Who Struggled and Who Shined in the Bucs' Week 4 Loss to the Chiefs?
Who Struggled?
VITA VEA
Unanimously recognized as one of the most impactful nose tackles in the game, Vita Vea has high expectations for himself no matter who he's lined up against. And although the Kansas City Chiefs have a really strong group of interior offensive linemen, Vea is big enough, athletic enough, and fierce enough to make an impact.
Unfortunately, that didn't really happen on Sunday night. Kansas City's 2nd-year center, Creed Humphrey, held up extremely well against the 347-pound Vea – and even if he received help from the standout guards playing beside him (Joe Thuney and Trey Smith) to get the job done, the final result remains the same. Vita Vea didn't make the impact that he usually does, and the same could be said for most of the Buccaneers' defensive line. Who collectively allowed Patrick Mahomes to dance around the offensive backfield all game long, almost as if he were someone who was just released from prison – comfortably observing his natural surroundings without any sort of duress – totally at peace, and able to go wherever he wanted, whenever he felt like it.
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JAKE CAMARDA
The Buccaneers' rookie punter, Jake Camarda, was off to a fine start to his NFL career. In the first 3 games, Camarda was effective with the majority of his punts, not just with distance but air time as well, which allowed the Bucs' coverage unit to capitalize, often providing the Bucs with advantageous field position.
Camarda did not sustain this level of play during the team's second consecutive home loss of the season on Sunday night. Even though he only punted the ball three times, for an average of 41.7 yards, he sailed a punt out of bounds early in the third quarter, which placed the Chiefs at their own 35-yard line to start the drive. It was a costly mistake at an inopportune time – as the Bucs couldn't afford to give up field position to a scorching-hot Chiefs offense.
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And again, despite only punting the ball three times in the game, Camarda still fell four spots in pEPA (punter epa/punt above expected) ranking, from 21st in the league entering this game to 25th overall, once it had concluded.
It's important to remember, Jake Camarda is still at the very beginning of his NFL journey. There will be success and there will be struggles. For the Bucs' sake, hopefully, he's able to limit his struggles, and perform consistently for the majority of his season, because it's an important one for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Who Shined?
MIKE EVANS
Coming off a 1-game suspension that he served during the team's home opener vs. the Packers in week 3, it was obvious that Mike Evans was eager to get back on the field with his teammates for week 4. Despite the offensive struggles for the Bucs – especially in the first half – Evans could not be contained in this game.
He looked rejuvenated running past Chiefs' cornerbacks all game, and created separation at all levels, using a combination of speed, craftiness, and physicality that have become staples of his route-running success over the years. He also demonstrated his ability to come down with contested catches in the red zone on his way to 2 touchdowns, to go with his 8 receptions and 103 yards on the day.
TOM BRADY
It was only a matter of time until Tom Brady found his rhythm. That's not to say that he himself had been out of rhythm over the Bucs' first three games of the season, but there's no question that the offense was experiencing a bit of an identity crisis – and he is their quarterback. But with so many players in and out of the lineup at the wide receiver position, and along the offensive line, it makes plenty of sense that the Buccaneers' passing attack was stuck in the mud to start the season.
With a healthy(ish) collection of star receivers finally at his disposal, it was obvious that Tom Brady, despite his age and off-the-field distractions, still has all the tools required to lead this team to the promise land. He was prolific through the air against the Chiefs on Sunday night, where he completed 39/52 passes en route to 385 yards and 3 TDs.
The bigger issue in many people's eyes – my own included – is the lack of aggression from a play-calling perspective. In order to maximize their offensive potential, Byron Leftwich is going to need to come out swinging earlier in games. Running predictable, vanilla plays on early downs not only creates far too many third and long situations, but it simply isn't playing to the strengths of this roster.
The Bucs' offensive decision-makers need to be aggressive through the air, especially on early downs, as opposed to waiting for their opponent to strike first, putting them in a position where they have no choice but to be aggressive. This is exactly what we saw in week 4 vs. the Kansas City Chiefs – and it created a mountain that was simply too steep to climb.
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