The Los Angeles Rams continue their tough stretch of the schedule with a primetime matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. L.A. is facing Tampa Bay at home for the first time since 2021, when the Rams lit up Tom Brady’s Bucs 34-24. Matthew Stafford sure put on a show against the reigning champs that afternoon.
Ahead of the Week 12 clash between two NFC playoff hopefuls, I spoke with Evan Wanish from Bucs Nation to chat about TB’s ceiling with Baker Mayfield, Todd Bowles and more.
Q – Quarterback Baker Mayfield was receiving MVP chants to begin the season, and things have since cooled down for him, though not entirely his fault. With a fully healthy roster, what do you think is the team’s ceiling with Baker under center?
A – Obviously a lot of things go into being a Super Bowl contender and consistent QB play is one of them. Right now the Bucs are in an interesting position where Baker Mayfield’s highs are that of an MVP caliber player who can win against anyone but his lows see him struggling to move the ball and deliver passes with timing and accuracy.
I think the Bucs’ ceiling, if all goes well around Mayfield, is a Super Bowl appearance. He’s shown that he can win games, but you would like to see him a bit more consistent before I can confidently say I think they’d win one with him under center.
Q – Injuries have killed the Buccaneers this season, so who has stepped up on both offense and defense in light of injuries to stars, including but not limited to Mike Evans and Bucky Irving?
A – On offense obviously Emeka Egbuka is going to be a big talking point and he’s been great but it’s actually been another rookie receiver who’s had moments as well and that’s Tez Johnson.
The Oregon product has 4 receiving touchdowns this season and has stepped up in the absence of some of the Bucs’ playmakers.
Over on the defensive side of the ball it’s been another rookie in corner Jacob Parrish. He’s been fantastic in the nickel position and recorded his first career interception last week against Buffalo.
Q – Todd Bowles has a reluctance to go for it on fourth down, the latest coming with the Bucs punting on fourth-and-2 on their own 39, facing a five-point deficit against the Bills. Tampa went on to lose 44-32. What do you think is the reason for his hesitancy, and how likely is it that the team cuts ties with Bowles after this season?
A – Bowles has actually gotten a bit better at becoming more aggressive in going for it on 4th down when the analytics say you should, but last week was a huge mistake not going for it. With the way the Bucs defense was playing, there should have been no confidence they were going to get a stop. Tampa Bay needed to keep that football and instead they punted away any chance of winning. I think Bowles as a defensive guy sometimes has a bit too much faith in his unit to make those critical plays, even when they aren’t having a good day.
There is still a lot of football left to be played, and honestly, even with this tough stretch Tampa is going through, I still expect this team to win the NFC South for the 5th consecutive season. The combined records of the Bucs final six opponents are 24-39 and only one of those teams are above .500 (Carolina, who they play twice). If the team wins the South and makes the playoffs again, I have a hard time seeing them make a change at head coach.
Q – The Bucs have lost two straight and three of their last four since starting the season 5-1. What must TB do to steal a win from the red-hot Rams?
A – They have to find a way to stop the splash plays on defense. It’s become a massive issue over the past two weeks. The defense doesn’t play bad for a series of five to six plays and then bam, there’s a 50-yard touchdown that wipes away all the good they just did. It’s happened over and over the past two weeks and must stop.
On offense, they have to give Baker Mayfield time and let him get into a rhythm early. If they don’t, it could be a long day.
Q – What is one question you have for Rams fans?
A – One question I would have is how have the Rams seemingly went through a re-tool very quickly after the Super Bowl year and find themselves being an elite team once again?
