The phrase “running the ball effectively” has often not been associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers- especially for the last few seasons.
In 2020, the Bucs’ Leonard Fournette-led backfield finished 26th in the NFL. The following season, the rushing offense dropped to 28th, and last season, it had the league’s worst rushing offense with 1308 yards on the ground. In fact, the last time this team finished above 25th was in 2015, when it finished fifth in the league on the legs of Doug Martin’s 1402 rushing yards.
2024 is proving to be more of the same, and the Buc’s lack of ability to run the ball reared its ugly head on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. On just two occasions, did Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph stack the box -three if we count the goal line alignment- showing a complete disregard for the Bucs rushing attack? I know someone is saying that the box didn’t need to be stacked as the Bucs were down 20-7 at the end of the first half, but the two times that defense was dialed up was with 2:35 left in the 2nd quarter and at the beginning of the 3rd quarter.
The Broncos logged seven sacks of Baker Mayfield. Per PFF, only Cody Mauch was credited with allowing a sack, meaning there were six coverage sacks of Mayfield.
Through three weeks, the Bucs are averaging 23 rushing attempts per game, which ranks them 26th. This one-dimensional offense leaves this Bucs team little room for error in the passing game, especially against a good passing defense such as the Broncos.
There is no reason to sound the alarm in Tampa as the team sits with a 2-1 record. However, being outgained by over 200 yards in Detroit further shows that this offense already needs a shot in the arm. In a league where wins are hard to come by, adding an extra element of difficulty to your own team’s success and the need to rely on a banged-up defense is a recipe for disaster.