Five Things
September 16th, 2025
Baker Mayfield lands on his back finishing a 15-yard scramble on fourth down on the game-winning drive to beat Houston.
Welcome to Victory Tuesday! It may not be as much fun as Victory Monday, but it means the same thing: Bucs win, Bucs win!
Something tells Joe after last night Bucs fans may need an extra mug full of coffee. It’s all good. Damn that was fun!
Playoffs?
OK, Joe will get this over right away: If recent history means anything, there is a better than average chance the Bucs make the playoffs.
Per the Rich Eisen Show, since the playoffs expanded in 2021, teams opening the season 2-0 made the playoffs 77 percent of the time. Yeah, there’s still four months of football to be played. A lot can happen.
But let’s look at the Bucs’ schedule: Joe guesses Tristan Wirfs returns for Week 4 against the Eagles. It’s just what Wirfs told the Sage of Tampa Bay Sports, Ira Kaufman, a couple of weeks ago; the Jets’ game might be out of reach for a return but the Eagles are a realistic goal, but even that’s not a sure thing.
If the Bucs beat the Jets this coming Sunday (which won’t be easy) and lose to the Eagles, then the Bucs will start the season at 3-1.
Joe is confident a Bucs fan upon hearing Wirfs would miss the first month of the season would have been happy with a 3-1 start.
If the Bucs get to 3-1, they only need to play just over .500 ball at 7-6 to win 10 games. And here are the last six games: Arizona, New Orleans, Atlanta, at Carolina, at Miami, Carolina.
Something is seriously wrong if the Bucs can’t win four or five of those last six games.
So the Bucs will be sitting pretty if they can beat the Jets in five days, and even better if they can beat the Eagles. And yes, Joe wants more than 10 wins.
Grit
Joe heard and read the word “grit” more times in the past few hours than when John Wayne was still alive. But yeah, that was a gritty win.
Baker Mayfield had to get down and dirty. His team needed him. Houston’s defense was good and only got better when Luke Goedeke left with a bad foot.
Mayfield was jostled, mocked and robbed but damn if he didn’t get timely passes to receivers and, equally important, extend drives with clutch running. It wasn’t like Mayfield wanted to run, he had to.
And he paid the price. At least twice Joe wondered if Mayfield got knocked out of the game the way he clutched a leg or knee.
Then Mayfield got knocked flying and landed on his back when he scrambled for 15 yards on fourth down to keep the Bucs’ chances alive (photo above).
That had to hurt.
The way Lavonte David was hollering after the game on the Buccaneers Radio Network about how proud he is of Mayfield, it seems like Mayfield is a pied piper of sorts for the Bucs. When he lays his body out and scrambles for first downs, especially that fourth-down run to keep the game alive, his teammates absolutely feed off it.
At least the offense plays like Mayfield. Look how Bucky Irving and especially Rachaad White were more than willing to get physical with Houston’s defense. That’s the Mayfield influence.
And Joe thinks this is what Todd Bowles wants the Bucs to be. Like Mayfield: Tough, grimy, physical, blue collar. The first two levels of the Bucs’ defense is very physical and grimy at times. The offense sure is when the game is on the line.
We’ve seen that the past two weeks.
The Return of Rachaad White
For a couple of years now, Joe has heard more than a few whispers about Rachaad White claiming he isn’t physical enough, that he doesn’t hit the holes with urgency, that he’d rather dance than take someone on physically.
That sure wasn’t the case last night. When White began getting touches early, it appeared he wanted to run people over. He absolutely attacked holes. He bowled people over.
That may have been the most motivated Joe has ever seen White. It was like he is in a contract year or something.
Before he got hurt (and yeah, he returned, boy did he return) White was on fire. At one point Joe was screaming for him to get the ball. He was hot. Feed him!
If White can keep that up, boy oh boy, the Bucs have a nice one-two punch with White and Bucky.
Too Many Special Teams Mistakes
In the NFL, especially in a close game, a team can get away with a couple of mistakes but not dodge a boatload of mistakes.
A missed field goal. A blocked punt. A nasty return by Houston when Riley Dixon should have punted the ball out of bounds in a one-score game.
(This is the old school in Joe: Why, when you are hanging on late in the game by your fingernails, would you ever punt the ball and set up a return? Punt the ball out of bounds! There isn’t a man alive on the face of the earth who can return a punt that is out of bounds.)
The Bucs’ special teams were anything but special. They were atrocious and should have cost the Bucs the game if you think about it.
Not only did the guys on special teams blow chunks, so too did whomever had the bright idea of setting up a punt return for Houston to nearly win the game.
In the past, Bowles has shown little patience for special teams players who stink, no matter how good they may have been. So Chase McLaughlin better quit hitting uprights like right about now.
