There is no way to cover it – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed this win against the Falcons in the worst way. Instead, the 31-26 loss doesn’t just drop them to 4-4, it means a series sweep for Atlanta and, if tiebreakers come into play on the line, a step up for the Bucs.

There’s a lot of room for improvement with this team, especially in defence, where they’ve struggled to contain the midfield and second-quarter meltdowns have plagued them over the past three weeks. Meanwhile, quarterback Baker Mayfield must avoid the costly mistakes that have seen him throw seven interceptions in four weeks.

However, there are also some positives to take away. The offensive line is playing great football, offensive coordinator Liam Coen continues to call stellar plays, and the running game is thriving. With two of the best teams in the NFL on the schedule before their bye week in Week 11, the Bucs need to figure out how they can fix their deficiencies on defense and play a cleaner game on offense, or they could fall under two games under .500 heading into the bye. Here are my top takeaways from the Bucs’ 31-26 Week 8 loss to the Falcons.

Weft! The Buccaneers have regressed terribly on defense since the start of the season. After giving up 78 points in the first four weeks, the Bucs have given up 135 points in the last four games. They’ve struggled mightily to stop anything in the middle of the field and drops in coverage have allowed 18 explosive plays through the air since Week 5. The run defense has been just as bad, allowing an average of 131 yards per game over the last four, including 10 explosive pieces.

While they’ve been able to get sacks — 13 over the last four games — they’ve struggled to get consistent pressure without blitzing, allowing quarterbacks to go through their progressions and wear the Bucs defense apart. KJ Britt was a liability in coverage, Lavonte David is no longer the same player in coverage, and Jordan Whitehead was flashy at quarterback. The loss of Tykee Smith hurt the team more than anyone could have anticipated and you can see the noticeable difference he is making on the field. While it is valid to say that Todd Bowles needs to coach better, there needs to be a bigger onus on the players to perform better.

One of the biggest talking points heading into the Bucs game against the Falcons was how offensive coordinator Liam Coen would handle the losses of wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. With Godwin lost for the season and Evans out for at least the next four weeks, the pressure was on to keep the Bucs offense going without their top two players. Coen answered the call Sunday, getting 24 points from his offense without his Pro Bowl receivers.

Led by Cade Otton’s nine receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns, the Bucs got contributions from Rakim Jarrett, Bucky Irving, Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer and Rachaad White, who had his own receiving touchdown, to move the ball up the field effectively. . The Bucs could have walked away with even more points and the win, but Baker Mayfield’s two interceptions in his promising 30 points halted the momentum. Still, Coen found a way to put his team in the right plays to score a late touchdown, put them down just five points and then put them in a position to make a last-minute drive to win the game at expiration of time. The arrow is pointed at Coen, who has looked excellent in his first year as the Bucs’ offensive coordinator.

The Buccaneers beating the Bucs is nothing new, but the fingerprints were all over their loss to the Falcons. From untimely penalties to lack of focus, the Buccaneers can’t expect to win games if they keep going their own way. Miscommunication in the secondary led to huge gains through the air by the Falcons, including three of their four touchdowns. Mayfield had two costly interceptions that effectively took points off the board. An early turnover by Rachaad White led to quick points for the Falcons.

But it wasn’t just the players. There was the highly questionable decision to attempt a false bridge deep into their own territory, which was unsuccessful. The Bucs decided to kick a field goal instead of going for it on 4th & 3 and it came back to bite them. Not to mention a mismanagement of the clock late in the game, with head coach Todd Bowles choosing to save his timeouts for after the two-minute warning, giving the Bucs offense less time to come back. With the Chiefs and 49ers on deck, the Bucs can’t shoot themselves in the foot if they expect to steal one of those two games as underdogs.

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