The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to be coming apart at the seams with losses in four of their last five games.
Tom Brady and the struggling Buccaneers (3-4) will look to get it together on Thursday night when they host Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (4-3).
Tampa Bay’s latest tumble came at the hands of a Carolina Panthers team that was led by an interim head coach and a third-string quarterback.
The Buccaneers went 2-for-12 on third downs in a 21-3 setback to the Panthers on Sunday. Tampa Bay didn’t help itself by averaging 2.9 yards per carry in that game, and the club is averaging a league-low 3.0 per tote and 64.4 rushing yards per contest this season.
“We got to coach it better, we got to play it better, we got to have awareness and situational football — all those things that really matter that we’ve been so good at in the past,” offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said.
Brady, 45, has just eight touchdown passes through seven games this season. He had 21 through the team’s first seven games in 2021.
“I think there’s always hope and then there’s reality,” Brady said of turning around his team’s fortunes. “The only thing you can focus on is what the reality of the situation is, and that’s we haven’t played our best football.”
Brady is also working behind a makeshift offensive line that remains in flux. Rookie guard Luke Goedeke was ruled out due to a foot injury and will be replaced by third-year backup Nick Leverett.
“We loved him in summer camp. He was feisty, he was smart, he was one of the first ones in the building. He studied. He had some technique stuff to work on just like Luke but they were neck-and-neck in the spot. We like his aggressiveness,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said.
The Bucs won’t have wide receiver Russell Gage (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) is a game-time decision, Bowles said. Tight end Cameron Brate (neck) is out and a slew of injuries could impact the defense: cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (quad), Carlton Davis III (hip), Antoine Winfield Jr. (concussion) are were ruled out Wednesday.
Brady may see a familiar face in three-time Pro Bowler Jason Pierre-Paul, who has started the last four games for the Ravens since signing with the team on Sept. 26. Pierre-Paul spent his four previous seasons with Tampa Bay.
“There’s no bad blood, but I want to show them what they don’t have,” Pierre-Paul said, per ESPN.
The Buccaneers already had veteran safety Logan Ryan (foot) on injured reserve and are very thin in the secondary behind Mike Edwards and Keanu Neal. There was hope defensive tackle Akiem Hicks (foot) would return, but he was ruled out Thursday.
Tampa Bay will have to keep a multi-faceted threat in Jackson under wraps on Thursday.
Jackson threw for just 120 yards and rushed for 59 yards more in Baltimore’s 23-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. The former NFL MVP ranks fifth among all players with 510 yards rushing.
Gus Edwards rushed 16 times for 66 yards and a career high-tying two touchdowns in his return from a torn ACL on Sunday. He also rushed for 104 yards and a score in the Ravens’ 20-12 win over the Buccaneers during their last meeting in 2018.
Edwards (knee) was a limited practice participant all week and was listed as questionable on Wednesday.
Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell (illness) didn’t practice all week and was ruled out.
In addition to Edwards, Baltimore listed seven others as questionable: Tight end Mark Andrews (knee), receiver Rashod Bateman (foot), linebacker Josh Bynes (quadricep), cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (hamstring), Marcus Peters (quadriceps) and Brandon Stephens (oblique) and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle).
–Field Level Media
