Ira Kaufman’s 10 Takeaways From Bucs-Ravens
October 22nd, 2024
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
One by one, players and coaches trudged into Tampa Bay’s post-game locker room with heads down and hearts broken.
Who can blame them?
Monday night’s 41-31 loss to Baltimore was compounded by the losses of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, likely for an extended period. The initial diagnosis is a dislocated ankle for Godwin suffered late in the game and a hamstring injury for Evans midway through the second quarter when a potential second TD reception slipped through his fingertips in the left corner of the end zone.
“Our hearts are heavy,” said Todd Bowles, who must quickly refocus his players before the Bucs take on Atlanta Sunday in a midseason matchup for first place in the NFC South.
The Bucs bolted to a 10-0 advantage before a second-period onslaught by the Ravens, who finished with 508 total yards in extending their winning streak to five games. Lamar Jackson tossed two of his five scoring passes in the second quarter after the Bucs boasted a 140-22 advantage in yards during the opening 15 minutes.
Baltimore’s rally was aided by a Baker Mayfield miscue as Marlon Humphrey picked off a pass intended for Jalen McMillan in the right corner of the end zone.
The Ravens needed only four plays to drive 80 yards for the go-ahead score, highlighted by a 59-yard completion to Rashod Bateman to the 8-yard line. A holding penalty pushed the Ravens back but on second-and-goal from the 18, Tampa Bay’s defense went AWOL, allowing running back Justice Hill to take a short pass the distance for an inexcusable score.
The Bucs never quite recovered from the Evans injury and unfortunately for Tampa Bay fans, Derrick Henry was just getting warmed up. The NFL rushing leader gained 146 of his 169 yards in the second half and toward the end of the game, Buc defenders appeared in no hurry to tackle him.
Jackson was a model of efficiency, completing 17-of-22 attempts while posting a 158.1 passer rating, just shy of perfection. He also scrambled for 52 yards as the Ravens displayed their physicality with 244 yards on the ground against a proud run defense.
Mayfield threw for 174 yards in the fourth quarter as the Bucs desperately tried to overcome a 34-10 deficit. That’s right — the Ravens reeled off 34 consecutive points in the middle two quarters.
Cade Otton caught eight passes for 100 yards and Rachaad White had two TD receptions for the Bucs.
A defense that threw a second-half shutout at New Orleans last week proved no match for Baltimore’s high-powered attack as the Ravens averaged a startling 9.4 yards on their 54 snaps.
Now the Bucs have to scramble to replace Godwin and Evans, who have combined for 11 TD receptions through seven weeks. It’s up to McMillan, Trey Palmer and Sterling Shepard to build enough trust with Mayfield to keep a high-scoring offense afloat.
Here’s how the Ravens dropped the Bucs to 4-3 on a somber evening in Tampa:
* Bowles blitzed early and often. Only on the opening drive did it end with a sack of the elusive Jackson. Other times, Baltimore burned the Bucs with quick passes that capitalized on shaky tackling. There were also major brain farts in coverage, exemplified by a 9-yard TD pass to tight end Mark Andrews with no Buc in the same zip code.
* For the second consecutive game, Mayfield couldn’t find his rhythm in the second quarter. New Orleans picked him off three times in the quarter last week and Humphrey got him twice on Monday night in back-to-back possessions. Mayfield’s second interception was an ill-advised pass intended for Godwin, who was bracketed by double coverage.
The Bucs lost more than a TD when Mike Evans dropped this end zone pass in the first half.
* Roquan Smith was a terror for the Ravens with 18 tackles and a forced fumble. He’s one of the league’s elite linebackers — and he’ll get no argument from the Bucs.
* Besides the injuries to Evans and Godwin, rookie Tykee Smith was sidelined by a concussion that could keep him out of the Atlanta matchup.
* You won’t see a quieter game by Lavonte David, who was credited with only two stops. He was caught out of position on several occasions and never made his presence felt.
