It’s not easy to keep track of snaps and personnel packages during NFL games unless you’re one of the Pro Football Focus employees that’s tasked with doing that in order to quickly spit out the player grades that J.J. Watt often likes to complain about.
However, it wasn’t that difficult for the Buccaneers’ game Thursday night against the Falcons because of all the notable names that kept rotating inside of Baker Mayfield’s huddle. For the first time this season, Tampa Bay had its full cast of skill players, with the returns of wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan. But the extra help offensively somehow wasn’t enough to beat the flag-infested Falcons after 37-year-old Kirk Cousins carved up the Buccaneers’ very concerning defense in the 29–28 defeat. The Falcons were flagged 19 times for 125 yards, while the Buccaneers had their four stud wide receivers and three-back committee available. And that still wasn’t enough to hold onto a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.
