2 Buccaneers overreactions after victory over Saints

It has been an odd season for Mayfield this year. In two games, he combined for seven touchdown passes with no interceptions and looked the part of the No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 NFL Draft.

In two other games, he had just one TD pass with an interception. And then Sunday he tossed four touchdown passes while also crafting three interceptions. All of them came in the second quarter, when the Buccaneers coughed up a big early lead.

However, two of the picks came on tipped passes. But quarterbacks have to own those types of turnovers, too. Mayfield passed for 325 yards, completing 24 of 36 attempts. he also carried three times for 29 yards. Mayfield said the offensive explosion came from a group effort, according to buccaneers.com.

“Obviously we had a few bad situations there with some tipped balls,” Mayfield said. “The first interception was definitely the worst one. Just not a good decision. The guy had it covered up pretty well. Don’t flinch. There’s going to be ups and downs but that’s why you play 60 minutes. There are two halves for a reason. Just regroup and find a way.”

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said his team did a good job regrouping after the mistakes.

“We regrouped in the second half, got our composure,” said Bowles. “I was proud to see it. The offense got clicking, the defense didn’t give up a second-half score, so we turned it around against a tough team.”

All things considered, this is a team that leans on the performances of Mayfield. The problem is he hasn’t delivered on the big stage of the postseason. It’s not that he’s been bad, totaling two wins and two losses. And he’s thrown 10 touchdown passes with three interceptions in those four games. But Mayfield hasn’t proven he can win anything other than a first-round game. And he’s been in the league for seven years.

Mayfield has a career record of 44-48. To think he could blossom into a postseason hero with his fourth NFL team seems like a stretch, and an overreaction.

Overreaction No. 2

Tampa Bay has an elite ground game

In each of the last two seasons, the Buccaneers have finished dead list in rushing offense. That rarely goes away in one season. This year, the Buccaneers rank No. 8. It’s hard to imagine a team still ranked No. 20 as an offensive line, according to profootballnetwork.com, can suddenly become a rushing juggernaut. They hit the Saints for 277 yards, but that had a lot to do with the Saints’ unwillingness to tackle. Lots of business decisions seemed to be made on the Saints side of the football on Sunday.

Certainly the Buccaneers have been better lately. They pounded the Falcons for 160 yards prior to crunching the Saints. And the addition of another threat in Sean Tucker helps matters.

Bowles said Tucker met some of his potential against the Saints, according to tampabay.com.

“This is the Sean Tucker we thought we would get when we got him last year, and he’s coming into his own,” Bowles said.

Bowles added Tucker has earned more chances, according to wfla.com.

“(Tucker) took advantage of his opportunities,” Bowles said. “He ran away from some tackles, some linebackers. He ran through the hole, he cut back, he made some great plays, he caught the ball well out of the backfield, so that gives us three-headed monsters.”

Mayfield seemed to be buyer on the future of Tucker.

“For guys to be able to step in and play like that?” Mayfield said. “That’s more than just the next man up mentality. That’s a huge jump he just took and I’m really, really happy for him.”

Tucker said effort and preparation played a role in his performance.

“It’s just a testament to all the hard work I’ve been put into the game,” Tucker said. “And the work I did growing up. From me being here and getting an opportunity to show what I can do.”

But the Buccaneers will have to prove they can sustain the ground game to remove this from the overreaction ranks. However, if they do run the ball effectively, it increases the chances Mayfield can excel.