The Wasted Play
November 10th, 2025
Great play went for naught.
If the Bucs had any kind of offense, today we just may be celebrating Tykee Smith.
As Joe pointed out already with quotes from Smith himself, the Bucs looked like they were about to receive the knockout punch from the Patriots yesterday.
There was 5:25 left in the game. New England had the ball at the Bucs-2. New England quarterback Drake Maye threw into the end zone toward the right and Smith makes a diving interception that kept the Bucs alive.
Sadly, the ensuing drive stalled at the Patriots-27 when on fourth down, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a screen pass to Rachaad White on fourth-and-two and he lost three yards.
That play summed up the Bucs’ day.
After the game, Bucs coach Todd Bowles didn’t seem all that excited about Smith’s pick.
“It gave us a chance,” Bowles said. “He made a heck of a play to give us a chance, but nothing came of it.”
That’s just it. If you cannot take advantage of a great play, it’s hard to win games.
Joe thought sure Smith’s play would lead to points. And so too did Zyon McCollum.
“You know, we needed a spark,” McCollum said. “We needed something to get us going.
“And that was a big time play at a big time moment. Wouldn’t expect anything less of them.”
But just like Bowles said, McCollum understood that chip from Smith couldn’t be cashed in for points.
And that was your ballgame.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:06 am
Bowles continues to make bad in game decisions. Going for two was a bad decision and not kicking the field goal on the play where Shepard was called for OPI was a bad decision. The Patriots outplayed us, but we still could have won if not for those bad moves.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:06 am
I’m sorry, any defense that gives up more than 2 50+ runs and 2 50+ passes is not a winning defense. Everyone is blaming the offense, but those explosive plays KILL a team.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:10 am
After the TD to Tez in the 3rd.
Defense forced a turnover on downs. Offense ran 7 plays and punted score was 21-16
Defense then forces a 3 & Out, our offense gets the ball back to run 3 plays and punt again. still 21-16
Tykee picks a pass off in the endzone, potential 4th quarter game changer, but nope offense gets the ball down to the Patriots 27 and run two passes on 3rd & then 4th and 3. Still 21-16 after running 9 plays on that drive.
That was ball game. That was also why we choose to go for 2 to make it a 3 point game rather than 4, much more likely our offense gets in FG range than it is they score another TD, which they didn’t until it didn’t matter.
That’s exactly what Mayfield referenced after the Saints game in terms of being able to take advantage of opportunities afforded by the defense.
Opportunities were there even with the injured players missing, which is being used as a blanket cop-out by alot of you.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:11 am
I thought that play was definitely going to be the spark to bring us to another last minute win, until it wasn’t. We almost won, that is maddening.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:12 am
McCallum and Dennis need to be benched!!! Put someone in there who gives a crap!!! Bad effort by both players, go back and watch!!! Go Bucs
November 10th, 2025 at 9:13 am
That was the play that gave me hope…
Sadly it was all for nothing, kind of like this season
November 10th, 2025 at 9:13 am
3rd and 3 on that drive Baker tried to jam the ball to Otton who was surrounded by defenders instead of hitting White out of the backfield for an easy 1st down. With a 5 yards per carry and Tucker gashing the d on this drive, Grizz calls that play.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:15 am
Yes, I was there and I thought oh man, the game is over to wow, here we go we are going to win this. Anyway, as I said the game was a wake up call in many respects. Dennis can’t avoid getting caught out of his gap, the result a replay of a run going for a touchdown. Offense, we just don’t have the receivers now. Defenses have caught up to Baker and he appears limited with injuries. They now can zero in on Ebuka and will continue to limit him. Unforunately the result will be closing in on a 500 season.This season may be behind us. I hope I am wrong!!, but yesterday was awake up call.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:17 am
It was a great pick. To bad it didn’t happen at mid field instead of our own endzone. Maye made a 2nd year QB mistake. What’s the defenses excuse allowing him to drive it down to the goal line?
November 10th, 2025 at 9:21 am
I am with BigBucJoe, why is Todd going for 2 so early in games? He has done that before and usually, thanks to Grizzard’s stellar play calling, the Bucs end up chasing points. It is not just a problem with Bowles but other coaches are doing it as well. Bowles has gotten bolder at times, but not smarter. With a solid kicker, Bucs could have kicked a long FG in that 4th down at the 40 which ended up being a punt after the penalty and then perhaps the Bucs kick that second FG on the 4th down at the 27. That is 7 points which Todd flushed away. Granted if the Bucs did manage to take a lead, it is likely he would have had dialed up some sort of prevent D which Maye would have eaten up for the winning score as time expired but the team would have had a chance. Todd took that away.
