The Tampa Bay Buccaneers set one of those inauspicious records on Sunday. They had over 500 yards of total offense, but only three points in a frustrating 16-3 loss to the Washington Redskins at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
The Buccaneers turned the ball over four times, three from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. They were 0-for-5 in the red zone with four of which wrecked chances for Tampa Bay to take over what was a winnable game.
“We just can’t move it like that and a four-zero turnover margin will kill you every time,” said a frustrated coach Dirk Koetter in the postgame. “We had a lot of chances in that first half. We’re just not good enough.”
The first drive of the game may have foreshadowed what the day would bring for Tampa Bay as Fitzpatrick drove the Buccaneers into the red zone. However, he tried throwing an out-pattern to rookie running back Shaun Wilson, but it sailed and Redskins corner Josh Norman picked it off on the goal line and returned it 32 yards.
“The first one was huge – kind of a play we had worked on to get Shaun out on a flag route basically,” explained Fitzpatrick. “Norman made a nice play just in terms of sitting there and reading me. That’s one, essentially if it’s not there, OK, check it down to Adam (Humphries) coming underneath.”
The second and third drives were about as tough emotionally, as Tampa Bay drove the ball at will and ended both times in Washington territory – the second on a punt and the third on a missed 30-yard field goal by Chandler Catanzaro, who has struggled mightily this season.
Fitzpatrick had a huge day with 29 completions on 41 attempts for 406 yards. He did have the two interceptions, but he was able to make plays and scramble and he did it with consistency.
The Buccaneers had the same problem at the outset of the third quarter when they drove to the Redskins 17, but an errant snap by center Ryan Jensen went behind Fitzpatrick causing Tampa Bay to have to settle for another missed Catanzaro attempt, this one from 49 yards.
The fourth quarter saw even more of the abnormal from the Bucs’ offense. After Fitzpatrick threw an interception to Greg Stroman which set up Redskins kicker Dustin Hopkins’ third field goal of the afternoon, the Bucs offense began to percolate and it looked like the law of averages might be in its favor and they could finally get in the end zone.
Fitzpatrick hit Jacquizz Rogers underneath and he turned to run and Washington linebacker Ryan Anderson came from behind and punched the ball out of his possession at the Redskins 18. It rolled through the back of the end zone which gave Washington a touchback and thwarted another deep Tampa Bay drive.
There would be one last gasp as Fitzpatrick drove the Buccaneers against Washington’s zone defense all the way to the doorstep as they were on the Washington 2-yard line.
Preston Smith came off Fitzpatrick’s blindside and sacked him while forcing a fumble which Ryan Kerrigan recovered on the 7-yard line.
“The one they punched out on ‘Quizz – I thought they made a great play,” said Fitzpatrick. “That’s a tough one and he didn’t see that guy behind him. The fumble I had at the end, two hands on the ball and know when to give up, that kind of thing, so there were some that were just frustrating.”
Frustrating was the bye-word in a somber locker room in the postgame. There’s not an easy fix as everyone from Adam Humphries to Mike Evans to Gerald McCoy to Jason Pierre-Paul noted frustration and the will to want to play a consistently better game.
“We killed ourselves a lot between turnovers, untimely penalties – just stuff that we know we’re better than,” said wide receiver Chris Godwin. “So obviously it’s very disappointing, but the good thing about the NFL, you know we have another game next week.”