Bucs' 3rd-down offense stays stagnant despite bye week The Bucs once again on Sunday seemed poised to rise to the occasion with their signature late-game wizardry. New England, leading by five, had the ball at Tampa Bay's 2-yard line with little more than five minutes to play. With a field goal, the Patriots would force the Bucs offense to produce a long, virtually flawless drive to tie the score. A touchdown would have all but ended the game. Then, inexplicably, Drake Maye, a top MVP candidate, made a major mistake. On third and goal, Maye had few options as he rolled to his right. He slung a pass toward receiver Mack Hollins, but safety Tykee Smith jumped the route and intercepted the ball, hanging on with his fingertips. The Bucs took possession at their 20, and the timely, late-game plays continued. Baker Mayfield found tight end Cade Otton for 16 yards to the Tampa Bay 48. Sean Tucker broke free for 18 yards to the New England 34. Suddenly, the Bucs were threatening to steal a victory that appeared to be in the Patriots' grasp for most of the second half. Ultimately, it was all for naught, for not even Tampa Bay's fourth-quarter magic was enough to overcome its third-down ineptitude. After the two-minute warning, the Bucs faced third and 3 from New England's 27-yard line. But a short pass for Otton over the middle was broken up, and Mayfield was swarmed on fourth down, his desperation flip to running back Rachaad White losing 3 yards. In the game's most crucial moments, a concerning trend continued: The Bucs' third-down offense has been dismal. Sunday, they converted just five of 13 third-down attempts, a rate of 38.5%. "We haven't been nearly good enough," Mayfield said. "We have to be better on early downs and then execute on third downs. (They are) plays that we have run 100 times, plays that we have done well 100 times, coverages we have seen and repped these plays against." After the game, Tampa Bay ranked 24th in the NFL with a 36.5% third-down conversion rate, a jarring drop-off from their league-leading 50.9% in 2024. Their fourth-down efficacy is down, too. Last year, the Bucs were 9 for 14 (64.3%) on fourth down, the NFL's ninth-best mark. This year, they are 6 for 13 (46.2%) and down to 26th. To be fair, though, that statistic could indicate a more aggressive approach rather than a less effective attack. But it also is evidence of an ineffective third-down offense that has forced fourth-down conversion attempts to occur more frequently. Even with all the injuries on offense, it's a puzzling development in the Bucs' first season with Josh Grizzard, who was responsible for third downs last season, as coordinator. "It's one of the biggest situations over the course of a game if you look at all the third downs from our team and their team," said Emeka Egbuka. "If you stack them up side-by-side, you can kind of tell the story of how successful you're going to be that day." Nicolas Villamil, Tampa Bay Times, published 10 November 2025