Extra Point: Takeaways From The Buccaneers Loss To The Falcons

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers squandered away the top spot in the NFC South division in their 16-13 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The offense didn't show up managing just 13 points on the day. Penalties, questionable play calling, and poor quarterback play plagued the team. While a late collapse by an otherwise stellar defensive unit let the Falcons seal the victory as time expired.

Now on a short week, the Bucs will need to rally to avoid losing three straight games. There's not much time to dwell on the loss to Atlanta with a trip to Buffalo to face the Bills on Thursday Night Football looming. There is plenty to learn from and take away from the losing effort and correct before Week 8's matchup.

Here are my top takeaways from the Bucs Week 7 loss.

Offense Takes A Giant Step Back

Boy, the Bucs offense was not pretty on Sunday. Play calling and sequencing, below-average quarterback play, and a haunting inability to get anything out of the run game all contributed to the Bucs' loss.

The bad news is I don't know if there is a quick fix to turn around the offensive woes around. Better execution would certainly help but we've been saying that for weeks now in terms of the run game. Mayfield needs to do a better job of protecting the ball with his second interception on key drives in as many weeks. He needs to see the field better missing several wide-open receivers while missing badly on throws to others.

The Bucs were bailed out all day with penalties from the Falcons' defensive backs, but still couldn't take advantage of them. This team needs to find a way to put points on the board. On a short week against a superior team, it will be tough to shake off the issues that have plagued them the past two weeks. The good news is the Buccaneers will have a mini-bye to try and get things right.

Defense Keep Bucs In Game Again

While the Bucs' defense did give up a critical play to set up the Falcons' game-winning field goal on Sunday, they have largely been the reason the team has even been in games late. That was no different against Atlanta.

The turnovers continued this week with the team causing three fumbles inside the red zone to prevent inevitable scores. The Bucs have held five of their six opponents to 20 points or less on the season which is usually a recipe for success but the offense has struggled to put points on the board and short drives have left them gassed.

Bucs Are Beating Themselves

The Buccaneers continue to beat themselves in a multitude of ways on both sides of the ball. Sunday's loss to the Falcons was no different. On the offensive side of the ball, penalties and lack of discipline have hurt the team consistently.

The Bucs had seven penalties on offense against Atlanta. Including three false starts and three holding calls, two of which wiped out big gains.

Defensively they had several plays on Sunday with defenders out of position that let up big gains, including essentially the game sealer on a pass to Kyle Pitts. Communication on the defense has been an issue in the Bucs bend but don't break defense.

Three Up, Three Down

Three Up

Luke Goedeke

Goedke continues to be one of the brightest spots on an otherwise lackluster offense. He graded out as the offense's highest player per Pro Football Focus and has been dominant in pass protection. The Bucs look like they have bookend tackles for the foreseeable future.

Antoine Winfield Jr

What can you say about Winfield Jr that hasn't been said already? The fourth-year safety came up big again in Sunday's loss punching out a ball in a touchdown-saving play and giving the Bucs offense the ball back. He continues to be all over the field and is setting himself up for a huge payday at the end of the season.

Shaq Barrett

Barrett had his second-best game of the season on Sunday. He was a force setting the edge against the run and came away with a pivotal strip-sack with the Falcons knocking on the door in the red zone. While he doesn't look like the Shaq of 2019, he made his presence felt on Sunday.

Three Down

Ryan Neal

Fans are calling for Neal to be benched after two porous games and inconsistent play really all season long. Neal was partially responsible for allowing the Falcons to kick the game-winning field goal after taking a bad angle on Kyle Pitts and allowing him to jaunt for a 39-yard gain. To be fair, he is being asked to play more of a free safety role than the in-the-box role he excelled at last season. However, the play needs to be better and there are no excuses for it.

Devin White

White finished the game with just five tackles against a team that ran the ball 38 times. That's unacceptable from your inside linebacker. On one play White left his assignment to try and make a tackle on Desmond Ridder that led to a huge gain down the field by Tyler Allgeier. The splash plays haven't been there this season and that continued in Sunday's loss. For a player who wants $20 million a year, he hasn't lived up to his part of the bargain since Week 2.

Baker Mayfield

There are a ton of candidates this week on offense to fill up this section. Rachaad White, Dave Canales, Cade Otton, all played a hand in the Bucs' loss to the Falcons. However, Mayfield's play was just unacceptable. He missed several open targets with overthrows, underthrows, and passes just off the mark. Throughout the game, there were several instances where he made questionable decisions, including his interception in the red zone late in the game.

You can follow JC Allen on Twitter @JCAllenNFL.

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