I’m tired, man. I’m sure most of you are too.
How many more positives can be unearthed from the pile of shit that is the Buccaneers’ 2025 season? The real answer is “very, very few.”
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The Buccaneers faced a division rival for the third straight week looking to turn the tables and capitalize on their rushing 6-2 start, but they lost to the Carolina Panthers 20-23 for the third straight week and fell below .500 for the first time all year. Baker Mayfield once again wasn’t good enough, Todd Bowles forced the team to completely change the game, and it backfired, and the entire lineup seemed to be losing any energy.
The atmosphere is terrible.
Therefore, we will use the term “top” loosely here. Who would have thought that the best Christmas gift Buccaneers fans could get this year would be not having to watch this team play during the holidays.
Offensive Performance of the Year: Wide Receiver Mike Evans
In the few instances where the Buccaneers actually decided to give up Sunday, Evans continued to look like a WR1.
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The stats are nothing special – it’s tough when your quarterback attempts 15 passes all Entering the fourth quarter, Evans still scored on his patented goal line fadeaway to set up Tampa’s opening touchdown and followed it up with some big rushes to make it 5-31-1. He and Mayfield had a miscommunication on the final play that resulted in an interception on the play, but it’s hard to blame Evans for breaking his route because he had reason to think Mayfield would scramble.
Overall, Evans still looks impactful. Hopefully he can continue for another year and try to end his illustrious career on a better note.
Not much to say here.
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The game numbers looked good (169 yards on 33 carries), but Todd Bowles’ extremely passive approach reeked of Todd Bowles’ influence on first-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, looking to control the time of possession and limit Carolina’s chances. The team easily posted its lowest neutral pass rate of the season while running the ball a surprising amount on first downs. It’s simply ridiculous to do this when the team finally has all its major weapons in Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillon active at the same time.
That’s not just conservative, it’s cowardly — a reflection of Bowles’ old approach that undermined the play-calling tenures of Byron Leftwich and (early) Dave Canales. This is humanity’s mission and there are no answers and no fights; even if they somehow win their last two games, it would be a complete shock to see him continue as head coach.
Defensive Player of the Year: CB Jacob Parrish
In a completely broken defense filled with underperforming veterans, we should all note that this team has no shortage of young talent.
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Most prominently, games like Sunday are a great reminder of how good Jacob Parish already is and how high his ceiling is. The 21-year-old prevented a touchdown early in the game, played great defense on Tetairoa McMillan, and he consistently respected assignment reps both inside and outside. He totaled five tackles and two passes defended.
There were some bumps throughout the season, as is common with most rookie corners, but the good outweighed the bad, which was exciting.
Benjamin Morrison had seven tackles and had some ups and downs but overall was getting the job done most of the day. He did show the flashes you’d like to see in the second round, and hopefully he’ll be able to perform well despite his struggles, which include a few injuries and confidence issues. There’s no reason to be too pessimistic about him now, especially with the possibility of a new coaching staff coming in that might better utilize his talents.
Best Special Teams Performer: K Chase McLaughlin
Chase McLaughlin has made 16 consecutive field goals and extended his NFL-best streak of 50+ field goals. This season he threw 11 consecutive throws of 50 yards or more, setting a new NFL single-season record.
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He’s the best kicker in football and it would be a crime if he missed out on All-Pro or Pro Bowl honors.