Tag: rachaad white

Bucs RB Rachaad White enters exclusive company after touchdown against the Chiefs

The Bucs drafted Rachaad White in the 2022 NFL draft and he immediately showed everyone what he could bring to their offense.

The Bucs drafted Rachaad White in the 2022 NFL draft out of Arizona State, and he immediately showed everyone what he could bring to their offense. He was dynamic in both the run and pass game and became one of the best dual-threat running backs in the NFL.

In front of his hometown crowd, the Bucs running back found the endzone and unique company in the process.

With his touchdown in the first quarter, White became just the third quarterback in the NFL since he joined the league to have at least eight touchdowns, both passing and rushing. He joins Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers.

Offensive coordinator Liam Coen has shown that he can be dynamic in his play calling and that White can be a weapon in his offense. It will be interesting to see how he is used the rest of the way against the undefeated Chiefs in front of his hometown crowd.

 

Bucs RB Bucky Irving misses practice with toe injury

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have found themselves a future starter at running back with the selection of Bucly Irving in April’s draft.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Bucky Irving in April’s draft, and they have found themselves a future starter at running back. They paired him up with Rachaad White and expected to have their own version of the thunder and lightning that so many teams in the NFL have success with.

However, it seems the Bucs may be without their emerging star at running back in Week 8.

In the team’s initial injury report of the week, Bucky Irving did not practice designation on the report. There were no specifics as to what the injury could be, but it is a less-than-ideal injury for a running back to have.

Rachaad White missed time earlier this year, and Sean Tucker proved to be a more than reliable option to step up in his place. If Irving misses time, look for Tucker to take his workload and work alongside Rachaad White out of the backfield.

PFF thinks Rachaad White could make an impact against Falcons in Week 8

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers running backs have emerged as one of the best groups in the NFL.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers running backs have emerged as one of the best groups in the NFL. The committee of Rachaad White, Sean Tucker, and Bucky Irving has been uber-efficient for the Bucs in recent weeks and will play a big role in future success.

Against the Falcons, PFF is favoring one member of the backfield to have a larger impact than the others.

PFF highlighted Rachaad White as making a big impact against the Falcons in Week 8. In their first matchup of the year, White had just 66 total yards but has been productive in the weeks since. PFF hints that he could make a larger impact if he is a part of the passing game.

With the absences of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, White could very well be in line to get more work as a receiver. He currently is PFF’s 8th-ranked running back in terms of receiving grade, while the Falcons have the 27th-ranked passing defense efficiency grade.

All in all, this could be a perfect formula for the Bucs’ depleted receiving corps to get some help from unfamiliar names in the passing attack.

5 takeaways from the Bucs brutal loss to the Ravens in Week 7

Here are five key takeaways from the Bucs’ 31-41 loss to the Ravens in Week 7.

A quick 10-0 start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Baltimore Ravens sent Raymond James Stadium into a frenzy.

However, 34 unanswered points from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens had fans leaving the stadium at the end of the third quarter. While the Buccaneers may have lost the game, they would go on to lose much more as the game went on.

Here are five key takeaways from the Bucs’ 31-41 loss to the Ravens in Week 7.

Consistently inconsistent

Wins are hard to come by in the NFL and are even more challenging to earn when you do not play consistently, which is precisely what this Buccaneers team lacks. On both sides of the ball, through all seven games, it’s hard to determine which Buccaneers team will show up and how many quarters will last.

Wide receiver depth is a glaring hole

When you have the luxury of superstar wide receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, there should never be a discussion about issues at WR for the Buccaneers. A worst-case scenario for the Bucs happened as the team lost both Evans and Godwin on the same night. While Evans reaggravated a hamstring injury, he should miss minimal time, whereas Godwin will likely be done for the remainder of the season.

You cannot replace receivers the caliber of an Evans or a Godwin, but who on the roster will step up and assert themselves as leaders inside the wide receivers room? Baker Mayfield and Sterling Shepard showed a rekindling of their former college teammate relationship in Week 4; however, that has been routinely non-existent since then, leaving a real issue at wide receiver for the Bucs.