* The only player on either side who didn’t get on the field? You guessed it, Gator fans … Kyle Trask.
* In the midst of a Hall of Fame career, Henry reeled off an 81-yard run late in the third quarter to set up another Andrews TD catch. In the fourth quarter, Henry rumbled 39 yards to set up his own 13-yard scoring reception. In a word, he was sensational.
* The Ravens hardly played a clean game. They were penalized nine times for 85 yards and were victimized by a lateral that was recovered by Zyon McCollum at the Baltimore 30, setting up Mayfield’s 11-yard scoring pass to White.
* McCollum has enjoyed a solid season, but he looked lost midway through the third quarter when Bateman got behind him for a 49-yard TD catch that put Baltimore up 27-10.
* Kirk Cousins, who threw for a franchise-record 509 yards against the Bucs in Atlanta, will be looking to inflict more damage as a pair of 4-3 teams square off Sunday. The resolve of this Buc team is about to be tested.
“Looking around this room, there’s no question that this team is resilient,” said Ben Bredeson. “We’ll need guys to step up.”
October 22nd, 2024 at 7:12 am
Put White in the slot.
October 22nd, 2024 at 7:12 am
Maybe pudgy Baker can stop hopping around in the pocket like a fat baby rabbit and actually find an open receiver. He is terrible under pressure.
October 22nd, 2024 at 7:25 am
Defensive Genius.
October 22nd, 2024 at 7:29 am
Has Bowles been fired yet?
October 22nd, 2024 at 7:37 am
The offense still has the potential to beat teams. However, the defense is more porous than a sieve. No way we make the playoffs, the way they’ve been playing recently.
October 22nd, 2024 at 7:43 am
Finally a post I can agree with! HC Grover is right.
I’ve been lobbying for White to go to the slot or some other flanker position as soon as the Buck and Tuck show blew up.
No I do not expect his to replace the production of the hottest receiver in the league, but I do expect, if he can learn the position, success on a large scale.
McMillan and Shep will have to man the outside. Otton has been underused in the shadow of the best WR tandem in the league. He should finally get more opportunity.
The Bucs faced the best team in the league and learned in the first quarter they could play with the big boys. 3 plays later, a CG14 TD negated by a holding against the Bucs best OL, a dropped TD pass and injury to the star HOF receiver, and Baker’s stupid int in the end zone. Total that up! It’s an eleven point swing in a ten point loss.
I went to bed at halftime after those three plays knowng you can’t give up 11 points to the most explosive offense in the league.
Sad eyes, turn the other way
I don’t want to see you cry
There’s no crying in baseball AND football. All losses are disappointing but against the best team in the league, with the best QB, the best RB, arguably the best coach it’s not a freaking surprise.
I’m with Baker!!! It sucks but it’s time to regroup and it’s going to be fun watching the now underdog Bucs try to reach the playoffs. They’re not a SB team this year! As Gomer said, “Surprise, surprise, surprise!”
They ARE still an entertaining team with a lot of youth and a QB with cojones so large they are only topped by his HUGE heart!
Eat that “Mostly Peaceful Assshole!!!”
October 22nd, 2024 at 7:43 am
Nice takes Ira. If someone besides Rah (or perhaps Dennis Allen or Canales) was coming to town, I would already have an L penciled in. The Bucs will probably still lose but the one thing about the NFC south is that it probably has 4 of the worst head coaches in the NFL so there is always a chance that someone in division could actually let Bowles out coach him. This is a division that Payton’s mediocre Broncos will likely sweep. However, last night told me that Coach Bowles has rubbish for a defense which is mind boggling with talent like Vea, Kancey, Lavonte and Winfield on the field but a chain is only as strong as its weakest link and I wonder if the weak link is KJ Britt or Coach Bowles himself. Sad day in Tampa Bay. Prayers to Chris Godwin.
