The Dallas Cowboys' 31-14 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night in the NFL Playoffs marked the end of the Bucs' 2022-23 campaign. Here we'll discuss the four Buccaneers most to blame for their NFL Wild Card Round loss vs. the Buccaneers.
The offenses of both teams struggled to start the game. In fact, each team had consecutive possessions that resulted in no points. Dallas then had a successful drive on their third possession, scoring a touchdown. That seemed to open up the game. The Buccaneers had a chance to score, but their drive was halted when they threw an interception in the end zone. From then on, the Cowboys scored several touchdowns in a row and established a large lead. Even when Tampa Bay finally scored a touchdown in the third quarter, Dallas responded with another touchdown drive. That made it crystal clear that a comeback from the home team was not going to happen.
For now, let us look at the four Buccaneers most to blame for their NFL Wild Card Round loss vs. the Buccaneers.
4. Buccaneers Offense
The Buccaneers offense had a poor performance. Tom Brady just struggled to connect with his receivers, particularly Mike Evans. The Cowboys built a huge 24-0 lead. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay had several unsuccessful possessions. This included punting five times, throwing an interception in the end zone, and failing to score before halftime. By the time the Bucs did score a touchdown, the game was already out of reach. Additionally, Tampa Bay's running game was ineffective throughout the game. Of course, this also negatively impacted their passing game. In fact, during the first half, the Buccaneers rushed for only 24 yards on seven carries.
3. Buccaneers Defense
The defense of Tampa Bay had been performing well in recent weeks. However, they were unable to replicate that success against Dallas. The Cowboys had a strong offensive performance. They gained 425 yards, scored five touchdowns, and successfully converted seven out of 13 third downs. The game was a disappointment for the Buccaneers and their fans. Now, the team will have to reflect on what went wrong during the season and make changes for the next season.
2. Buccaneers Coaches
The Buccaneers flat-out had a poor performance against the Cowboys in the Wild Card Round. The coaching staff failed to help the team and the game plan, specifically the offensive scheme, was inadequate. Strangely enough, the Buccaneers did not run the ball well, despite having some success in their previous game against Dallas. The defense also failed to stop the Cowboys' offensive, and the pass rush was ineffective.
Coach Todd Bowles' decision to punt on a fourth-and-3 from their own 47-yard line, instead of trying to gain a spark for the offense, was also misguided. Of course, the coach's first season with the Buccaneers was not a complete failure as they won the NFC South. However, the team was not as successful as in previous years. The abysmal defensive performance also makes it difficult to predict the team's future in 2023. Now, the team has to contemplate whether they'll keep Bowles as coach or not.
1. QB Tom Brady
Tom Brady's performance this season makes it undeniable that he is no longer at the peak of his career. Sure, he broke the league record for attempts and completions. However, he also missed passes that he used to make easily. His flashes of brilliance were also not as frequent. In this game, he threw a career-high 66 times and had ongoing communication issues with his teammates. That resulted in an unbalanced and ineffective offense.
Brady has the choice to continue playing and risk a further decline in his performance or retire and move on from football (again). The loss to the Cowboys and the poor performance in the playoffs were obviously not the ways he wanted to end his career. It will be interesting to see what decision he makes in the upcoming weeks as he is a pending free agent.