Also, memo to Todd: quit putting Benji Morrison into get burned time and time again. The kid was exposed Todd, why put him back in the fire? Bad game plan and defensive game management by Bowles, seems like he is back in one of those ruts like those runs to 4-6 and 4-7 the previous 2 seasons. I was hoping it would not happen but Todd is back to his old tricks. Just like Rah in the ATL, who is falconing is way to a pink slip, a leopard never changes its spots.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:24 am
Bowles knows. 3rd and 14 and the Patriots go for 60 yards. Gave Tykee the chance to make that play. Anyone remotely associated with the game of football knows you don’t deserve to win when you give up 4 explosive plays totalling over 240 yards and 3 touchdowns. Just like anyone associated with the game of football knows if your QB throws for 3 touchdowns (long drives) and a field goal drive with zero turnovers deserves to lose. And sandwiching touchdowns around the halftime? We deserved to lose. And you guys blaming Grizzard. You truly don’t know your butts from a hole in the ground. With the carousel of lineman we’re using he deserves a pat on the back.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:25 am
I meant our offense deserved to win.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:33 am
You can put lipstick on the pig all you want. The defense giving up the 2 outrageous long runs for touchdowns deflated the team.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:33 am
Tykee is and absolute stud and a dgd!
November 10th, 2025 at 9:33 am
an*
November 10th, 2025 at 9:35 am
McCollum played soft all game. He looked like a backup on diggs
November 10th, 2025 at 9:39 am
“I am with BigBucJoe, why is Todd going for 2 so early in games?“
First off it was in the 3rd quarter, not “early”
Second, it’s simple math.
You kick the XP, you’re down 4 and need a TD
You miss the 2 pointer; you’re down 5 and need a TD
You make the 2 pointer, you’re down 3 and need an FG.
Kind of obvious what you do there.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:42 am
PmIke, McCollum was probably instructed by Bowles and his secondary coach to not let Diggs get behind him, hence the soft zones where Maye picked up chunks of yardage.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:47 am
Yall franchise QB wasted his great defensive play
November 10th, 2025 at 9:53 am
Looks like Neil changed his name again.
November 10th, 2025 at 9:59 am
The ballgame was 2-50+ yard runs for td’s by the Patriots in which McCollum pretty much was a spectator on both plays
November 10th, 2025 at 10:00 am
We got shallacked by a better team who was thouroughly prepared for us Period.Teams got you on film and study you. Now is the time. Good teams step it up in the 2nd half. And the Patriots are a better team than us. Better be ready for Buffalo. They are mad and will be ready after a loss. Good Luck.
November 10th, 2025 at 10:00 am
WBL, “kind of obvious what you do there”. The way the game went it may have been the right choice. If we’d have made the conversion. But we didn’t. In the long illustrious history of our league failure on the 2 point conversion is the norm. So if 21-16 goes to 24-16 we are forced to make the 2 point conversion. Which in league history fails more than succeeds. Only thing obvious WBL was that kills momentum and gave away a point which easily could have(but didn’t) matter.
November 10th, 2025 at 10:01 am
“If the Bucs had any kind of offense, today we just may be celebrating Tykee Smith.”
—————
Huh, huh…Point a finger at one of the following. Offense. Defense. Special Teams. Those are symptoms. They can rotate almost weekly. They are not the cause. Only symptoms.
If you’re looking for the cause.
There is only one common denominator.
November 10th, 2025 at 10:03 am
The beautiful thing about sports is we play again Sunday. Beat Buffalo and avoid a losing streak.
November 10th, 2025 at 10:10 am
Diaby is another BUST on Licht. BUST.
Thank GOG we signed a broken WR when that money could’ve went to a real pass rusher not washed up Reddick.
Licht owns that.
November 10th, 2025 at 10:13 am
We dont need ME or CG to win yes it helps but we have some good players whats holding us back is this juvenile play calling and a head coach that shouldn’t be a head coach
November 10th, 2025 at 10:22 am
No huge contract for Baker. Make him play out his existing contract. No more bad signings, please! Imagine if the Bucs used Godwin’s money for a proper LB. Could have made all the difference. Licht’s folly.
