A Look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offense

The New York Giants are coming off a bye week to face one of the top offenses in the NFL this week in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What kind of challenges does the Bucs offense pose, led by Baker Mayfield?

I don’t know if there is a quarterback in the NFL right now who has exceeded expectations the way Mayfield has with the Bucs.

There are still moments when he throws a pass into the window that he’s not trying to force, but he’s also developed into one of the best play extenders in the NFL.

The Bucs hope to have Mike Evans back this week after missing nearly a month with a hamstring injury. He has returned to training and plans to play, but as of this writing, it is not yet guaranteed that he will play.

Sterling Shepard and Trey Palmer have been the Bucs’ main receivers in recent weeks, with the Bucs also missing Chris Godwin, who will miss the rest of the season.

In the tight end room, Cade Otton emerged as a weapon. In his junior year out of Washington, Otton had 49 catches for 456 yards and four touchdowns. The bulk of his production came after injuries to Evans and Godwin as the featured man.

Otton’s usage shouldn’t see a significant drop off with Evans returning, as I think he’s done enough to prove he’s a viable option in the passing game.

Running backs Rachaad White and Bucky Irving have been effective players as pass catchers in the backfield this season.

Irving is a much better running back, especially at making explosive gains down the field and taking tough yards after contact.

Irving so far this season Since White has yards per carry, he has the same number of yards after contact per carry. period.

The Bucs’ offensive line may start its first game of the season without Tristan Wirfs. He suffered an MCL sprain and appears to be a game-time decision.

If he can’t play, Justin Skule, who replaced him against the 49ers, will likely start in his place.

The Bucs franchise has done a good job of keeping Mayfield relatively clean this season. 98 pressures, 21st most in the NFL.

The problem is that even though he wasn’t given a lot of pressure, most of that pressure turned into sacks.

Bucs are working this year almost exclusively from 11 or 12 staff. As a refresher, 11 personnel consists of one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers, while 12 personnel consists of one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers.

If the Bucs had no injuries, they would probably win about 90% of their games through 11 personnel.

Offensive coordinator Liam Coen originally came from the college ranks. He spent some time with the Los Angeles Rams before returning to college, where he briefly worked out with Mayfield, then returned to college and eventually joined the Bucs.

The significance of his journey is his evolution from beginning to end and how he continues to build his arsenal.

At Kentucky, Coen would make a living running counters and traps under center. While the trap is no longer as prevalent in his running scheme, the counter is still a core part of his offense.

Coen took up pick-and-roll and mix zone runs with the Rams and added it to the repertoire, giving the Bucs one of the most versatile running schemes in the NFL.

In the passing game, Coen has learned to use pre-snap movement and master concepts to consistently create open looks for receivers.

This Fifth highest scoring offense in the NFL despite having the tenth fewest games for any crime. They consistently produce explosives and can score points with the best of them.

The Giants’ pass rush should be able to generate consistent pressure, especially with the impending return of Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Whether he plays or not, Wirfs won’t be 100%, which will open up opportunities for him to go after Mayfield.

One of the biggest concerns is that if the Bucs insist on sticking with their ground game, things could get worse for the Giants defense, which has been terrible at defending the run.

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