It was a season of highs and lows for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But ultimately, Tampa Bay couldn’t make it past the Divisional Round in the NFL Playoffs.
Offensively, the Buccaneers thrived despite losing key players to injury throughout the season.
Aerial Attack
Veteran quarterback Tom Brady threw for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns. The 22-year veteran threw just 12 interceptions, the sixth-lowest total of his career.
Chris Godwin led all receivers with 98 receptions and 1,103 yards. Godwin’s quick-twitch ability makes him among the league’s elite at creating separation from defenders while running routes. Red-zone threat Mike Evans had the most touchdowns, however, as he found the end zone 14 times. Evan’s surprising elusiveness for his size allows for him to threaten goal-line defenders with his footwork before utilizing his frame to haul in touchdowns.
Tight-end Rob Gronkowski pieced together another year as Tom Brady’s million-dollar security blanket. The 11-year veteran hauled in 55 passes for six touchdowns. Despite being slotted behind a future Hall of Famer, backup tight-end Cameron Brate also served as a key contributor. Brate hauled in 30 passes for four touchdowns. Brate’s talent presented the Buccaneers with the opportunity to terrorize opposing defenses with two tight-end sets.
Ground Game
Tampa Bay managed to have a diverse, but effective rushing attack partly due to their well-rounded offensive line. Second-year offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs solidified himself as one of the leagues top pass-protectors, being voted as an All-Pro in 2021. Ryan Jensen certainly played up to the terms of his recent contract that had made him the leagues highest-paid center of all time. Despite fighting through an ankle injury for much of the season, Jensen was also voted to the Pro Bowl
LSU product Leonard Fournette rushed for 813 yards and eight touchdowns in his second season in Tampa. Versatile veteran Ronald Jones added 423 yards and four touchdowns while Ke’Shawn Vaughn put up 180 yards and two touchdowns.
Front Seven
Despite missing the last four games of the season due to a foot injury, Lavonte David was dynamic throughout his time anchoring Tampa Bay’s defense. The rangy linebacker had 97 tackles and two sacks in 12 games. Devin White led all tacklers with 128 for the year, while excelling in coverage on tight ends and slot receivers.
Defensive Backfield
In his second year, ball-magnet safety Antoine Winfield Jr demonstrated the strides he made as a cerebral football player. Winfield always managed to be in the right place at the right time, breaking down a play from the moment it started. Winfield was the team’s third-leading tackler while also hauling in the second most interceptions.
The cornerback tandem of Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting proved to be dynamic, but also inconsistent at times. Both had instances where they struggled to communicate with their fellow members in the secondary, leading to big plays caused simply by a misunderstanding. Davis made vast improvements as a run stopper, totaling 40 tackles.
(Featured image by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)