October 22nd, 2024 at 7:47 am
Preseason schedule analysis said that this was going to be a loss all along.
The game was lost when they didn’t extend a10-0 lead. Without a great lead Henry was gonna run all over you.
October 22nd, 2024 at 7:55 am
I”ve seen enough of Todd Bowles. We are not SB contenders and have not been for a Long time.
October 22nd, 2024 at 7:56 am
Baker is doing great. IT’s the defense!
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:04 am
Bowles must go!
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:10 am
More Pretender than Contender, especially in Prime Time games. Will be shocked if they beat Falcons.
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:12 am
Here’s the only takeaway – Bowles is an idiot, a bad head coach, a lousy defensive coordinator who should be looking for a new job in January.
Oh, and Roquan Smith is dirty as hell.
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:20 am
Perfectly said, Ira. “A somber evening in Tampa.” It sure was. And this morning isn’t much better. Just like Bowles said about the team afterwards, “Our hearts are heavy.” Our hearts as fans are heavy too.
Hoping to hear better news later on about Chris, Mike, and Tykee.
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:24 am
The Bucs had an opportunity to be ahead 21-0 early in this game- denied by a questionable holding call and Evans’ injury which probably affected the dropped td pass .
Andrews’ TD – he put a move on Whitehead that had him going in opposite direction- maybe this was Whitehead’s worst game as a Buc.
Mayfield’s costly interception to Humphrey- throw the ball away – the play call was doomed from the start by Ravens’ coverage
The team does have heart- will it be enough to make up for the poor defense?
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:27 am
The season ended last night because as noted above Todd Bowles is an idiot who should be fired in January. At least you have the next coach on the staff in Coen.
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:36 am
Put White in the slot. Palmer wide. Let’s see if TE Culp with his size and speed can do a Evans impersonation. Prayers to Chris. My favorite player since Ricky Bell.
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:41 am
Having a good start in the first few minutes of the game does not mean, in any way, that you can “hang with the big boys.” Thats preposterous, wishful thinking, not even a level headed outlook. Once Evans came up gimpy (AGAIN) the bucs showed how mentally weak they are. Any bit of adversity, they shi down their leg. It’s pervasive, systemic. Once Baltimore settled in the Bucs got absolutely ragdolled, and so did our “fans” with purple jerseys taking over the stadium and sounding like a Baltimore home game during that Derrick Henry 80 yard run. Everyone all around should be ashamed. Not in to this weak group think of a certain side wanting to eliminate shame. If you’re fat and disgusting, you should feel shame, which should compel you to do something about. None of this body positivity business and being an enabler for the weak. Same analogy applies here. THEY GOT RAGDOLLED, there is no other way around it
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:51 am
It’s hard to understand why Bowles goes in a shell in games where we had the GOAT, have unused timeouts, have opportunities to go for the dagger…….but then when we have less than two minutes, no timeouts, down by two scores…. suddenly he wants to be aggressive?
This is what we mean by poor situational awareness by Bowles. In key moments, he simply miscalculates too often. The biggest red flag for me was the all-out blitz against the Rams that left the NFL’s top receiver uncovered giving up huge chunks of yards with little time left on the clock. Again….what are we doing with Godwin out there and Jackson was already pulled from the game? The game was over and now Godwin is done for the season and possibly as a Buc.
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:52 am
Has Bowles ever heard of the hurry up offense??? Shld of gone to no huddle when down 10 points. Wasted time AGAIN!!! Fire Bowles!!! Make Liam head coach. Get someone that can coach the talent on defense!!!
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:52 am
I really blame Liam Coen for the baker Int in the end zone. Bucky had just gained 6 on a run to make it 2nd and goal from the 3. WTF is Coen doing even calling a pass play? You have 3 plays to gain 3 FREAKING YARDS-RUN THE DARN BALL!!!!!!!!. Coen better darn well realize you have 3 good backs and a decent Oline and the opportunity to run it down teams throats with far less risk than throwing to a utterly depleted WR corps. Bucs ran for 125 yards last night and that with being far behind for almost 3 quarters. NOBODY thought Bucs could run on the Ravens , but they did. Coen needs to wake up.
