To argue that the Buccaneers were confident heading into their match against the Saints the other day would be an understatement. Armed with a three-win streak, home field advantage, and a productive runup that had them looking forward to trouncing their division rivals, they figured their third primetime appearance through the season to date was theirs for the taking. Heck, they even had the benefit of seeing wide receivers Chris Godwin (back from injury) and Antonio Brown (as a free-agent pickup) in uniform. And moving forward, they saw victory as the perfect way to jump-start the second half of their 2020 campaign.
Instead, the Buccaneers could not have played any worse. They were off from the get-go. So atrocious they were on offense that they failed to get any first downs in their first four series, and until more than a fifth of the second quarter had already elapsed. Meanwhile, they proved unable to stanch the bleeding on defense, allowing the Saints to score in every response. They wound up being shell-shocked and shellacked 31 to zero by halftime. And though a lot of football still had to be played by then, the outcome was already a foregone conclusion.
Forced to take stock of the massacre in the aftermath, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians had few answers. “It was shocking,” he admitted. “We have to go back in look in the mirror—coaches, players, everybody.” And he’s right. No one in red and pewter did anything close to earning his keep the other day. Not quarterback Tom Brady, who carded three interceptions and had arguably the worst outing of a greatest-of-all-time career. Not offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, who abandoned any semblance of rushing early and needed a 48-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter to avoid a shutout for the first time in four years. And not defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who remained flummoxed by precise attacks, particularly on the ground, until the very end.
Bad days are, to be sure, part and parcel of competition in the National Football League. Parenthetically, a loss is a loss, whether by one or by 35. On the other hand, there can be no discounting how the Buccaneers squandered a golden opportunity to stamp their class. They could have emerged from the battlesmoke as the provisional leader in their conference. Now, they’ll be hard-pressed to even finish at the top of their division. Having gotten the better of them twice, the Saints own the tiebreaker. And unless and until they show otherwise, pundits can likewise contend that the Saints own them, period.
The road to the championship is never easy, but the Buccaneers have made it harder on themselves. It’s fair to point out that they have both the tools and the time to get better. How many and how much they need to actually do so, however, remains to be seen.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
