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Buccaneers Morning After, Week 15: Call the authorities; Tampa Bay’s offense has gone missing

Here’s what happened Sunday and what we’ll be talking about in the week ahead.
 
Dirk Koetter's Buccaneers have lost six straight road games. [Associated Press]
Dirk Koetter's Buccaneers have lost six straight road games. [Associated Press]
Published Dec. 17, 2018|Updated Dec. 18, 2018

When the Buccaneers walked into M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Sunday, they had roughly a 1 in 150 chance of making the playoffs.

They walked out with no chance.

Their 20-12 loss to the Ravens officially eliminated them from contention and guaranteed their seventh losing season since 2011.

Yep, the Bucs held an opponent to 20 points and lost. In Dirk Koetter’s first two seasons as head coach, they were 10-2 in such games. This season, they’ve lost two of four. Remember the days when you thought they would have a chance as long as they could hold keep their opponent from scoring points like the Golden State Warriors? It seems that whenever Tampa Bay contains a fire, another one appears.

Though the defense certainly was responsible for the loss — it allowed the Ravens to run for 242 yards — the offense’s disappearance had a part. The Bucs have gone from scoring three touchdowns a game to scoring three every two games.

Right now, if Tampa Bay isn’t forcing takeaways in bunches, it’s not winning. Case in point: the Bucs’ win over the Panthers three weeks ago. They intercepted Cam Newton four times and yet won by only seven points. Since then, 16 of their 26 points have come off turnovers.

“Losing is not fun,” Koetter said Sunday.

Indeed, but at this point, with another season ending without a playoff appearance, losing might be what’s best. A win over Baltimore would have dropped Tampa Bay out of the top 10 in the projected 2019 NFL draft order.

If the season ended today, the Bucs would have the No. 9 pick. You know what this means. Over the next few weeks, the conversation won’t be about whether Tampa Bay can win another game; it will be about whether it should win another game.

Here are some other things we’ll be talking about this week:

Storylines

• You catch that CBS Sports report Sunday morning about the Bucs making contingencies for a coaching search? In case you missed it, Rick Stroud weighed in: “It would be unusual for the Glazer family which owns the team to have many discussions about their coaching situation outside of the family.”

Jason La Canfora’s report also mentioned that Koetter and offensive coordinator Todd Monken should find employment quickly if the Bucs decide to part ways after the season. Head-coach candidates and head coaches already in place “will be ready to vie for Koetter and Monken’s services in 2019.”

• I wouldn’t pin Sunday’s loss on Jameis Winston, who completed 13 of 25 passes for 157 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. He had a decent first half that could have been better if it weren’t for some dropped passes. I do wonder, though, whether the past few games have provided any further clarity about his future in Tampa Bay. My guess is that however you felt about Winston last month is exactly how you feel about him today.

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• We won’t talk about him because we rarely do, but Lavonte David had a terrific game. He had recorded both of the Bucs’ sacks and three of their five quarterback hits. He also recovered a fumble. It’s a shame that in seven seasons he has never played in a playoff game. For that to happen, he might have to go elsewhere. He’s signed through the 2020 season and has $20.5 million remaining on his contract.

• In which phases are the Bucs better than they were in 2015, when they went 6-10? Pass offense (Sunday aside)? Not run offense. Not pass defense. Not run defense. Not kicking. Not punting. Not returning.

• The Bears, who finished with the same record as the Bucs last season and lost to them 29-7, clinched the NFC North. Chicago is one of five teams (Cleveland, Denver, Houston and Indianapolis are the others) that finished 5-11 or worse last season and have a better record than Tampa Bay this season. There’s a case to be made for patience and seeing a process through, but what from the past couple of seasons tells you that the arrow for the Bucs is pointing upward?

At least this happened

On tap

• Lunchtime: My weekly AfterMath analysis. tampabay.com/sports

• 2:30 p.m.: Koetter news conference. buccaneers.com

Hard-to-believe stat

+7

Bucs’ turnover margin in their past four games, tied tied for the league’s best differential. In their first 10 games, they had the league’s worst differential.

More mind-boggling numbers from the game here.

Things we said

Nobody seems safe

Koetter is on the ropes, and now Winston may be there with him. The Bucs needed only 21 points to beat the Ravens, and Winston couldn't deliver them. By Rick Stroud.

Defense can’t find its way off the field in loss

A Ravens team long built around its defense — which is still one of the league’s best — now has a run-oriented attack that allowed Lamar Jackson the ability to improvise with run-pass option plays. By Eduardo Encina.

Mike Evans sets career high but has frustrating day

With 121 yards on four catches, Evans established a new single-season high for receiving yards with 1,328, bettering his 2016 total by seven yards. But he struggled with the weather conditions early and was called for a costly offensive pass interference penalty. By Eduardo Encina.

Bucs-Ravens report card

Sayeth the Ravens, never score. Well, sayeth the Ravens defense, which held the Bucs to only a field goal in the second half of Tampa Bay's 20-12 loss Sunday. The Bucs were shutout in the second half of their 28-14 loss to New Orleans last Sunday. Anybody notice a trend? Against the better defenses, the Bucs can't get in the end zone very much. By Rick Stroud.

Contact Thomas Bassinger at tbassinger@tampabay.com. Follow @tometrics.