Tag: Antoine Winfield Jr.

Bucs final injury report ahead of Week 15 matchup with the Chargers

On Friday, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles shared updates on several key starters for the Bucs ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Chargers. 

From an injury standpoint, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been receiving some of the worst luck this season. On Wednesday, the Bucs were missing a whopping 10 starters combined on both sides of the ball from practice.

On Friday, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles shared updates on several key starters for the Bucs ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Chargers.

Linebacker, K.J. Britt, safety Antoine Winfield Jr., and safety Mike Edwards have all been ruled out with their injuries for Sunday’s matchup. Cornerback Josh Hayes, running back Bucky Irving, and defensive back Christian Izien are all questionable with their injuries.

The team missing Bucky Irving would be a less-than-ideal situation based on his recent performances. If Irving is unavailable, Rachaad White will assume the starter role again with Sean Tucker serving as a change of pace back. The absence of Antoine Winfield Jr., though, will hurt, but getting Josh Hayes back to combat Justin Herbert and the Chargers passing attack would be good news this team could use.

Check out the full injury report below.

Several notable names miss practice for Bucs on injury report

Apart from the team being without All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr., they also miss several other prominent names from Wednesday’s practice. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a constant problem this year when it comes to getting bit by the injury bug. The team seems to be dealing with it on a larger scale than we could have ever thought heading into Week 15 against the Chargers.

The team is without All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. but several other prominent names were listed as not practicing from Wednesday’s practice.

Ten players were listed in total, with some notable names, including Mike Edwards, Tristan Wirfs, Ben Bredeson, Mike Evans, and Bucky Irving. These are all starters and players who, if the team were without them, could be in trouble come Sunday against the Chargers.

All of these situations will be worth monitoring as the week progresses and more injury reports get published.

5 key takeaways from the Bucs 28-13 win over the Raiders

The Bucs are 7-6, there are some things that fans should keep their eyes on as we are closing in on the home stretch of the regular season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers walked into Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders needing a huge win. This is not because the Raiders are in the midst of a mid-season rebuild but because a win would put this Buccaneers team over .500 for the first time since they fell to 4-4 following their second loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

While the boxscore displays what appears to be a lopsided 28-13 victory, pushing the Bucs to 7-6, there are some things that fans should keep their eyes on as we are closing in on the home stretch of the regular season. Here are five key takeaways from the Buccaneers Week 14 win.

Live and Die by Baker Mayfield

For all of the great things that Bucs QB Baker Mayfield brings to the table, there is also an erratic counterpart, ala a modern-day Brett Favre. Mayfield’s 3329 passing yards and 28 TDs are each, respectively, the third-most in the NFL. His 13 interceptions put him right behind the leader in interceptions, the Falcons’ Kirk Cousin- who has 15. You can argue that a lot of this has to do with Chris Godwin not being available, as Mayfield and Godwin had a top-tier connection.

To put into context just how good that connection was, Godwin had only played in seven games this season and was the team’s leader in receiving yards until Week 14. Godwin’s 50 receptions are currently still the second-most on the team behind TE Cade Otton’s 57. Both sides of the coin, mixed in with his personality, make Mayfield one of the most polarizing players in the league. He is both fun and frustrating to watch, oftentimes within the same game.

With a defense that is still trying to find its way and navigating injuries, the Buccaneers are a lot more reliant on its quarterback play than some other teams in the NFL.

Increased defensive-line snaps

It’s been observed week in and week out that Todd Bowles plays his defensive line with some odd rotations, namely keeping Yaya Diaby, Vita Vea, and Calijah Kancey on what appears to be snap count restrictions. Sunday’s contest saw upticks to 79% for Diaby and 70% for Vea, and a 66% snap count for Kancey. The Bucs are now a Top 10 team in total sacks with 35 on the year, and Diaby’s 52 pressures have him with the eighth-most in the NFL.

