Nobody feels good about the place Buccaneers are at

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For a participant who’s made a residing off of successful contested catches, Tampa Bay Buccaneers extensive receiver Mike Evans had what ought to have been one of many best deep landing grabs of his profession Sunday on the Carolina Panthers.

The closest defender — cornerback CJ Henderson — was 10.9 yards away on the time the cross arrived in Evans’ palms from quarterback Tom Brady.

There was nothing however inexperienced grass 25 yards in entrance of him. And he dropped it. The Buccaneers would not have a landing all recreation.

“Nobody play is the only cause you lose however that was undoubtedly the most important cause,” Evans mentioned. “I seen the life exit of us. It took me some time to get again taking part in. We’re taught to play the subsequent play, but it surely was robust — extensive open, probably the greatest within the recreation — I’ve gotta catch it.”

That is the form of day Sunday was for the Bucs as they fell in beautiful vogue to the Panthers, 21-3, dropping their fourth out of the previous 5 video games to fall to 3-4. Like final week’s recreation on the Pittsburgh Steelers, this was a one-win Panthers crew they had been favored to beat by double digits, led by a backup quarterback and missing a lot star energy.

“Nobody feels good about the place we’re at, nobody feels good about how we have performed or what we’re doing,” mentioned Brady, who finds himself beneath .500 seven video games into the season for the primary time since 2002.

“We’re all in it collectively. We have gotta go pull ourselves out of it.”.

Whereas a number of gamers sat at their lockers visibly shocked and staring on the flooring in silence, coach Todd Bowles was not puzzled.

“We’re not taking part in properly. We’re not taking part in properly as people, we’re not taking part in properly as a crew,” he mentioned. “We’re not teaching properly. Throughout. We’re not scoring sufficient on offense. We’re not stopping them sufficient on protection. So in consequence — we’ve got to put on this on our sleeve. We have gotta be grown males. We’re gonna see what we’re manufactured from — how many individuals can deal with adversity? That is as darkish because it’s gonna be proper now.

“These guys who’re gonna step up are gonna present up this week in observe. Our leaders are gonna lead. Our coaches are gonna coach. We’re simply gonna dig and preserve our head down. It is a prideful soccer recreation. … Both you may or you may’t. We’re gonna see what we’ve got going ahead and see how many individuals crumble when it is darkish, and see how many individuals step up and beginning taking part in higher.

“We as a crew, beginning with me and the coaches, and the gamers have gotta be accountable as properly — it is a darkish day for us shedding the best way we did and with the errors that we had, that we should not have had,” he continued. “You may’t do nothing however choose your shirt up by the tail. We personal it, we’ve got to personal it, to a person, we’ve got to face up right here and personal it and make no excuses, and we have simply gotta begin digging.”

Touted as probably the greatest offenses within the league, the Bucs have gone from averaging 31.43 offensive factors per recreation via seven video games final season to simply 16.71 factors, twenty seventh within the league. Within the third quarter, on the Carolina 25-yard line, operating again Leonard Fournette was stifled on a third-and-1 run up the center after which on a fourth-and-1 pitch. That they had three drops whole for the sport.

When Brady and the Bucs obtained all the way down to the 8-yard line with 13:53 to go within the fourth quarter, he failed to attach on three straight cross makes an attempt — to Russell Gage, Evans and Chris Godwin — forcing them to accept a 27-yard discipline purpose from Ryan Succop for his or her solely factors of the day.

Defensively, they suffered from a number of communication points and protection busts with out cornerbacks Carlton Davis, who missed the sport with a hip harm, and Sean Murphy-Bunting, who was held out with a quadriceps harm, and security Logan Ryan, who underwent surgical procedure this week to restore a Jones fracture in his foot. Cornerback Jamel Dean inexplicably didn’t go deep when DJ Moore slipped behind security Mike Edwards on a 20-yard landing. Rookie cornerback Zyon McCollum hesitated and was out of place on PJ Walker’s 29-yard landing throw to Tommy Tremble.

The Bucs even have gone from being the league’s top-ranked run protection, giving up 67.43 speeding yards per recreation via seven video games final 12 months, to giving up 118.29 speeding yards per recreation, sixteenth within the league. On Sunday, they surrendered 173 speeding yards with a 60-yard run from D’Onta Foreman and a 17-yard landing run by Chuba Hubbard that linebacker Devin White and security Keanu Neal each missed tackles on.

“That is gonna be a giant check for us. We’ll see the place we’re at. We’ll see what we’re manufactured from,” Evans mentioned. “We have been right here earlier than. A few of us have been right here via the true robust occasions. We all know find out how to preserve taking part in, and that is what we’ve got to do. This one’s gonna damage. We’ll do the 24-hour rule. And we have gotta prepare for Thursday [against the Baltimore Ravens]. … Fortunately we’re taking part in Thursday. We’ve got to win it.”

Requested whether or not he is apprehensive that gamers will begin mentally trying out, Bowles mentioned, “We’re all checked in. We’re simply not teaching and taking part in properly sufficient.”