The Tampa Bay Buccaneers arrived in East Rutherford, New Jersey, desperate for a win, having lost their last four games before last week's bye.
Not only did Todd Bowles' team emerge from the bye week refreshed, they made a statement on all sides, improving to 5-6 on the year and keeping their playoff hopes alive. Here are five key takeaways from today's 30-7 win over the Giants.
Bucky Irving is RB1
The Buccaneers are known around the league as a team that has difficulty running the football. Part of the problem is the running back-by-committee approach Liam Coen takes. It's impossible for any of the Bucs RBs to become the “hot hand” and get anything going on the floor if they're constantly being subbed out (this will also be covered later on the defensive side). Bucky Irving has been the clear RB1 for the Buccaneers the last few games, and it seems the only people who can't see that are on the Bucs sidelines. Totaling just 12 of the team's 28 designed runs, Irving led the backfield with 87 yards – an average of 7.3 yards per carry. Irving tied Mike Evans for the team lead with six receptions, which was not only effective on the ground, but also tallied 64 receiving yards. It was clear how dangerous Rachaad White was at catching passes from behind. However, Irving has proven that he is just as good, if not better, at catching a pass than White.
Keep your best players on the field
Throughout the season, especially during the four-game losing streak, Bowles rarely kept his best defensive players on the field at the same time. All too often, Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey and Yaya Diaby played around 60% of the defensive snaps, which is unacceptable for your star players to be healthy when the snap count is so low. This game proved to be different, and while the official snap counts are not yet known, it was a noticeable effort to keep the best players on the field and it made a noticeable difference, as there were four sacks from Tommy DeVito.
Mike Evans opens the offense
Needless to say, one of the best Buccaneers players in franchise history is a good player. However, it was extremely obvious that Mayfield could distribute the ball effectively. Mayfield faced 11 different players and completed 24 of 30 for 294 yards on the day. The Giants have the best pass defense they have ever faced in terms of yards allowed over the last five games. This begs the question: Was it a mistake not to try to trade for another established wide receiver when Evans went down?
Play with urgency
The Buccaneers never let off the gas the entire game, no matter what the score was, which proved to be a recipe for success. Against the Falcons in their Week 5 overnight loss, it was a winnable game if the play-calling had been more urgent rather than targeted screen passes. The controversy of not going for two and not trying to win in regulation time against the Kansas City Chiefs. The fact that there wasn't anyone able to catch passes in those four games that didn't come from a running back or Cade Otton showed that this team has the talent to play with and match the best the NFL has to offer hit. However, they just seem to switch to cruise control at the wrong time. Today that wasn't the case and should be the blueprint for the Bucs for the rest of the season as they head into the playoffs.
Outcoach bad coaches
Bowles isn't a bad coach. He may be overly conservative and make decisions that question those of us not on the sidelines, but he's not a bad coach. Brian Daboll is not a good coach and Bowles has overtaken the Giants. Mistakes will happen as no team, player or coach is perfect, but what must happen is continuing to play with vigor and having Bowles coach the remaining six coaches the team plays against to complete the regular season .