And for crying out loud in a close, late game, do NOT punt a ball to a return man. Jiminy Christmas!
Injuries
The Bucs played the second half with an arm tied behind their backs without Luke Goedeke and Calijah Kancey, lost in the first half.
The pass blocking, at least on the edge, collapsed after Goedeke left. Right about the same time Danielle Hunter figured out Graham Barton. It was getting ugly.
The injuries are piling up quickly. Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin probably won’t be back for a couple of weeks at least. Goedeke? Who knows about his foot? Kancey sounds like a coin flip to require surgery and if he needs surgery, his season may be over. That’s a huge blow.
Then there was Mayfield. He finished the game, but man, did he take a beating. Joe is confident when Mayfield wakes up this morning, he is going to be one sore SOB.
Anyone notice how Joe Buck and Troy Aikman claimed Emeka Egbuka was dinged up? They claimed he may have been slowed by an unspecified injury and then like magic, BSPN shows Egbuka getting his thigh-area wrapped. It almost looked like he might have a groin injury.
So yeah, injuries are really piling up. It sure will help when Godwin and Wirfs return but as it stands now, the Bucs sure cannot afford any more.
September 16th, 2025 at 5:14 am
Play of the Game!!! Todd Bowles makes the gutsy call to go for it on 4th-and-10 with 1:24 remaining in the fourth quarter.
September 16th, 2025 at 5:16 am
4th & 10 at TB 32
September 16th, 2025 at 5:18 am
Tez Johnson better learn how to take some live snaps. We may need a rest week while we are at it
September 16th, 2025 at 5:25 am
Thats right LUV….and Will Anderson and Hunter out of breath and not in on the next plays (forcing a houston time out) because of CHASING THAT SQUIRREL…. LOL, gotta love it!
September 16th, 2025 at 5:26 am
Hey LUV, DT and ILB next draft! Lets get on it….
September 16th, 2025 at 5:40 am
The good:
The last two minutes (no, great!)
The goal line stand
Stroud was off, missing several wide open receivers—-not his 2023 self
The running and receiving of Irving and White
The bad:
Egbuka drop
David drop
Pass protection (yeah, injuries suck, but every team has them)
Giving up an easy TD on first drive for the second week in a row
Early on, giving Stroud enough time to light up a stogie while looking for a receiver
The ugly: special teams
Special teams
Special teams
The take: if you weren’t thoroughly entertained by last night’s game, your brain might be short circuited as it waits with baited breath for the curling competition to unfold during the next Winter Olympics
September 16th, 2025 at 5:41 am
Not sure if this has been mentioned or suggested, but is it possible that Bowles’ new time management assistant told Todd to let the Texas score that last touchdown with just over 2 minutes to go so that the Bucs with their AWESOME two-minute offense could score to take the lead? If so, I have to say that was pretty GENIUS! With Bowles being a defensive guru, it would be hard to believe, but GENIUS never the same.
September 16th, 2025 at 5:42 am
Just hard to imagine that they had stone cold Houston’s run game all night except for the timing of that 20+ yard tuddie.
September 16th, 2025 at 5:44 am
Na Scotty, Chubb earned that….Winfield was in bad position by the time he noticed, plus all was tired and since Chubb didnt do much most game, he had some pretty fresh breath.
September 16th, 2025 at 6:01 am
I thought the same Scotty! It felt like no real push up front and allowing Chubb to take it all the way.
But maybe it just felt that way!
September 16th, 2025 at 6:04 am
The Kandy pictorial injury …
Mild Strains:
Days to weeks.
Severe Strains (requiring surgery):
Months.
NFL Player Average:
Around six months post-surgery.
In other words, unless Kancy has a mild strain he is done for the year. My guess is the Bucs know where this is going by now. Good D-lineman don’t grow on trees. Best hope now is stop gap fillers until the season unfolds. Then Licht can go shopping for a decent replacement from a team who has no chance to make the playoffs.
I don’t like to complain about injuries as all teams have them. But the Bucs sure seem to suffer more than their fair share in recent years. Is it bad training techniques or bad luck?
‘Next man up’ is a catchy phrase … until you run out of men.
September 16th, 2025 at 6:23 am
Mad Max
Sup, Bredren. I don’t yet—I’m taking it week by week right now. Still reviewing key matchups to see who’s the best of the best.
Heads up though: I’m actually going to put effort into it this year.
September 16th, 2025 at 6:39 am
I watched a little bit of the Arizona-Carolina game. Arizona is going to be a challenge for us.
I’ve been pretty critical of Coach Bowles in the past, but I have to give credit where it’s due…
Going for it on 4th and 10! No way the head coach would have done that 2 years ago.
That was a gutsy move and combined with a couple of other things I’ve seen this season, suggest to me Bowles really is willing to change things in order to win.
