The first half of the season finale at Raymond James Stadium between the hometown Buccaneers and the visiting New Orleans Saints was in the books and it didn’t look good for our Florida team. The talking heads were clearly all in agreement and they made a valid argument: where are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers we know, and why have they not shown up for this game?
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Jimmy Johnson told his television viewers, “evidently Tampa Bay was not ready to play.” How could anyone argue that? No one made any excuses; at halftime Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles pointed to his team’s poor tackling. Former Buccaneer, Rob Gronkowski, offered a sliver of hope looking ahead to the second half of Sunday’s contest when he reminded us that Coach Bowles is known for his in-game adjustments. After the final box score was official, Bowles beamed when he told reporters that his team was “mentally tough. (The players) Calmed down (and) came out at half and played statement football.”
A Game of Two Halves
This contest was not one that offered any implications for the Saints as their postseason fate had been predetermined. In other words there would be nothing to lose and many exciting plays to experiment with. We anticipated many trick plays from backup-turned-starter, Saints’ quarterback Spencer Rattler. On their end, the Buccaneers seemed determined to try to beat New Orleans at their own game. Unfortunately quite a few trick plays by the Bucs ended up thwarted before they even had a chance to get started.
The halftime score of 16-6 in favor of the Saints surprised a lot of people, especially taking into consideration that the Buccaneers have been one of the most consistent franchises in the league. The football team from “Champabay” qualified for the playoffs for the past five years in a row, becoming the only team in the NFC to do so.
The spread was 10 at halftime with the Buccaneers ten points behind the eight ball. The atmosphere was heavy – it felt as though there was ample reason to worry.
Then the second half came around and quarterback Baker Mayfield found ways to demonstrate why legendary quarterback Tom Brady admires his “sneaky creativity.” Not only does Mayfield complete a bevy of tight-window throws, but he takes off and runs for timely, important yards when his team needs a big play to keep the Saints at bay.
Transitioning to a State of Enthusiasm
Mayfield made enough plays with his arm to make up for some of the same failures that would repeat in the second half. More Buccaneer attempts at trick plays had the same effect as their meager tries had in the first half. One of these gimmick plays was supposed to spring the quarterback free, but instead it made him look like he was playing on quicksand. The Buccaneers dialed Mayfield up for a quarterback sweep that went nowhere. Mayfield was impressive when he relied on his arm, finishing the game 21/32 with 221 yards. His last pass of the game energized the entire stadium as Mike Evans grabbed a nine-yarder that ensured he would end another season with over 1000 yards, putting him alongside elite company in the record books with none other than legendary receiver Jerry Rice.
The Buccaneers held the Saints to only three points in the second half, while they managed to deliver three touchdowns, at one point putting up 14 unanswered points in the second half. In order to solidify this shift in scoring, a 4th down conversion was exactly what the Buccaneers had to have – and Mayfield delivered. The completion from Mayfield to rookie receiving sensation Jaylen McMillan was lauded as an A+ throw and catch by passing great, Tom Brady.
Analysts and pundits enthusiastically jumped on the bandwagon, proclaiming Jaylen McMillan a potential winner of the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Coach Bowles sounded very pleased with what he witnessed from the sidelines: “It was a hell of a throw. We needed it. We needed every bit of it.” Still riding the wave of what had been a 94-yard drive, Mayfield scrambled to escape pocket pressure and flipped a pass to dynamic running back, Bucky Irving. This last touchdown was the ultimate statement. It would signal the final curtain call for the visitors in black and gold.
Irving’s touchdown counted as a run instead of a pass, but nobody on the Buccaneers’ side minded. That final touchdown was all that the Buccaneers would need. The team answered their coach and allowed only three points in the second half. “With a lot of guys missing on both sides of the ball, it’s even more gratifying to come out this way,” Coach Bowles said while looking forward to this Sunday’s Wild Card matchup against the Washington Commanders.