Terrible First Quarter Point Differential
June 9th, 2024
More scoring in first quarter, please.
If the Bucs can reverse this, they should be playoff-bound for the fifth straight season (an unthinkable feat just six years ago).
Joe has harped on the awful Bucs offense in the opening series games. Last year, the Bucs failed to score a touchdown in all of their regular season opening drives.
That’s unconscionable.
So if you think about it, it’s not surprising that the Bucs had a terrible point differential, -28, in first quarters last season.
The Browns were the only other playoff team to pull off this stunt and the Browns were worse at -33.
If the Bucs can turn this into a positive, Joe guesses that will work out to two more wins — 11 in the regular season.
For Joe, maybe the biggest goal for new Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen is to find a way for the Bucs to score a touchdown on the opening drive a couple of times this fall. That in itself should be a big boost to the first-quarter point differential.
No, this doesn’t let Bucs coach Todd Bowles off the hook. But still, when your offense doesn’t score a touchdown all year on the opening drive, it’s awfully hard for a defense to damn near pitch a shutout each week in the first quarter.
score margin after the 1st quarter
+73 – DAL
+59 – BAL
+52 – SF
+40 – PHI
+33 – DET
+32 – LV
+29 – DEN
+24 – KC
+19 – MIA
+18 – JAX
+16 – CIN, CHI
+13 – GB
+11 – LAR
+6 – SEA
+5 – BUF
+2 – LAC
-4 – TEN, ATL
-9 – PIT
-12 – IND
-13 – HOU
-17 – CAR
-18 – NO
-26 – ARI
-28 – TB
-29 -…— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) February 20, 2024
June 9th, 2024 at 8:17 am
No opening drive TDs, smh.
You’d think by accident and/or dumb luck we would have gotten a TD on the opening drive at some point. Hopefully Coen is going to fix this.
June 9th, 2024 at 8:22 am
Carolina was 10 pts better than the Bucs.
Nuff said.
June 9th, 2024 at 8:33 am
Common denominator has been Bowles….He’s on his 3rd OC in 3 yrs. Starting to feel like the Dungy era where they simply couldn’t get over the hump due to a sputtering offense. Predicting Bowles will need a deep run in playoffs to stick around. One and done isn’t going to cut it, especially if the offense looks capable and the OC is getting interviews. I don’t see management continuing the merry go round of coordinators for 9-8 seasons when they invested so much in the offense.
June 9th, 2024 at 8:36 am
This just shows the Bucs weren’t one of the best teams. They made the playoffs by winning a bad division. With a first place schedule, they’ll need to be much better in every area. This is one of them.
June 9th, 2024 at 8:41 am
At half time of the first game last year, I was ready to see what Trask could do. Shows you what I know.
Don’t do much research myself but is there any stats on lack of first quarter TDs tied to new OCs? The scripted first drives would seem to be more successful for non-first year (with said team or ever) OCs.
June 9th, 2024 at 8:46 am
Gee – play calling had nothing to do with this!!! LOL
June 9th, 2024 at 9:08 am
Hopefully Liam Coen can adjust more quickly to get the offense going. It was Canales first time calling plays, but there were times when he was too stubborn with the run game.
June 9th, 2024 at 9:18 am
Score early and fast and watch the Bucs defense feast with turnovers and sacks.
June 9th, 2024 at 9:18 am
Interestingly, the Bucs were 13th in 1Q time of possession. It seemed we moved the ball in the middle of the field but failed in the red zone. Second and third quarter the Bucs were 14th in points, and 4Q were 9th. The poor run game hurt us in the red zone, and Canales playcalling was conservative too.
The Bucs defensive pts allowed by quarter were 13th, 3rd, 18th, and 8th. It seemed the opposing offenses adjusted coming out of halftime, but our defense came back in Q4.
June 9th, 2024 at 9:53 am
View from 132 Says:
June 9th, 2024 at 8:36 am
This just shows the Bucs weren’t one of the best teams. They made the playoffs by winning a bad division. With a first place schedule, they’ll need to be much better in every area. This is one of them.
*****************************************************************
They’ve played a first place schedule since 2021.
June 9th, 2024 at 10:51 am
Winning while rebuilding! It’s a great time to be a Bucs fan.
June 9th, 2024 at 10:51 am
Todd loves himself the slow starts. No touchdowns on offense but at least the defense gives up opening drive scores like a 3am hooker. Further good news is the way Todd has his team come out pancake flat for games like the second Saints game where the division was on the line.
Beautiful coaching by the genius.
June 9th, 2024 at 11:52 am
That’s gone. They lost a rookie OC and got a seasoned veteran. Coen was a big part of the Mayfield Miracle where the Rams took down the Raiders with a QB who had one practice with the team pregame. Not sure y’all know what Bowles got when he hired Liam. Rockstar
June 9th, 2024 at 12:58 pm
Anyhony… true, they’ve played a first place schedule, but look at this year’s slate… and compare to road the other teams in the division must travel… the Bucs have a very difficult 2024-5 ahead
June 9th, 2024 at 2:57 pm
It’s the result of many symptoms. Inexperienced OC, poor game planning, no running game, no game breaking speed on offense. I mean, take your pick.
It seems like for as long as I can remember, this has been a slow starting team. To be at -28 is crazy though. That basically says you never had a good 1st quarter the entire season.
June 9th, 2024 at 5:08 pm
Jake Mullins what did the non existent run game and ineffective iol have to do with our troubles. Yeah..it was all Baker…You sound like nothing more than a petty hater…your opinions don’t matter
June 10th, 2024 at 6:23 pm
When you have a head coach who forces the run and 2 successor OCs who consistently “let’s run it up the gut! ” right into the weakness of the online, and then your “American Idol” superstar qb plays like crap in the 1st quarter of almost every game that makes for a very low scoring differential. Plus let’s not forget a defense that at times cannot stop 3rd &15 plays this is no new news to us.
June 11th, 2024 at 8:38 am
seems like the 1st quarter to me is not that big of a deal I believe the 4th 1/4’er is when u need the real power how many games have u seen when they start out hot ends up losing in the 4th 1/4’er not that many games teams come out kick ass in the 1st 1/4’er & blew it by the end of game
June 11th, 2024 at 8:44 am
what about Green Bay ,jaguars ,& Texans did we not score in the 1st quarter