The Buccaneers rank 26th in the league in points scored and they’ve put just 19 points on the board in back-to-back losses, so it’s hard to argue with the notion that they need to change their offensive approach if they’re going to start winning more games.
On Tuesday, quarterback Baker Mayfield suggested the path to those wins will start through the air. The Bucs have run the ball an average of 25.5 times per game, which is about the middle of the pack in the NFL and would be the most the Bucs have run the ball since 2016 over a full season.
They’ve picked up 3.1 yards per run, however, which is 31st in the league and Mayfield said there’s enough evidence to suggest that the team isn’t going to get where it wants to go via the ground.
“We’re kind of learning that we’re not going to be a run-first team,” Mayfield said, via John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times.
Head coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Dave Canales both said they’d like to run the ball more effectively, but also indicated they won’t continue trying to smash square pegs into round holes in future games. Thursday night against the Bills will offer a chance to see what kind of adjustments they’re making on offense in Tampa.