October 22nd, 2024 at 8:58 am
I know it is a sad day in Tampa Bay, but why is there no top ten item Mike Evans caught his 100th TD
October 22nd, 2024 at 9:01 am
It was a bad game. They will regroup. SS can bridge the gap until Evans returns.
At 10-7 with the Evans dropped TD, it was all Bucs. They didn’t suddenly become a “bad” team. They are young in places. And an emotional team. So this is not a surprise.
Bowles will fix it.
October 22nd, 2024 at 9:01 am
Feels pretty stupid celebrating an Atlanta loss before the week is over doesn’t it? Make no mistake I’m diehard Bucs fan but I don’t believe in the team because I don’t believe in the coach. Y’all love him when he wins but these losses that is Bowles and this is why Bucs will be mediocre until he’s gone.
October 22nd, 2024 at 9:06 am
Bakefield should stick to short passes he gets in trouble on the long pass game and int. Dink dunk dink dunk then wait for a wide open long shot.
October 22nd, 2024 at 9:06 am
You like that….Going to be a long day Sunday. Cousins going to throw all over this defense and we won’t even be able to keep up on offense now that Godwin and Evans are done.
October 22nd, 2024 at 9:21 am
Gofortheface
If you’re going to hurl insults you should probably check your own post first.
“Once Evans came up gimpy (AGAIN) the bucs showed how mentally weak they are.”
So is playing with the big boys preposterous? Then WTF did Evans injury have to do with it. Perhaps your prejudged opinion of a team that lost 6 of 7 in the middle of last year, dropping to 4-7 yet not being so handcapped by their “mental weakness” they were able to rebound, run off a 4 game win streak, reach the playoffs and win a first round playoff game.
I only hope the Bucs are as “mentally weak” as that!!! What is actually preposterous is your hyperbole.
October 22nd, 2024 at 10:05 am
Cometowin2 … ‘Has Bowles ever heard of the hurry up offense??? Shld of gone to no huddle when down 10 points. Wasted time AGAIN!!! Fire Bowles!!! Make Liam head coach. Get someone that can coach the talent on defense!!!’
You know I kept thinking that very same thing about the hurry up offense last night. Really ticked me off that Bowles just kept calling all those offensive plays & telling Baker to ‘Slow down, slow down’. Oh wait, that was Liam calling the offensive plays. Oh well, make him head coach anyways. I’d let him coach the defense too for that matter.
October 22nd, 2024 at 10:48 am
This defense is horrendous, surrendering 500+ yards every week.
Middle of the field wide open EVERY GAME.
October 22nd, 2024 at 10:55 am
Chris is in a contract year and is playing for future money. He isn’t coming off the field when millions of dollars are at stake. This isn’t Bowles’ fault. Just stop.
Bowles’ can and should be held accountable for the defense though. Another 500+ yard give away. That’s his.
October 22nd, 2024 at 11:01 am
Defense Rules,
Always appreciate your takes and I’ve often thought Joe’s should hire you to write a column. I think Bowles is afraid of his defense and that is why he won’t do the hurry up until too late. He wants to be able to get a DC job after he’s fired.
God bless Chris Godwin!
October 22nd, 2024 at 11:27 am
Can we play some man on man press coverage instead of this soft a$$ pass defense. Need Dennis back soon. Pass covering ILB is needed as much as any position. Even White would be better than Britt.
October 22nd, 2024 at 11:48 am
Even if the backup WRs ball out, and they’ve shown no indication of ability to do so so far, it won’t matter if Defense continues to surrender 41 points. And given that the defense’s mistakes and weaknesses are repeated, it doesn’t appear Bowles knows how to fix them.