Too Little, Too Late

The Bucs needed to score a touchdown, get the ball back, and at the very least, kick a field goal, all within two minutes. The Bucs scored the touchdown, but didn’t get the ball back. They were unable to stop the clock when Denver had the ball, and lost by a measly 3 points. When the Bucs lost in Week 1, it was a tough loss to digest. This one was even tougher. While the loss to New Orleans wasn’t a bad loss, this one was. The Bucs offense faltered against a very bad Denver defense. Let’s look at what made this game what it was:

No Stopping Cutler
In my game preview, I said that the Broncos would go the way of Jay Cutler, that he was the straw that stirred their drink. I hate being right. The Broncos went the way of Cutler, and that was the way of victory. Cutler was 23/34 for 227 yards and a touchdown. The Bucs defense had only allowed one 300-yard passer, and one 200-yard passer this season. The other two quarterbacks were held to less than 170 yards. Cutler got 9 players involved in his passing game, namely Brandon Stokley and Tony Scheffler, who led the Broncos in catches and yards, respectively. While the corners were concerned with the Broncos top two receivers, it was the lesser known players that burned them. Because of Cutler’s leadership, the Broncos overcame a tough task in the Tampa defense.

Who’s The Man?
A big question was posed for the Bucs this week: who should the starting quarterback be? Brian Griese went out with an injury in the 3rd quarter, and to that point, had only thrown for 88 yards. Jeff Garcia replaced him, throwing for 93 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He led the Bucs to their only touchdown of the day, and almost helped them tie the game. Before yesterday, Griese’s record as a starter was 3-0. Even at 3-1, his accomplishments can make us all proud. However, in a short period of time, Jeff Garcia, a team captain, accomplished more than Griese had in almost 3 quarters. With the extent of Griese’s injury unknown, there is a lot for the Bucs coaching staff to reflect on this week.

Surprise Receivers
With Joey Galloway out, the Bucs are continuing to showcase the talents of two receivers who were once forgotten. While there wasn’t much to celebrate in this game, Bucs fans can smile when they think about the resurgence of not one, but two careers. Everyone had given up on Antonio Bryant. Out of football for a whole year due to suspension, Bryant seemingly had nowhere to go. However, the Bucs took a chance with him. With Galloway’s injury, Bryant has been vital to the Bucs passing game, already racking up 278 yards on 24 catches. He caught 7 passes for 58 yards yesterday. Ike Hilliard has also benefited from Galloway’s injury. He caught 4 passes for 29 yards and a touchdown yesterday. With 193 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns through 4 weeks, Hilliard is on pace to set some career numbers.

Game Notes:

• The Bucs did not record a sack yesterday, ending their 12-game streak of recording at least one sack (including playoffs).
• Ike Hilliard grabbed his 3rd touchdown pass of the season, tying his career high while with the Bucs.
• The Buccaneers are now 2-5 all-time against the Broncos, with a 1-3 mark in Denver.
• Brian Griese was sacked in the second quarter, ending a streak of 101 consecutive pass attempts in which he was not sacked.
• The Bucs put together a 90-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter, making it their longest touchdown drive of the year.
• The Bucs did not record an interception yesterday, ending a streak of 7 regular season games with at least one interception.

Because Carolina and Atlanta won yesterday, the Bucs are now tied for second place in the division. Next week will be an important matchup, as the Bucs take on the 4-1 Panthers. In order to keep pace in the division, the Bucs have to hope for a Saints loss tonight, and will have to play incredibly hard to beat the surprising Panthers.