 at their bye week was always a strong possibility given the fact that they had a stretch of games against the Eagles, Falcons, Saints, Ravens, Falcons, Chiefs and 49ers between Weeks 4 and 10. Tampa Bay ended up going 2-5 in that stretch, so it’s a bit behind schedule right now because a 3-4 mark likely would’ve been what was expected. But regardless, that was always going to be a brutal stretch – the toughest of the season.

But the source of hope when the schedule was release and especially now is that after the bye, everything gets much lighter for the Bucs. They play the 2-8 Giants, the 3-7 Panthers, the 2-7 Raiders, the 6-3 Chargers, the 3-6 Cowboys, the 3-7 Panthers and the 3-7 Saints. So, over the final seven games, there’s just one opponent – the Chargers in Week 15 – over .500. The other six games are against four three-win teams and two two-win teams. Shoring some things up defensively and getting healthier on both sides of the ball could very well set the Bucs up for another strong run to close the season, maybe something as good as a 6-1 mark.

I’ll hear your arguments that this Tampa Bay team (specifically the defense) isn’t worth trusting even against the worst of opponents. But it’s worth reintroducing the context that this is a squad that very well could’ve and maybe should’ve beaten the 6-4 Falcons, the 9-0 Chiefs and the 5-4 49ers. The Bucs were right there, and while it was frustrating for them to come up short and sink to 4-6, replicating those efforts from games against playoff-bound teams when they play teams in the bottom half of the league down the stretch could have them right back in the mix come Weeks 17 and 18.

Josh Queipo: The Parts Are Greater Than Their Sum

Bucs DTs Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This is a talented roster. And there is talent within the coaching staff. Ask 32 head coaches if they could win with the talent the Bucs have along with their current offensive coordinator, and I would lay you odds to evens that all 32 would sign up in a heartbeat. The offense is proving to be a hot commodity. While offense across the league is slightly down, the Bucs are still scoring points. Tampa Bay has failed to score 20 points only once this season, and that came back in 26-7 loss to Denver in Week 3.

The offensive line is one of the best units in the NFL. The playmakers when healthy, when you include receivers, backs and tight ends, is a good group capable of incredible things. The Bucs have one of the better quarterbacks in the league in Baker Mayfield, who is leading the league with 24 touchdown passes.

And on defense? Eight of their starting 11 would be more than capable of success on most teams. It is difficult to keep this much talent down for too long. And with an incredibly favorable schedule ahead with some time to get healthy, well, hope springs eternal. The locker room knows how to come back from this kind of record deficit. And with more talent this year than last, no one should be counting them out…yet.

The hard part of the Bears schedule is only coming up… pic.twitter.com/uBe4OAlsjZ

— Timo Riske (@PFF_Moo) November 12, 2024

Adam Slivon: Mike Evans’ Return Will Be Huge Boost For Bucs Offense

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay’s offense could have sure used Mike Evans over the team’s past three games. While Baker Mayfield had success throwing the football against the Falcons, his passing yards regressed to 200 and just 116 against the Chiefs and 49ers. Mayfield is not absolved from some of the blame, but his skeleton wide receiver corps was not able to make a difference and help matters much on Sunday.

Ryan Miller was the team’s leading wideout — with one catch for 11 yards. Sterling Shepard, Rakim Jarrett, and Trey Palmer were non-factors, while Jalen McMillan did not play. With Evans aiming to return after the bye week from his hamstring injury, it will be a big boost for the passing game and the overall success of the offense. The star wideout has six touchdowns in seven games this season, and without Chris Godwin, could be featured in a more prominent role. One that could still get him to 1,000 receiving yards this year.

More than that, it gives offensive coordinator Liam Coen a top playmaker to cater the offense to, one that can be relied on to carry the load if fully healthy. Facing the easiest schedule in the league the rest of the way should give the offense more chances to have success and get back to being a Top 5 scoring unit. Mike Evans only adds to that optimism — and gives hope that the team can turn around its season and go on a run.