This is not a criticism; more of an observation. Baker did what Baker does when he scrambles.
A couple of times I thought he pushed his scrambles too far, and got creamed worse than he needed to. He’d already gotten the first down and could have slid a yard or two sooner than he did.
I’m part of the crowd that’s felt all along that we need to resign Rachaad at the end of the year. He sure proved himself last night.
I’m hoping Grizz will continue to scheme Rachaad into games a lot more than we saw in Week 1. It’ll save some wear and tear on Bucky, and Rachaad’s versatility in blocking and catching out of the backfield is a huge asset.
I’m not ready to throw in the towel on Chase McLaughlin yet. For me, his misses stand out simply because he’s been so consistent over the past couple of years.
QBs miss their downfield targets. WRs get the dropsies. Kickers miss sometimes. I’m paying attention, but won’t start getting concerned unless it happens again next week.
In the larger picture, yes, special teams needs a little bit of extra attention this week.
Baker was limping at one point after a couple of consecutive plays. Emeka looked like he was in pain after one of those plays, as well. Seeing him getting wrapped up on the sidelines didn’t do my blood pressure any good.
Except to say I’m concerned like everyone else, I’ll wait to see what the word is on Luke and Calijah.
I wouldn’t call it good news, but our backups did step up to the plate when they needed to last night. Hard-fought victory!!!
September 16th, 2025 at 6:40 am
The brittle Buccaneers strike again! LOL.
September 16th, 2025 at 6:49 am
The lack of calls on the special teams plays was evident.
It’s time to cut ties with Kancey. Nice guy. Can’t stay healthy. At end of seasons, package him for some picks.
Better get some backups on OL.
R. White, nice job.
Baker, on another level. Amazing.
Mike Evans, you are the one that holds this team together.
September 16th, 2025 at 7:09 am
I thought time management in this game was awesome. No wasted timeouts. The last drive was perfect in terms of scoring and giving the Texans no opportunity to get the ball back and get in position for a late field goal. Other than special teams, the coaching in this game was excellent. Kudos to Coach Bowles and his staff.
September 16th, 2025 at 7:24 am
Vanessa Anne——
“Going for it on 4th and 10! No way the head coach would have done that 2 years ago.”
Gonna try to help you with that one. First, all coaches would have gone for 4th and 10 under that circumstance, and it was no stretch on Bowles’s part to do so.
Why? Because there was close to one minute left in the game. If the Bucs punt there’s almost a 0% chance they get the ball back and Houston wins. Time runs out—game over.
In other words, the Bucs had no choice but to go for it. The clock dictated the call.
Hope this mini synopsis on clock management helps. And happy you are a Bucs fan.
The more the merrier!
September 16th, 2025 at 7:56 am
Our defense gets no respect and it’s GROSS! Offense and special teams struggled to put the points up to help them out, while we had the Texans sitting on ten points from the end of the first to midway to 5:57 left in the game.
After our first 2 scored we punter 5 times & missed an FG, gotta take better advantage and got to put a team AWAY when your getting that from the other side.
Great win, but give our guys their PROPERS!
September 16th, 2025 at 8:23 am
Right on point, Joe! Buka, Baker, and others really did get banged up. Baker scared me with his moves, but once again pursued. White, what a welcomed surprise. Bowles, just keeps getting better!
September 16th, 2025 at 8:42 am
Baker is the Mike Alstott of Quarterbacks.
September 16th, 2025 at 8:57 am
I think it is fair to say that Hunter figured out Barton to some degree.
But whoever was lining up against Heck figured him out more and quicker. He was the most overmatched in the pro pass protect.
September 16th, 2025 at 9:29 am
How is loss of Kancey such a “blow?” How much better has the Bucs defense been when hi is in the game versus not in the game ?
September 16th, 2025 at 9:39 am
Next man up!!!!!!!! Around the league many star players are sidelined!!! Many QBs (please hang in there BM6) !! Here’s where the Buc’s quality depth can benefit them!! Next man up!! Bring on the Jets!!! LFG!!!!
September 16th, 2025 at 9:57 am
So, I’m reading comments that SVD was all over the field actually helping out. Then I read that he stinks. How did he do overall in last night’s gutsy win? I bet LVD the team Patriarch is cheering.
September 16th, 2025 at 10:07 am
Update on Kancey?
September 16th, 2025 at 10:11 am
@oribucfan, I’m interested in rewatching while looking at Voss. My impression is that he was good in the run game and not the passing, and that he struggles with his vision focus. He was pulled in some very late passing downs for Jones. Jones looked good in coverage.
