The good, the bad and the ugly for Buccaneers in win over Seahawks

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers certainly like to make things interesting. For the fourth time this season, the Bucs won a game in the final minutes. Tampa Bay beat the Seattle Seahawks 38-35 on a last-second field goal on the leg of Chase McLaughlin.

In a back-and-forth contest, one that saw four lead changes in the second half, the Bucs gritted out a tough win in a hostile environment. The victory moves them to 4-1 on the season and gives them a comfortable two-game lead in the NFC South.

Even with all the injuries the Bucs had coming into the game, they found a way to push through. It wasn’t always pretty, but Baker Mayfield fueled his team to another win. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Buccaneers' win over the Seahawks.

The Good

TE Cade Otton

Otton reemerged in the passing game with a big 27-yard grab on third down on the first touchdown drive and helped plow the way for Rachaad White’s two touchdowns on the day. He was excellent at blocking, especially on screens and quick passes, and sprung White’s first down run on third and seven in the final seconds of the game to set up the game-winning field goal. He finished with four receptions for 81 yards.

RB Rachaad White

Asked to step up with Bucky Irving out for the foreseeable future, White answered the call. He scored the first touchdown of the game on a seven-yard run just before the half and was an outlet for Mayfield in the passing game. He had a big-time blitz pick up on third down early in the third quarter before scoring his second touchdown of the game. He finished with just 41 yards rushing on the day, but his 12-yard run at the end of the game on third down helped the Bucs seal a victory. He caught all four of his targets for 30 yards.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White (1) reacts with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Seahawks — Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White (1) reacts with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

WR Emeka Egbuka

Egbuka continues to be fantastic and remains the early favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, especially after his performance on Sunday. The rookie racked up a career-high 163 yards, reeling in all seven of his targets, including a 20-yard touchdown. His 25-yard grab on the final drive of the game jump-started the Bucs' offense and played a big role in their ability to kick the game-winning field goal.

QB Baker Mayfield

Mayfield was excellent this game. He made several big-time throws, bought time in the pocket, and delivered strikes to his receivers. Mayfield delivered lasers to his receivers on Sunday and had just four incompletions on the day, going 29 of 33. His 379 yards and his 134.7 passer rating are his best this season. He used his legs sparingly but picked up a critical first down when things were going back and forth, and once again, he led a game-winning drive in the final minutes of the game. He’s got to be a front-runner for the MVP at this point.

The Bad

Run Game

The Bucs weren't able to get anything going consistently on the ground against Seattle’s defense. Their streak of 12 straight games with 100 or more yards rushing has come to an end as they gained just 56 yards on the ground. The Bucs struggled to get consistent push on the ground against the Seahawks’ talented defensive line. Seattle came in with the sixth-best run defense, so it wasn’t necessarily surprising, but the Bucs will need to find a way to be more balanced against the 49ers and Lions.

Pass Defense

Tampa Bay’s secondary was tormented through the air by Sam Darnold and the Seahawks on Sunday. Down two cornerbacks, Jamel Dean and Benjamin Morrison, Jacob Parrish kicked outside from the slot to the perimeter. Kindle Vildor was victimized on a few plays when Parrish bounced inside, and Zyon McCollum was beaten by Jaxon Smith-Ngijba on several plays as he reeled in eight grabs for 132 yards and a score.

The secondary allowed big chunks in fourth-quarter drives, including a 21-yard touchdown for go-ahead score with just over three minutes left in the game. The Bucs defense gave up 341 yards passing for four passing touchdowns. Not a good day.

The Ugly

Special Teams Coverage Unit

The Bucs continue to struggle on their coverage units. The unit let up a big return before the half that led to seven points on the board with seconds left on the clock. Late in the third quarter, the Buccaneers let another big return. This time, it went for 50 yards, which sparked an early fourth-quarter scoring drive and the game-tying touchdown. The unit has allowed 196 yards on seven returns.

Four-Man Pass Rush

The Bucs’ pass rush was near non-existent against the Seahawks. Even when the Bucs got to Darnold, they couldn't finish plays to bring him down. On Seattle’s go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, both Yaya Diaby and Haason Reddick had an opportunity to bring Darnold down but couldn’t.

The Bucs will be going up against two creative offenses in the coming weeks that will take advantage of when the Bucs send extra pressure. They’ll need to do a much better job of finishing plays and putting more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

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