A week after being embarrassed by the Saints on national television, Tom Braddie and the Bookers responded by dispelling all their disappointments over the Carolina Panthers in a 46-23 strike victory. The Buccaneers made a number of changes after their 38-3 loss to New Orleans and it all seemed to pay off. The most notable change this week came on the offensive line, with Ryan Jensen moving the guard from the center. Jensen was no longer grabbing the ball near Brady, so AQ Shipley was hired.
Dividends were paid for the decision to make Swedes because Brady rarely faced pressure in the win. The 43-year-old quarterback had plenty of time to throw every time he came back, and Brady definitely took advantage of that as he completed 1,341 yards and 39 of 39 passes for touch three touchdowns.
One of Brady’s most impressive passes came on Rob Gronkowski’s 44-yard strike that the Buccaneers desperately needed. At the time of the pass, the Buccaneers were trailing 17-10, facing the second and 13 with just two minutes to go in the first half.
Gronk’s catch from the Carolinani-48-yard line to the Bookiners all. Took down. After three plays, Brady will hit Mike Evans on a three-yard score, which seemed to give Tampa Bay all the momentum. That would put the Buccaneers Panthers 36-6 ahead of that point, including a touchdown.
Speaking of Evans, it was a topic of discussion in Tampa this week and that’s because Buckner’s coach Bruce Arians was clearly frustrated that Birdie didn’t pay much attention to Evans during Tampa Bay’s 38-3 loss to New Orleans.
“Mike was opening a bunch in that ball game,” Arians said after a 9-week loss. “It didn’t hit the target, it was everything. The mic was open.”
Brady clearly took the criticism to heart, as he looked at Evans in the beginning and often against the Panthers. Out of 39 passes Brady threw into the game, 11 of them went to Evans, who caught six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown of three yards which you can see below.
The scary thing about Buchanan’s crime is that it’s still in progress. Changes on the offensive line after week 9? Not enough targets for Evans? These are two issues that have been resolved this week, and unfortunately for the Panthers, it was the team that was on the field that day where the Buccaneers ’offense seemed to have gotten everything out. Antonio Brown also went into action, catching seven passes in the y for yard.
Although the Buccaneers were dominated by the air, the game for Tampa Bay came on the field in the third quarter when Ronald Jones scored the third longest touchdown run in NFL history.
That touchdown shattered the Panthers defense, which could do nothing to stop the Buccaneers in the second half. Jones’s — Yard race was the third longest in NFL history with Ahman Green, behind only Tony Dorset and Derrick Henry, both of whom scored in a 99-yard innings.
A win over the Panthers puts the Buccaneers one step closer to a playoff berth, and although they may not win the division, they should keep their eye on fifth in the NFC as it will allow them to play as NFC pre-winners. Wild-card round. That’s the draw every NFC team wants.
Well, let’s move on to the grade for each game from the 10th week. If you’re looking for a deep dive into the Colts-Titans game played on Thursday, be sure to click here.
Tampa Bay 46-23 from Carolina
Bookers-Panthers Grade by Josh Edwards (Like Grade? Hate Grade?) Let him know on Twitter.)
Houston to Cleveland 10-7
Detroit 30-27 over Washington
Green Bay 24-22 from Jacksonville
NY Giants 27-17 at Philadelphia
Eagles-Giants Grade by Jeff Care (Like Grade? Hate Grade?) Let him know on Twitter.)
Pittsburgh 36-10 over Cincinnati
Bengals-Steelers Grade by Brian Diordo (Like Grade? Hate Grade?) Let him know on Twitter.)
Miami 29-21 LA Chargers Up
Chargers-Dolphins Grade by Jordan Dajani (Like Grade? Hate Grade?) Let him know on Twitter.)
L.A. over Seattle. Rams 23-16
Seahawks-Rams Grade by Jared Dubin (Like grades? Hate grades?) Let him know on Twitter.)
Arizona 32-30 over Buffalo
Bill-Cardinals Grade by Patrick Wacker (Like Grade? Hate Grade?) Let him know on Twitter.)
37-12 from Las Vegas Denver
New Orleans 27-13 over San Francisco
23-17 over New England Baltimore
Ravens-Patriots Grade by Tyler Sullivan (Like Grade? Hate Grade?) Let him know on Twitter.)
