Buccaneers 20, Cardinals 17: What we saw on defense and special teams

The numbers for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense were very pedestrian, and after taking a 17-3 lead over the Arizona Cardinals with 3:56 to play in the third quarter, they appeared totally in command.

But the Cardinals' defense stepped up, limiting the Bucs to one field goal for the remainder of the game that actually came after a three-and-out.

Still, it was the same ‘ol result as the Cardinals lost 20-17 and for the seventh time in games decided by four points or fewer.

The good and not so good for the defense will be addressed, but for the first time this season, we’ll begin this review with the special teams. And for good reason.

Another crucial missed field goal

In two consecutive games lost by three points, the difference was a missed Chad Ryland field-goal attempt.

Last week, the loss was in overtime to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the errant 33-yard wide-right field-goal miss in regulation (the same length as an extra point, of which Ryland has made all 27 this season), might have resulted in a victory after four quarters.

Sunday, he was also wide right on a 43-yard attempt after hitting from 52 on the final play of the first half.

Following Sunday’s miss, the FOX broadcast showed the hold by punter Matt Haack on the made field goal on the left side of the screen and the miss on the right side.

At that point, analyst Daryl Johnston showed how Haack’s left pinkie was up on the ball on the first kick and down further on the second.

Johnston said, “And so, there’s a little bit more pressure further down, and the ball is a little bit flatter on the left. It’s a little bit more vertical on the right.”

Cameras then showed Ryland and Haack talking on the sideline, a discussion Johnson noted began on the field after the miss. He concluded, “So you think the hold wasn’t in the right spot that it normally is.”

Afterward, when asked about Ryland’s misses, head coach Jonathan Gannon said, "There was a little bit of wind out there. I think it's just like a productive run play – it takes all 11. We (have) to make sure that we're blocking it up right, the snap is good (and) the operation is good. I'm not worried about him; he will bang them through."

Except he hasn’t in two situations in the last two games.

Ryland defended Haack (who’s been with the team for two games), telling the team website, "You never want to leave points out there when you are sent out to get them. Everything was exactly the way I wanted. We were playing with the wind at our back a little bit so I wanted the ball more up and down. I just kind of cut it thin. That was on me.

“Matt is a true pro. I'm happy to have him here and he's done a really good job getting the ball down how I like and I have to do a better job making those kicks."

For his part, Haack had a solid game against the Jaguars, but on two punts Sunday, he averaged 46.0 yards and only a 34.5 net. That was attributed to a 44-yard punt from the Cardinals' 21-yard line that was returned 15 yards to midfield by Kameron Johnson. That led to a touchdown and a 10-0 Tampa Bay lead with 1:36 remaining in the first half.

Big plays hurt

The Bucs had six plays of 20 yards or more, and all came in the first three quarters. Those accounted for 142 of their 279 yards.

A Baker Mayfield 21-yard run on third-and-3 was one of 10 plays in the 50-yard drive for a touchdown.

On the touchdown drive that provided the Bucs with a 17-3 lead, there was a 23-yard pass from Mayfield to Emeka Ebkua on third-and-8 and a 22-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Godwin that advanced the ball to the 18-yard line.

Two plays later, running back Bucky Irving ran untouched for a 13-yard touchdown. While Irving was difficult to bring down at times, the Cardinals did hold him to 61 yards on 17 carries.

As for some of the missed tackles, Gannon said, “We have to tackle better. (No.) 7 (Irving) is a hell of a back. He is a good player, because I thought we had him bottled up a couple of times. That is going to come down to technique, track and technique. We have to make sure that we get low on guys and cut the engine – too much hidden yardage.

“It happens in a football game and really good players force that to happen. They change the angle at the last (moment) before contact or they keep their feet going; they (have) good contact balance. They have some good players over there, but there is no doubt that when we get to the ball, the ball (carrier) has to go down a little bit better."

The big rebound

After Irving had a 20-yard pass reception on the final play of the third quarter, the defense kept the Cardinals in the game. Following that play, the Bucs gained five yards and punted. They gained no yards on three plays on their next possession that started at the Arizona 39-yard line, but Chase McLaughlin kicked the 57-yard field goal that made the difference.

The defense got the ball back to the offense after a touchdown pulled the Cardinals to within 20-17 when six plays totaled 16 16 yards. The long plays on those three possessions were five yards.

Asked about their sometimes “disjointed” offense, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said, "Arizona is a tough team to play. They give you a lot of different looks anywhere from a 3-3-5 to a 4-2 to a 6-1 to a 5-1, and they did a lot of cat-and-mouse games with us that kind of kept us off kilter some. Luckily, we made enough plays to execute and win the ball game."

Mayfield said, “I think our plan was really good. I had a conversation with (Cardinals defensive coordinator) Nick Rallis after the game. They throw a bunch of like-bodies in there. They make you ID different fronts and make people up and certain people down. I had to flip the protection a lot. They do a really good job at that.”

Some notes and numbers

The Bucs gained only 279 yards on 57 plays (4.9 per play), although they were at 54-283 (5.2 average) prior to three end-of-game kneeldowns for minus-4 yards. They had only 13 first downs, and aside from Mayfield’s 27 yards on six carries, the running backs totaled only 68 on 21 attempts (3.2 average). Mayfield was 18-for-28 for 194 yards.

Linebacker Josh Sweat had two sacks to give him 11.0 for the season, equaling his career high with the Eagles in 2022. This is the second season in his eight-year career that he’s reached double digits. He also had four tackles with three solo and one for loss plus a quarterback hit.

Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither had 10 tackles (four solo), while rookie linebacker Cody Simon and safety Cody Simon tied for second on the team with nine tackles. Simon had four solo and Baker three, while Baker also had one for loss and a near interception that would have stopped the touchdown drive that gave the Bucs a 17-3 lead.

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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Buccaneers 20, Cardinals 17: What we saw on defense and special teams