TAMPA, Fla. — Arguably no NFL team needs a bye week worse than the one with the battered pride and beleaguered offense.
At the very least, the Bucs could use a Monday night game, and the extra day of preparation accompanying it.
They get neither. To the contrary, the team in need of some overhauling barely has time to tinker.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens (4-3) arrive at Raymond James Stadium on Thursday evening. In the wake of Sunday’s embarrassing 21-3 loss to a Panthers team led by an interim coach and third-string quarterback, a short memory is essential.
But a short week? At this juncture?
“We want to get back out there and get the sour taste out of our mouths,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “We can’t wait to play again, but at the same time, there are steps to playing a game on Thursday, and today is only Monday. So we’ve got to take those steps and get ready for Thursday.”
Logistically, this breakneck turnaround represents a worst-case scenario for Bowles’ team (3-4), which has lost four of its last five. Bowles said after Sunday’s loss the Bucs must change their approach in some areas, and the injury-decimated secondary must get healthier.
But this week, there’s barely time to modify or mend. While Bowles suggested some changes have been in the discussion phase for a while, he also acknowledged that “with a Thursday game, you can’t change too much, but we can tweak some things.”
Any significant adjustments likely won’t involve personnel. Bowles said Monday that rookie left guard Luke Goedeke — nursing what is believed to be a foot injury — remains a starter. So, too, does tailback Leonard Fournette, who has totaled 82 yards on 29 carries over his last two games.
And though the defensive starting lineup may be adjusted due to injury (safety Antoine Winfield remains in concussion protocol), no wholesale changes are expected. On Monday, Bowles suggested the scheme is sound, but the focus is another story.
In their last three games, the Bucs have been outscored 29-9 in the fourth quarter, lowlighted by three second-half coverage busts Sunday. Moreover, the team hasn’t collected a takeaway in its last three contests.
“And I can’t explain why at this time, but the things that happened (Sunday) in the fourth quarter and the second half, especially the three busts we had ... were inexcusable and are some things we put in day one since we’ve been here,” Bowles added.
“So it wasn’t something that had to be taught or re-coached or re-taught. We’ve just got to focus, and we’ve got to learn how to have a killer instinct and finish three quarters.”
That instinct somehow must be harnessed over the next 72 hours. Otherwise, Jackson and Co. could flourish.
The Bucs have faced Jackson only once, losing 20-12 in Baltimore on Dec. 16, 2018. He enters as the NFL’s fifth-leading rusher (510 yards, 7.7 yards a carry) and owns the league’s 11th-best passer rating (92.1).
“He’s starting to throw the ball better from the pocket and stuff,” co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote said.
“He’s got more weapons than he had in the past. He’s dynamic; it’s going to take 11 guys. Hopefully, we can cheat a couple guys and put two more guys on the field, (because) it’s going to take 13 guys to contain him.”
Of course, the Bucs won’t have that luxury. All they really can do is talk through — and walk through — their issues.
“The next couple of days we’re going to walk through, so I think that will help us,” Foote said. “It’s going to be a lot slower; we can teach. We’re not used to playing a quarterback that dynamic and he’s involved in the run game. So, I think it’s going to help us out as far as just (practicing) slower and we can do a lot more teaching.
“But if I had it my way, I would love a full week.”