As the Buccaneers’ defense battles injuries in its secondary, it’s imperative for Bowles to continue to increase the snap counts for his best defensive linemen into pressuring quarterbacks to make quicker decisions to help his younger and less experienced set of defensive backs.

 Liam Coen’s unconventional passing offensive success

Piggy-backing off of Mayfield, the carousel in the backfield, and one true, reliable target at wide receiver, the Buccaneers offense is Among the top three in yards per game at 379.2 and fifth in points per game, averaging 27.9. For all of the questions surrounding this Bucs offense, offensive coordinator Liam Coen has displayed an innate ability to generate a lot of yards and a lot of points on a regular basis. Against the Raiders, Mayfield had seven different targets, with five of those seven having more than three targets each.

Evans is always going to draw attention from opposing defenses, and Otton is toeing the line between a mid-tier and top-tier tight end. Outside of that, which receivers are stepping up? This is where Coen’s playcalling is standing out. With such a youthful and unproven wide receiver room outside of Evans, no single player needs to play with the weight on their shoulders of needing to step up and have a huge game. Jalen McMillian saw seven targets for the second time this season and logged two touchdowns against the Raiders, however he had just five total targets in the previous two games combined.

Playing in rotational roles is clearly proving successful as the Buccaneers offense continues rolling.

The defense is tightening up

Yes, they played the 25th-ranked offense, but you play who you are scheduled to play. Bowles’s defense held the Raiders to under 100 rushing yards and under 200 passing yards with a depleted linebacking group, losing Antoine Winfield without Jordan Whitehead and Mike Edwards, just to name a few.

Just a week prior, they gave up a lot more to the Carolina Panthers, but divisional games are meant to be closer and more difficult; that should not be a tell-tale sign- unless you’re allowing a quarterback to have a career day in his 13th year. Despite having three turnovers on offense, holding the Raiders offense to under 300 total yards and only 13 points is noteworthy.

Anyone can get an “A”; it’s keeping it that’s the hard part

“It’s one thing getting to first place. It’s a whole other thing staying there,” coach Bowles said after Sunday’s game, as the Buccaneers took over first place in the NFC South. It was a tale of two halves for the Buccaneers offense, but the defense, which has been a liability at times this season, remained grounded and held up their end of the deal.

With four tough games remaining on their schedule, including two division games, the Buccaneers are eyeing their fourth-straight division title, but it won’t be easy, especially not having a tiebreaker over the Falcons. The Bucs’ remaining opponents have a combined record over 21-30, while the Falcons are 15-37, with only the Washington Commanders, the only team remaining that has more than four wins through Week 14 of the season.

Bucs see sharp rise in their playoff and division title chances

Those two trends by the Bucs and Falcons have led Tampa Bay’s NFC South division title chances to take a sharp turn upward.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had been struggling to remain in the playoff hunt, especially during their four-game losing streak heading into their Bye Week. Since then, they have won two in a row over the Giants and Panthers, while the Falcons have lost three in a row.

Those two trends by the Bucs and Falcons have led Tampa Bay’s NFC South division title chances to take a sharp turn upward.

According to ESPN and their prediction formula, they now favor the Bucs to win the division with a 50% chance to the Falcons’ 49%. Meanwhile, to make the playoffs as a whole, ESPN is giving Tampa Bay a 52% chance to Atlanta’s 49%.

In Week 14, the Bucs will face the 2-10 Las Vegas Raiders while the Falcons play the 10-2 Minnesota Vikings. If the Bucs win while the Falcons lose, these numbers could lead to a large leap in the direction of Tamp Bay.

The Bucs still have a lot to play for in the NFC South, and they have the schedule to make some big moves in the coming weeks.

Ravens vs. Buccaneers: Top photos from Baltimore’s 41-31 win on Monday Night Football

We’re looking at the top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night in Week 7

The Ravens started the game down 10-0, then scored 41 unanswered points, jumping out to a massive lead before allowing 21 late points to the Buccaneers in the fourth quarter. Even with the defensive letdown, Baltimore’s performance won’t overshadow Lamar Jackson’s five-touchdown pass performance, as the Ravens moved to 5-2 on the season with a 41-31 win over Tampa at Raymond James Stadium.