Defense is still an issue

This season, the Buccaneers have needed to play nearly perfect offense more often than not, as their defense has been unable to slow down their opponents. For added context, the Bucs defense even allowed the Detroit Lions to control the clock and generate more offensive yards in a winning effort in Week 2.

Sure, they’ve battled injuries, but it’s a recipe for disaster when you force your offense to play mistake-free, and this was on full display for the Buccaneers against the Ravens. Through seven games, the 4-3 Buccaneers defense has allowed opposing offenses to outgain them four times.

Good problem in the running back room

The good news for the Buccaneers is that Rachaad White showed flashes of why he was the clear-cut starting running back coming into the season. This gives the Bucs an embarrassment of riches in the backfield between White, Bucky Irving, and Sean Tucker, the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. As the Bucs will need to do some serious soul-searching, particularly on offense, with the loss of their top two leading receivers, OC Liam Coen may start leaning on the emerging three-headed monster in the backfield.

It all boils down to coaching

The Buccaneers showed they would not give up when they recovered the onside kick with 3:46 remaining in the game. On a drive that would result in a touchdown and bring the Bucs within 10 points as they trailed 31-41, there were no attempts to get out of bounds or throw toward the sideline to stop the clock— they still had all three timeouts, plus a potential of being ahead of the two-minute warning. The following Ravens series was an attempt to run out the clock, with the Bucs defense forcing a punt.

Todd Bowles kept his starters in the game, which was already out of reach with 1:34 remaining and no timeouts remaining. The result was a gruesome injury to Godwin, and the early expectation is that he will not return for the season as his lower left leg was immediately put in an air cast.

When teams are inconsistent, it comes back to coaching. Ironically, this has been a consistent theme among Bucs fans, with their general distaste for Bowles as the team’s head coach. As the Bucs await to hear the prognosis on Evans’s hamstring injury, it will be a tumultuous finish to the second quarter of the season for a Bucs team who have a gauntlet of the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers.

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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Two Bucs rookies up for Rookie of the Week honors for Week 6

Week 6 saw a lot of rookies making debuts or having impact performances with two of them coming from Bucs players. 

In Week 6, many rookies made debuts or had impact performances, two of them coming from Bucs players. The Bucs dominated the New Orleans Saints, and two performances from that game stood out.

Running back Bucky Irving and cornerback Tykee Smith both showed why Jason Licht and this Bucs front office drafted them. Their performance in Week 6 has them up for the Pepsi Rookie of the Week Award.

In his first start of the season, Bucky Irving ran for 81 yards and found the endzone twice. He and Sean Tucker helped the Bucs rush for 272 yards against the Saints’ defense in what was considered a tough matchup for them on the ground.

Tykee Smith pitched in with two forced fumbles and one interception that sealed the game for the Bucs in the fourth quarter. Smith benefited from the return of Antoine Winfield Jr. to the secondary allowed him to be more aggressive in his play.

Smith and Irving are joined by Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, Tyron Tracy Jr., and Caleb Williams on the ballot for the award.

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.

 

Bucs vs. Saints Inactives: Rachaad White and Graham Barton out

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday without two key offensive starters.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday without two key offensive starters. Rachaad White and Graham Barton have been ruled out for their Week 6 matchup on the road.

Rachaad White was on the injury report all week with a foot injury, and after being limited in practice, the team decided to play it safe. In his place will be rookie Bucky Irving, who has flashed whenever he touches the ball this season.

Another rookie, Graham Barton, will be inactive after appearing on the team’s injury report after their Week 5 loss to the Falcons. He will miss the game due to a hamstring injury, and Robert Hainsey will start in his place.

Other inactives for the game include Trey Palmer, Kameron Johnson, Christian Izien, and Devin Culp. The wide receiver group missing both Johnson and Palmer means the Bucs will rely on the Oklahoma connection of Sterling Shepard and Baker Mayfield to Gardner results for a third straight week.

