Bucs at Rams: Most Disappointing In Week 12

The unit’s struggles are a product of the same old, same old Todd Bowles. Tampa Bay’s defense is battered, but the scheme does not put players in position to succeed with soft zone coverage. Opposing quarterbacks play on rookie mode, and it is a group that lacks an identity. The defensive front is not good enough, lacking a true game-changer and needing to rely on blitzes to generate consistent pressure. The secondary has gotten more takeaways than last year, but it has come at the cost of giving up more explosive plays.

For as much as Bowles can deny the annual midseason lull, there is no getting around it now. At 6-5 after being 5-1, this is no longer the same team that looked like a Super Bowl contender in the early going. The wheels are coming off, and while this might sound harsh, there is no getting around how disappointing the past few weeks have been. It says a lot that many counted the Bucs out before the start and there are serious, ongoing defensive concerns with no end in sight.

CB Zyon McCollum

Todd Bowles did not mince words about Zyon McCollum heading into Sunday night’s game.

“The last two weeks – just average,” Bowles said on McCollum’s recent play. “He was playing great at the start of the season. [There are] a couple of things he’s got to work on when he gets bored, but he’s got the talent and technique. He’s been solid for us…Probably subpar the last two weeks – he doesn’t get a lot of action, but technique-wise, he can clean up some things.”

While Bowles and the Bucs were surely hoping for a bounce-back effort, what they instead saw was McCollum get bested by Puka Nacua and Davante Adams on the Rams’ first offensive drive – and then throughout the rest of the evening. It started when poor technique allowed Nacua to easily convert a third-and-18.

Then capping off the drive, Matthew Stafford threw a lob pass over McCollum’s head right into the hands of Adams for his 11th touchdown of the season.

If this was not bad enough, McCollum then allowed Adams to score another touchdown in the second quarter. At that point in the game, he allowed all six passes thrown his way to be completed for 94 yards and two scores.

The organization believed in the athletic cornerback, enough to give him a three-year, $48 million contract extension before the season. That already appears to be a major misfire as he has regressed from 2024 and is struggling against top wide receivers. Barring a drastic turnaround, one has to wonder about the future of the room with Jamel Dean a free agent at season’s end and Benjamin Morrison going through struggles of his own as a second-round pick.

OC Josh Grizzard

NFL games are won through the air, and that is where offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard is struggling to dial it up. The game started with a reliance on screen passes and the quick game, but none of what was called led to success. The routes were dead in the water, with little to no separation being created. Part of that is because of the Rams’ stingy defense, but this is also nothing new for the Bucs offense. Since the Lions game in Week 7, the passing game has sharply declined.

When Baker Mayfield is not making things shake and bake by scrambling around, the unit looks average and cannot move the ball downfield.

The latest example?

Mayfield going 9-of-19 passing for 41 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions in the first half playing through pain before leaving with a left shoulder injury. That does not just fall on him or even backup Teddy Bridgewater, but for there being a lack of offensive innovation at this point. Emeka Egbuka is a stud, but there are better ways of manufacturing him touches. He finally had positive receiving yards in the fourth quarter. The same goes for Chris Godwin Jr., even if he is not 100%.

Regardless of the opponent, there are no excuses for Grizzard’s offense to be playing this poorly, especially with a franchise quarterback and an adequate set of weapons alongside him.

TE Cade Otton

Cade Otton’s first-quarter blunder ended up giving the Rams an easy seven points. Baker Mayfield threw Otton a short pass that the tight end could not come down with, bobbling it four times. After it looked like he finally secured it, cornerback Cobie Durant ripped it from Otton’s hands and ran it back for a 50-yard touchdown to give Los Angeles an early 14-0 lead. Replays did show he had his knee down and had possession, but regardless, the play stood. For that, Otton makes this week’s list.

Bucs Offensive Line

The big guys up front, in addition to everything else that went wrong, did not play well.

Left tackle Tristan Wirfs looked mortal against outside linebacker Jared Verse, giving up two sacks. The interior offensive line gave up two sacks to defensive end Kobie Turner. Right tackle Luke Goedeke was called for offensive holding. The offensive line failed to buy quarterbacks Baker Mayfield or Teddy Bridgewater time in the pocket, forcing them to run around the pocket for dear life to avoid being sacked.

Combine that with no one getting open, and it served as one of the key ingredients that was the recipe for disaster.