September 16th, 2025 at 10:21 am
Dennis still looks awful – can we trade for devin white
Kicker missing three kicks inside of does is real concerning- give him an intervention
Baker has the clutch Gene-I love this guy
Injuries -mauch was limping to get on the field and between plays- he gutted it out
Good teams find a way to win- they tried to give the last two away and could easily be 0-2 but they fought and Win is a win especially road wins-
Training staff needs to earn their checks this week and get players healthy
September 16th, 2025 at 10:29 am
Man what is up with these injuries. 7 starters out . W.T.A.H..
Wirfs
McMillan
Godwin
Goedeke
Kancy
Morrison
Ebuka.
This is a ridiculous amount of injuries this early into a season.
September 16th, 2025 at 10:33 am
Scotty I’m with you. Seems to me they let them score
September 16th, 2025 at 10:38 am
– Baker is a legit MVP candidate. This team goes where he goes. His play style is fully imbedded in this team’s attitude.
– Beating the Jets in the home opener next week to start 3-0 will put the team in cruise control for a playoff spot, and in great position for a playoff bye. Losing to them and then limping into the Eagles game at 2-1 with real eyes on a 2-2 start puts the team as a fringe playoff contender. These next two games, injuries or not, will set the realistic expectations for the season.
– Everyone on special teams is on thin ice. Chase had his struggles last year in the preseason and then turned it around, hopefully this is just him shaking off the rust. If he drops another stinker next week, it may be the end for him. Those lost points are far too valuable for a team designed to win close games late. There are no excuses, and no more second chances. That blocked punt is heavily on Dixon as well, no sense of urgency to get it off quicker, and they almost got him a second time. Not kicking it out of bounds late in the game almost cost the team the game. His offseason FA contract won’t matter if he’s cut after week 3. These two absolutely must find a way to get it figured out, or they’ll soon find themselves on their couches next to us.
– It’s a good thing all of the secondary players are getting healthy, because there aren’t any good middle linebackers. For the first time in his career, David looks like he’s actually playing in his last season. Dennis, on the other hand, just isn’t an NFL caliber starter, and possibly not even an NFL caliber player. Through two games, he’s been visibly targeted, both in the run game, and especially in the pass game. The fact that he’s still starting tells me that Jones must be completely washed, otherwise there’s no reason for him to not be on the field. ILB is a major issue and will have to be addressed in the draft and next year’s FA, but for the here and now, Todd and Co are going to have to get very creative with finding ways to limit that exposure for the rest of the year.
– On the note of secondary players and finding creative ways to use them; we absolutely need to see more of Benjamin Morrison and Tykee Smith on CB blitzes, holy cow did they both look impressive on their attempts. Morrison looked like he was shot out of a canon, and Smith, wow, he straight up trucked the RB to blast the QB. Plays like that will energize the entire team.
– Last night’s game is why you don’t trade high end depth pieces like White. It was a dumb suggestion then by some of our fans, and it’s a dumb suggestion now. White saved the day last night, along with Baker.
– It’s worth noting once again – this is a veteran team that knows how to win games. They’re over that hump. These games are all going to be close, most will end within 7 points, and this team will win more than they lose. This is a 14-3 caliber team offensively, and a 10-7 caliber team defensively and ST wise. Combined, a 12 win season is a very reasonable expectation after the first two games. We should be pumped as a fan base for this year’s team. There is no reason they can’t win it all. There are no other teams out there in either conference that look to be significantly better than us.
Go Bucs!
September 16th, 2025 at 11:18 am
First of all – 100% correct that last punt should have ended up in the stands. NO WAY you give them a chance at a return. 100% a coaching screwup.
Second – Grizz went to short quick passing game when Luke G went down, and it worked well. Maybe we should do more of it when even when Tristan and Luke are back healthy. Still take shots once in a while, but yeah.
Special teams coverage was iffy all night long.
SVD – poor angles in pursuit, and he somehow lost his man a lot. I will need to look at all-22 to see why, but it looked like he got caught looking in the backfield a lot.
DE’s were ineffective all night long on pass rush.
September 16th, 2025 at 11:39 am
On that return I don’t agree at all with the “experts” on the screen, that was an obvious push in the back. Looked like he may have been trying to kick the ball out of bounds but just didn’t make it there. Oh well we won.
September 16th, 2025 at 11:44 am
Excellent DR-type analysis, BucYou. Thanks! I know the ST stunk, but I did note refs helping out Texans on 1 blocked punt. That ball was not touched by Houston, and they slammed into our punter. That should have been flagged. Go back and look at it. It’s almost blatant. Still, great, great win. I’m gearing up for Cardiac Bucs. 🙂
September 16th, 2025 at 11:50 am
Great win on the road. Gutsy. Baker played a helluva game. And shout out to the makeshift oline.
The bad:
Special teams. Cmon man. Missed FG, blocked punt, punt return tackling was atrocious.
How many easy INTs has this defense dropped now? At least 3. It’s getting ridiculous.
Edge rushers doing nothing at all against a bad Texans oline.