Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Studs and duds from Week 14 vs. Vikings

Stud: Commitment to the running backs

The Buccaneers were a pass-happy offense in the final two games before the bye week. This resulted in more pressure and hits for Tom Brady. For one week at least, the team stayed committed to the running game.

The running game was not dominant but sticking with it was the most important thing for the team. Ronald Jones had 80 yards in the game. More importantly, Jones had 18 carries for the game. This type of consistent running will help keep Brady comfortable in the pocket.

Along with featuring Jones, we saw LeSean McCoy in his first game action since Week 6. McCoy looked like he had fresh legs and showed more burst than the last time he played. He also added a pass-catching running back for Tom Brady in passing situations.

McCoy was only active because Leonard Fournette was not, but hopefully, he earned himself more time to at least be Brady’s third-down back. He ended the game with 32 yards rushing and one reception.

Dud: Tom Brady

Tom Brady’s game was reflective of the team. He started very slowly before getting into a rhythm in the second quarter. It was similar to what he has done in previous games but he was able to get comfortable without digging out of a big hole.

Brady’s stats were not bad. Once he really started to click he was pretty efficient. He threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He just didn’t start great and after the team’s recent struggles early in games, he needed to be better. He missed open receivers in the first two possessions and the team had to punt before getting anything going.

If the Buccaneers had been playing a better game, they could have been down 14 or more points before Brady got hot. He sensed pressure in the first half when it wasn’t always there and rushed incomplete passes because of it. He will need to improve on this if the team is going to win in the playoffs.