On Monday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played their week six game at home at Raymond James Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams came into the game 4-2, with the Ravens being favored to win. The Baltimore Ravens ranked first in rushing, led by Ravens Running Back Derrick Henry, who leads the league in rushing. Could the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense stop the very productive Ravens offense?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranked sixth in the league in rushing and have found a good run game in the past few games. Sean Tucker, the Bucs’ running back, had a great game last week against the New Orleans Saints, along with rookie Running Back Bucky Irving. If the Buccaneers could get a win against the Ravens, it would place them firmly in the top spot of the NFC South.
Ravens Too Much For Bucs
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored on their first two drives, resulting in a 10-0 lead over the Baltimore Ravens. Buccaneers Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a pass to Bucs Receiver Mike Evans, who would drop the pass. Then, after the play, Evans, who was questionable for the Ravens game with a hamstring strain, left with the same issue. In the first half, Mayfield would throw two interceptions both caught by Ravens Defensive Back Marlon Humphery, ending possible scoring drives. By the end of the half, the Ravens led 17-10.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense could not stop the Ravens offense, led by Quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson finished the night with five touchdowns on 17-of-22 passing completions and a 158 passer rating. The Bucs defense only sacked Jackson twice in the first half. Henry continued the offense’s productivity in the second half. Henry finished the game with 169 yards and no rushing touchdowns. He also caught a 13-yard pass for a touchdown.
Bucs Injuries
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost Evans in the first half of the game due to a hamstring injury. In the last minute of the game, the Buccaneers’ leading yards and touchdowns receiver, Chris Godwin, suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Some NFL experts question whether Godwin should have been playing due to the Ravens’ 41- 31 lead in the final minutes of the game. Coach Todd Bowles had this to say, according to the team’s website,
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ two starting receivers are injured. Mike Evans is questionable because of a hamstring injury, and Chris Godwin is out for the rest of the season because of an ankle injury. The question now is who the Bucs will lean on to catch passes for Baker Mayfield. The Bucs are now left with three active receivers, rookie Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, and Sterling Shepard, whom Mayfield helped get to the franchise. Bucs receivers Kameron Johnson and Rakim Jarrett are on IR.
Final Thoughts
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense needs some replanning. Mayfield threw two interceptions against the Ravens but had three touchdowns and 370 yards passing. The Buccaneers gained 125 yards rushing in Monday night’s game, but now one would wonder how the rest of the season will go without their star receivers. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were gaining momentum throughout these past couple of weeks. Will the run game become the go-to for the Bucs, or will the young backups make their mark on the season?
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