Buccaneers defeat Giants 25-23: The good, the bad and the ugly

A daily report of whats happening inside the locker room and on the field..

But the Giants managed to find their footing in the second quarter to get back in it. They are playing poorly and making both mental and physical errors. A critical Brandon Marshall drop (sound familiar) on second-and-3 was the killer.

Which player sitting this one out is the biggest?

Missed field goals leave points on the board and give away favorable field position. The Bucs drafted Howard 19th overall in this year’s draft, four spots before the Giants took tight end Evan Engram. Yet Buccaneers writers are predicting a tight end touchdown in Sunday’s game.

Ben McAdoo rolled the dice and came up snake eyes. It remains to be seen what they get from DE Noah Spence, who dislocated his shoulder again at Minnesota and will play with a harness.The Bucs unleashed 15 blitzes last week against the Vikings were burned big time.

The same weaknesses continue to show up.

The Bucs jumped out to a 13-0 lead, with a 36-yard Jacquizz Rodgers run setting up a 6-yard touchdown from Winston to Mike Evans.

Football fans often overlook special teams. They have not run the ball very well. The Giants have outscored the Bucs 334-304 in regular-season play.

Odell Beckham Jr.: Beckham got into the end zone twice last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. That implies that, at least until Doug Martin returns, Plan B for the running game is “don’t”.

The Giants and the Buccaneers traded three-and-outs. He’ll have to prove he can do it against the Giants, who are hungry for a win and just about back to full strength in the secondary. However, they looked far from the part in that Week 3 loss. Both raised a right fist for the duration of the festivities, as did linebacker Keenan Robinson. Through the first three quarters, the Bucs had no sacks and no takeaways which was pretty much the theme track of the evening.

Former Alabama standout O.J. On Sunday, John Jerry flipped from right guard to left guard, and D.J. Fluker made his first start as a Giant at right guard.

Normally, Pugh would be the team’s left guard, Jerry would be the team’s right guard, and Bobby Hart would play right tackle.

With zero interceptions through three games, the Giants are one of six teams in the National Football League without one. Plus a solid running game should help take pressure off Winston. Of course a Kwon Alexander or a Lavonte David can’t be replaced, but champions are champions because they are able to overcome injuries through creativity and depth. That has to stop, but it won’t be easy against a stout Tampa front four led by standout defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.