Winning Big With Backups
October 5th, 2025
You won’t catch Joe downplaying this massive Buccaneers road win today to up their record to 4-1.
Putting 38 points on the Seahawks is no small accomplishment. Only the Lions carved up the Seattle defense like that last season. This season’s highest total on the Seahawks had been 20 points.
What’s got Joe all jacked up is the Bucs are humming on offense with journeyman Charlie Heck at right tackle, who offensive line analysts treated as a punching bag all offseason, and Luke Haggard at right guard.
Haggard, 25, was undrafted out of Indiana University in 2023 and has hung around the Bucs practice squad long enough to develop into a solid player. Another find by O-line whisperer and Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht.
In fact, the Bucs ran right with Rachaad White on a critical third down late in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning field goal.
They could have run behind Tristan Wirfs. Nope, they went the other direction.
Not only are the Bucs playing with what many considered NFL dumpster scraps on the right side of their line, today they were down Mike Evans and Bucky Irving, bona fide studs, guys who keep defensive coordinators up all night.
It didn’t matter.
The Bucs offense was creative, explosive and Baker Mayfield was hit just twice all day on 38 dropbacks.
What happens when Luke Goedeke returns at right tackle, and Evans and Irving return while Chris Godwin sheds more rust?
October 5th, 2025 at 8:03 pm
heck & haggs doing aight !
October 5th, 2025 at 8:04 pm
This offense could be scary.
Grizz the Wiz needs a little help in the first quarter. Maybe Byron can help, heard he was available. Or Trask could come back to mentor Baker.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:05 pm
Tez with some great play today, too
October 5th, 2025 at 8:10 pm
Where is that Griss hater Bucsnot4life?
October 5th, 2025 at 8:11 pm
J Mac is coming back, too!
My only issue with Griz was calling so many behind the line screens and toss plays in the red zone. The defense does not have to guard as much field when you’re in close, so those plays seem like bad ones to call with the entire defense bunched up in such a tight space.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:12 pm
Mayfield only threw 4 incomplete passes with all those guys missing as well. He’s gotta be the front runner for MVP. Dude is having a crazy year making sure the Bucs are in every game.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:17 pm
Excellent for the locker room!
They all know that they can step in and contribute to the winning season effort!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:21 pm
O-line & WRs & Bucky….
When they are all healthy, this offense should average over 32 points per game
The defense, on the other hand, has serious concerns and it is all because of the nonexistent pass rush… Yet again. The defensive backs actually played pretty decent.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:22 pm
Our O Line played pretty good today.
It wasn’t perfect, but the simple fact we were able to free up Cade to make some downfield plays, says a lot.
Obviously, I’d like to have all of our starters out there, but the back ups getting some serious playing time and starting to gel a little bit more is not a bad thing either.
Especially if we find ourselves in the unfortunate situation of having to call on them later in the season.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:23 pm
Well neither team can brag about their defense but Baker has no quit in him! He is a true bad ass who gives everything he’s got! It’s not always pretty but dam sure is gritty! I am most concerned about the Bucs D. Baker is a BIG Dawg for sure. No quit in that man. I wish the D would tighten up!!!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:26 pm
Glad to see Otton getting targets
October 5th, 2025 at 8:26 pm
It looks like Kingmaker Baker is going to make Josh Grizzard an NFL Head Coach.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:26 pm
He just needs to stop the wasted runs up the gut on 1st downs / obvious run situations. Those have been getting stonewalled.
Otherwise Grizz was good, and so was the offense.
The defense and special teams on the other hand, are straight garbage. Garbage!!!!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:43 pm
Sure would be nice to get JMac BACK after the Bye-Week, and allow him to work his way BACK slowly, into the fold again. So, that he can gain his full-level of confidence back on HIS terms. Kind of like last season where it took him about 3-4 games until, he felt free enough to allow his body to just take over, and do whatever the hell HE WANTED it to do. When he started DOMINATING. Hopefully, by then, Chris will be 💯fully BACK to being “CHIS” again, too! And, Big-Mike. Having both, Big-Mike & JMac BACK should really help them in The RedZone AND on 3rd-Downs. Should DOMINATE.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:43 pm
This was a good matchup for the Bucs offensive line because the Seahawks tend to blitz less, and the result was good protection and Baker having all kinds of time to call out. The Griz hate has been totally unfair, he has actually been doing a tremendous job with what he’s got. When we get Goedeke, Mike, and Bucky back out there, look out!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:46 pm
Bowles confidence poll!!!!!!!
TOTALLY CONFIDENT
GO BUCS
October 5th, 2025 at 9:08 pm
Are special teams cover teams are going to be a concern
October 5th, 2025 at 9:14 pm
To be fair, Baker mentioned in postgame that Chase prefers the ball on the right hash. While it’s great they had confidence in Heck and Haggard for that play, I’m pretty sure they though their chances of a first down were slim on 3rd and 7, and were lining it up for the kicker.
October 5th, 2025 at 9:15 pm
“Jeff and Jack’s grandpa Says:
October 5th, 2025 at 9:08 pm
Are special teams cover teams are going to be a concern”
Your spelling is a concern.
October 5th, 2025 at 9:50 pm
That Egbuka pick is looking pretty darn good right now
October 5th, 2025 at 9:58 pm
Crazy season, 4-1 is amazing and special; in my fifty years as a Bucs fan hard to imagine we are losing in the last two minutes of every game so far this year and we are sitting at 4 wins 1 loss. I like that Mayfield was kept upright today and sliding – avoiding the big hits, I like that Otton was an active part if the gane plan, I like the 2 pt conversion. Still big room for improvement on special teams and defense was smothering for the first 26 minutes, whatever adjustments seattle offense made after halftime was significant and could be a blueprint for the rest of the NFL. Looking forward to next week and one game at a time.LFG