Baltimore amassed 508 yards of total offense but had a dominant performance ruined as the defense allowed over 430 yards of offense for Tampa.

With preparation for the Browns in Week 8 set to begin, here’s an instant analysis of the big win on Monday Night Football.

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5 key takeaways from the Bucs pivotal win over the Saints in Week 6

An ever-important bounce-back game was on the docket for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the New Orleans Saints on the road.

An ever-important bounce-back game was on the docket for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the New Orleans Saints following their Week 5 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Not only would the Bucs fall to .500 with a loss, but they would have been 0-2 in the NFC South, a place you do not want to be.

With a commanding 51-27 win over their division rivals, this was more of a giant leap forward for the Bucs team, who improved to 4-2 on the season. Here are 5 key takeaways from Sunday’s pivotal win over the Saints.

The offense once again showed glimpses of explosiveness

For the fourth time in six games, Baker Mayfield and the Bucs have put up more than 30 points, three of those being in winning efforts. Despite three interceptions from Mayfield, two of which should have been catches, Liam Coen never let off the gas in his playcalling. Three fourth-quarter touchdowns were a much different -and welcomed- feeling for Bucs fans as the offense was able to truly shut the door on the Saints in their blowout win.

The Buccaneers have the luxury of two superstar wide receivers and a revolving door of capable running backs. A balanced offensive attack proved the recipe for success against the Saints, as there was a 36-to-35 passing attempt to 35-to-35 rushing attempt split.

Rachaad White might be the odd man out

There will likely continue to be a theme when it comes to figuring out the running back room, and the theme will be uncertainty. A couple of times this season, it appeared that Rachaad White and Bucky Irving could be in the discussion for one of the top duos in the league until they weren’t. That conversation spun off into Irving potentially taking over RB1 duties from White. With White being inactive for Sunday’s matchup against the Saints, insert Sean Tucker into the conversation. Tucker carried the ball 14 times for 136 yards and a touchdown, while Irving also logged 14 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown.

A saving grace for White has been his ability to catch passes and create out of the backfield. However, Tucker finished the day as the team’s second-leading receiver, with 56 yards and a touchdown on three receptions.

The coaching staff will need to figure this out, and with arguably the toughest four-game stretch in the league looming, it might be time to roll the dice and stick with what worked so well against the Saints.

Defense still needs to tighten up

Don’t let the score fool you. Typically a 30+ point effort puts your team into prevent defense and clock-eating mode, that just simply hasn’t been the case for this team more often than not this season. Once up 17-0 early over the Saints, quickly turned into a 3-point 20-17 deficit. Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler was sacked five times and threw two interceptions on the day, but he never truly looked uncomfortable in the backfield in his first career start.

Only one time throughout their six games have the Buccaneers given up less than 250 yards, and that was to an A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith-less Eagles offense that generated 227 yards of offense. Leaving your offense to win in a shootout is going to be a difficult task, especially with the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers coming up. Yes, a crucial game against the Atlanta Falcons should be on the radar as the defense allowed Kirk Cousins to have a career day in Week 5.

Cade Otton isn’t the tight end the Bucs need

As legendary pro wrestling commentator Jim Ross would say, “he’s a good hand.” What that means is that he can be dependable, but there is nothing that truly stands out. It’s not a knock on Otton, but he is incapable of the athletic playmaking that the Buccaneers offense needs. GM Jason Licht is not one to make in-season trades, however, a dynamic playmaking tight end could prove to push this offense into the upper echelon of the consistently elite offenses in the NFL- emphasis on consistently.