November 10th, 2025 at 10:23 am
“Just like anyone associated with the game of football knows if your QB throws for 3 touchdowns (long drives) and a field goal drive with zero turnovers deserves to lose.”
Explain being +1 and winning the turnover margin and still struggling to breach 20 points in 4 quarters of football lol
Even then, we still only lost by 5 with all those big plays
And your lord and savior can’t close an 11 POINT DEFICIT in 1 half of football, still speaks more about the offenses inability than anything the defense didn’t do.
Grizzard is cheeks, and so are alot your takes Kenton
November 10th, 2025 at 10:25 am
Bucs still had a chance to win that game even with the injuries that you can’t take a sack when down 21-16 … Mayfield took that sack and Romo pointed out a lot of throws that should have went to Cade Otton that Mayfield either missed or didn’t read the field … I still at times he panics and that sack was one of them!
November 10th, 2025 at 10:28 am
Its one thing to have a 50+ run play burn you but when it happens more than once it usually something the opponent sees in your defense.
Those trying to blame the offense and let the defense off the hook are way off.
Our running engine is injured
we are missing THREE Key wide receivers
no offense can just keep humming along under those circumstances.
November 10th, 2025 at 10:41 am
There were little and big mistakes all around. Winfield is having a great season but on the touchdown to diggs if he just gives him a nice shove when he’s going up for the ball he lands out of bounds. No touchdown. Things like that all game.
November 10th, 2025 at 10:55 am
“no offense can just keep humming along under those circumstances”
This offense has hummed maybe twice this season, even with the injuries. Again, blanket cop out in a thread about the OFFENSE, not being able to capitalize on a defensive takeaway.
Obviously the defense cannot allow those big plays, but they also can’t make up for an offense that scored 10 points on 2 of 6 first half drives and punted the other 4
54% of our drives yesterday ended in punts.
After the Tez TD in the 2nd half we had a net 10 yards on our 2 offensive possessions afterward. The defense gave them a sequence of punt-TO on downs-Punt-INT
offense score 0 points in that span.
November 10th, 2025 at 11:03 am
The game was a perfect example of teams taking on the personality of their head coaches! TB =.500
November 10th, 2025 at 11:07 am
just give it a day or two bucs fans. the gaslighting about GMOTY and RINGOFHONOR and HCOTHY and culture, and MVP.
“well we shut down drake maye in the first half of the third quarter” and other garbage. the bucs defense got hosed yesterday. bowles got hosed. the rushing game got hosed. the OL got hosed. they got totally hosed.
but by wednesday, the lipstick will be out and they’ll be painting up the pig. how long til the day the bucs dump rashaad white? not soon enough.
“oh well its fundamentals, and communication. and gas. i had gas” ok todd didnt say all of those things last night at the podium of excuses.
November 10th, 2025 at 11:26 am
Zyon has been so inconsistent all year. We know Dean is bad, but at least this year he’s making INTs. Most consistent defender all year is Tykee Smith
November 10th, 2025 at 11:32 am
I think we need to face the facts, Bowles is an avg. head coach. Play on the field shows it and his overall record says it. A team takes on the personality of its head coach and i think avg. pretty much describes the bucs under Bowles. We will never be more than avg. with this coach ala Dungy 2.0.
November 10th, 2025 at 11:32 am
Bucs have all the players they need on offense and defense to win the Super Bowl-Jason Licht said so-it must be true.
November 10th, 2025 at 11:52 am
Idk if Bredeson makes a difference had he not gotten injured, but the Pats were blowing up the middle of our line.
Only real issue I have with the playcalling was the no run calls when we had 3rd and 4 near the end after consistently getting 4-5ypc on our previous runs.
November 10th, 2025 at 12:29 pm
I’ll say it again. The Bucs had two plays to make 3 yards. Grizz calls a passing play on third down. Wasted play. Tucker was having a good day. If you can’t pick up 3 yards with ground and pound, your team really sucks as does the OC.
November 10th, 2025 at 12:36 pm
The defense is to blame for this loss. They gave up the huge pass plays and running plays that resulted in touchdowns. The offense could have played better but, in my opinion, the Bucs loss is on the defense.
Go Bucs !!