Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 Vital statistics for 2019 season

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Of course, it’s the number of the team’s primary starting quarterback since 2015. But there will be much more on Jameis Winston later. Of course, the focus here is on something that certainly affects the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense and the talented but erratic signal-caller as well.

Yes, the NFL has put an increased emphasis on the passing game in recent years. But that doesn’t mean that a team can simply have its quarterback drop back and sling the ball all over the field. There’s a reason that no player in the Super Bowl Era has led the league in passing yards in a season and walked away with a Lombardi Trophy the same year.

All told, only three teams in the NFL — the Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings — totaled fewer yards rushing than the Bucs in 2018. A year ago, Tampa Bay averaged just 95.2 yards per game on the ground. The Buccaneers’ offense scored a very-respectable 47 touchdowns, 36 through the air and just 11 rushing.

New head coach Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich need to get much more out of running backs Peyton Barber and especially Ronald Jones, the latter a second-round pick in 2018. Over the past three seasons, the Bucs have ranked 24th, 27th and 29th, respectively, in rushing the past three seasons.