Tykee Smith is developing into a solid starter

It’s too early in his career to talk about a budding superstar. After yesterday’s performance, it’s understandable why emotions are high, but let’s bring it back down to earth and talk about what Tykee Smith truly is, and that is a very solid developing star in this Buccaneers defense. Allowing just a 3.5 passer rating -yes, you read that right, 3.5- to Rattler while seeing six targets (second most behind Zyon McCollum’s 7) cannot be ignored. As Jamel Dean has struggled in the first quarter of the 2024 season, and the continued need for Todd Bowles to tighten up the defense, Smith should continue to see more snaps- especially with the return of Antoine Winfield Jr. looming over the top.

 

When healthy, Antoine Winfield Jr. and the Bucs make an elite defense

The Tampa Bay Bucs defense had not been able to find any consistency until Sunday against the Saints.

The Tampa Bay Bucs defense had not been able to find any consistency until Sunday against the Saints. All season, that side of the ball was nothing but hills, but something clicked against the Saints.

One reason for everything coming together could be linked to the return of Antoine Winfield Jr.

After playing in Week 1 against the Commanders, Winfield Jr. had missed the previous four games with a foot and ankle injury. With his return on Sunday, he brought with him the turnover charm because the defense was hawking the ball away from the Saints. They forced three turnovers: Tykee Smith forced a fumble and caught an interception, and Zyon McCollum grabbed an interception of his own.

Winfield Jr. grabbed that forced fumble and returned it for a touchdown, but his impact goes beyond that. The defense’s focus on him allowed Smith and McCollum to be forgotten about in coverage instead of being the main focus point for an offense.

It could be the sign of things for this Bucs defense, and it develops into an elite unit.

Antoine Winfield Jr. wastes no time making an impact against Saints

In Week 6, Winfield Jr. and Kancey returned, and the former Minnesota Golden Gopher wasted no time making an impact.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense had been struggling all season to find consistency. They had been dealing with injuries all season long, and the hope was that the defense everyone saw shut down Jayden Daniels in Week One would return.

As it turns it, it may have in Week 6.

The injuries to Calijah Kancey and Antoine Winfield Jr. sometimes caused the Bucs’ defense to play lost. This was capsulated by Kirk Cousins’s 500-yard passing performance against them last week. In Week 6, Winfield Jr. and Kancey returned, and the former Minnesota Golden Gopher wasted no time making an impact.

On the Saints’ first offensive possession of the game, Tykee Smith punched the ball out of Saints wide receiver Chris Olave’s hands. The ball would be recovered by Winfield Jr. and returned 54 yards to break the game open with a score of 14-0.

The Bucs needed Antoine Winfield Jr. and his leadership back in the lineup, and he showed why almost immediately.

Antoine Winfield Jr. picks up TD with scoop and score

Antoine Winfield’s scoop and score doubled the Bucs’ early lead against the Saints

Antoine Winfield Jr. was on the spot early Sunday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced the New Orleans Saints in Week Six NFL action.

After Baker Mayfield hit Chris Godwin with a TD pass to open the scoring, Winfield scooped a fumble and returned it 58 yards to give the Buccaneers a 14-0 lead.

Spencer Rattler, making his first NFL start, found Chris Olave with a short pass but the former Ohio State star fumbled the ball and Winfield collected it and collected six points.

After a 2-0 start, the Saints had lost three straight coming into the game.

Bucs place LB SirVocea Dennis on IR with shoulder injury

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to deal with injuries as they now are placing linebacker SirVocea Dennis on injured reserve.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to deal with injuries as they now are placing linebacker SirVocea Dennis on injured reserve. Dennis suffered a shoulder injury against the Eagles and the team has determined that he will need some time to fully recover.

During Friday morning’s media session, Bowles told the media “We’re not counting on him anytime soon.” He would go on to explain that his shoulder was ‘kind of messed up this summer. . .kinda knew he was touch and go.”

Dennis joins several other starters who will be set to or have missed time, such as Calijah Kancey and Antoine Winfield Jr. The defense showed that it was hurting on Thursday night against the Falcons when it surrendered a whopping 550 yards, 509 of which came from Kirk Cousins and his passing.

The team will now have to rely upon K.J. Britt to step up in his absence. His roster spot was given to Antonio Grier, who the team signed off the practice squad.