The Bucs’ rushing attack continues to flash but struggling overall

Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw Rachaad White emerge as one of the best running backs in the NFL, they then drafted another.

Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw Rachaad White emerge as one of the best running backs in the NFL. The former third-round pick out of Arizona State was a darling of the fantasy football community, and he eventually became one for Buccaneers fans.

Despite his emergence, general manager Jason Licht decided they needed more punch in their backfield. Thus, the team drafts Bucky Irving in the 2024 NFL Draft in April.

The team and offensive coordinator Liam Coen were expected to replicate the success of the team’s rushing attack in 2023 just during this season. Sadly, they have been chasing those goals and haven’t fully achieved them.

Rachaad White and Bucky Irving are the most talented backfield in the NFL right now, but they aren’t playing like it.

Coen and Licht had this picture of being able to take over games, and it just hasn’t happened. In one game, White will showcase his explosiveness; in the next, Irving will show how powerful a runner he is; they have yet to show these abilities in the same game.

Until they can have a complete game, complimenting each other, this offense cannot take the next step needed to be a serious contender.

5 key takeaways from the Bucs overtime loss to the Falcons in Week 5

Here are five key takeaways from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36-30 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Now and then, Thursday Night Football puts on a fun and energetic game, and tonight was nothing short of a barnburner. Combining for nearly 800 yards of offense in a game that came down to the last second of regulation as Younghoe Koo hit a game-tying 54-yard FG- if you had no skin in the game, this was one of those games.

Unfortunately for Bucs fans, the Falcons successfully defended their home field, scoring a touchdown on the first drive in overtime. Here are five key takeaways from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36-30 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Offense can score with the best in the league

Scoring 30 points in three-of-five games this season, it’s a safe bet that this Buccaneers offense not only can score but also keep up with the league’s best. Ironically, as potent as they have looked, the Bucs offense is in the middle of the pack due to their inability to run the ball effectively. Fast starts in the last two weeks have shown flashes of how easily the Bucs offense can move the ball down the field, and worst case scenario, have the most account long-range kicker in NFL history put three points on the board.

Baker Mayfield is a Top 10 quarterback

Mayfield’s name is all over the place regarding a quarterback power ranking. However, it’s rarely in the Top 10- and it’s time to discuss Mayfield being a Top 10 quarterback in the NFL. Mayfield plays with just the right amount of recklessness, but you can still trust him with the ball during crucial moments. The quarterback has displayed a do-it-all ability to scramble out of the pocket with 42 yards on the ground. Entering Thursday’s game, Mayfield had the fourth-highest passer rating, was second in TD passes, and top six in passing yards.

Rachaad White and Bucky Irving are a severely underrated duo

Running back duos with similar play styles is becoming more popular. In the past, it was a workhorse, a powerful back for early downs, with a pass-catching change-of-pace back for passing downs. As Liam Coen and the Bucs figure out how best to utilize Rachaad White and Bucky Irving, it’s becoming apparent that this tandem fits the mold of what the backfields are becoming in the NFL. As versatile as both White and Irving are, the way they have played the last two weeks, this duo needs to be discussed among the league’s best running back duos.

Defense still needs work

This is a banged-up Buccaneers defense playing against a rival team that game plans for them twice a year and with the importance of divisional games- arguably plans stricter than 11 of the other games they will play this season. The Bucs defense allowed 36 points and a whopping 550 yards. Shootouts will happen, however, since Week 1, opposing offenses have out-gained the Bucs offense because the defense has been unable to play a complete game. Bend but don’t break defense works to keep teams out of the endzone, but it gives up a lot of yards and, in turn, keeps the defense on the field much longer than any of them would like. Not even being one of the top pressure-generating defenses in the league can save them

Todd Bowles needs to step up play-calling

This goes hand-in-hand with the above takeaway. There is no reason for the amount of cushion the secondary gave the Falcons receivers. This aligns with the loss to the Denver Broncos that left many wondering why the defense was playing so soft, especially coming off of a game where they made Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles almost look like a team amid a rebuild. For a defensive mastermind like Bowles, Bucs fans should expect better.