Bucs offense sputters in sloppy 13-3 preseason loss vs. Titans

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dropped their second straight preseason game Saturday night against the Tennessee Titans

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dropped their second straight preseason game Saturday night, falling 13-3 on the road against the Tennessee Titans.

Unlike last week’s narrow defeat at the hands of the Miami Dolphins, this loss didn’t have many silver linings for the Bucs, who looked ugly on offense for all four quarters.

Kyle Trask played quarterback for most of the night yet again, but didn’t deliver the same promising performances Bucs saw in the preseason opener. The second-year passer completed just 11 of his 24 attempts for 105 yards and an interception, and fumbling twice.

The Bucs managed just 174 yards of total offense, moving the chains only nine times, converting two of their 13 third-down attempts, and going 0-for-2 on fourth down.

Adding to the pain of an ugly offensive performance, the Bucs also lost yet another key member of their offensive line when guard Aaron Stinnie was carted off the field with a knee injury late in the third quarter.

Outside of running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn (10 carries, 54 yards), Tampa Bay’s most valuable offensive weapon was rookie punter Jake Camarda, who averaged 50.4 yards on his seven punts, with a long of 65 yards.

The Bucs defense fared a bit better, notching four sacks and an interception, while holding the Titans to just one touchdown and a pair of field goals. Linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi was the star of the show on that side of the ball for Tampa Bay, racking up a team-high 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two tackles for loss.

Tampa Bay held the Titans to just 117 yards through the air, but missed tackles helped allow the Titans to tally 138 yards on the ground.

The Titans took the two-score victory despite beating the Bucs in penalties with nine for 75 yards, compared to Tampa Bay’s 30 yards on four infractions.

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