What We Saw: Week 10

The Patriots are back, and so is Patrick Mahomes, but the AFC is still a mess

Ben Brown
What We Saw 3 Years Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Ravens @ Dolphins
Bills @ Jets
Buccaneers @ Football Team
Falcons @ Cowboys
Saints @ Titans
Jaguars @ Colts
Lions @ Steelers
Browns @ Patriots
Vikings @ Chargers
Panthers @ Cardinals
Eagles @ Broncos
Seahawks @ Packers
Chiefs @ Raiders

Buccaneers @ Football Team

Final Score: Football Team 29, Buccaneers 19

Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)

 

Tom Brady returned from the bye week and threw two first quarter interceptions as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were upset 29-19 by the determined Washington Football Team, who fully deserved their victory after impressive performances on both sides of the ball. The Washington defense, coming into the game as the worst in the league, found some inspiration from their secondary to put their team into a winning position, something that has been a rarity this year. The unit deserved this team celebration moment.

 

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Quarterback Taylor Heinicke did the rest with an efficient performance, completing 81% of his passes and finishing the Bucs off with a game-sealing touchdown drive which was also the longest drive by any team in the NFL this season – 19 plays, 80 yards in 10 minutes and 26 seconds. Antonio Gibson converted on fourth and goal from the Tampa Bay 1-yard line with just 29 seconds left in the game to complete the win. Safe to say the social media team in Washington enjoyed that one.

 

 

There were notable injuries to both defenses with Chase Young and Vita Vea both being carted off the field with worrying knee injuries. Early reports are both could miss significant time. A blow for two of the most exciting young defensive linemen in the game. But, Ron Rivera and his team were fired up for this one, answering the call from the fans to step up and be more aggressive going into the second half of the season. Everyone was fired up for this one in Washington.

 

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 

Quarterback

 

Tom Brady: 23/34, 220 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT | 1 carry, 2 yards

 

Well, this wasn’t the plan for Tom Brady coming out of the bye week. There is no way to say it nicely, he looked unprepared and rusty in the first quarter as the Buccaneers failed to move the chains through the air or on the ground. Washington brought the pressure early, and this big hit may have shaken him up a little resulting in the turnovers.

 

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Brady’s first turnover wasn’t his fault to be fair. Rookie receiver Jaelon Darden completed the catch but failed to protect the ball looking for extra yardage – 2020 seventh-round draft pick Kamren Curl knocking the ball out of Darden’s hands for William Jackson III to haul in for the turnover.

 

 

Brady’s second interception was dreadful, however. A nonchalant, lazy throw over the middle that Bobby McCain took advantage of, reading the overthrown ball in the direction of Mike Evans. Brady had just completed a quarterback sneak on fourth down to move the chains and threw the pick on first down deep in his own territory. An uncharacteristic mistake.

 

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Brady went after McMain later in the game for revenge – this trademark perfect sideline throw for Evans to run it home was by far and away the only time Brady looked like himself today. The throw rescued his fantasy day, taking him to a respectable 15.00 fantasy points (in Yahoo! leagues). It was also his only completion over 15 yards in the entire game.

 

 

It could have been worse for Brady after he narrowly avoided a third interception in the first half with this freak play – the ball ricocheting off the boot of Chris Godwin into the air, nearly resulting in another turnover but the officials ruled that the ball hit the ground when the defensive back tried to haul it in. Close call.

 

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Running Back

 

Leonard Fournette: 11 carries, 47 yards | 9 targets, 8 receptions, 45 yards

Giovani Bernard: 1 carry, 4 yards | 3 targets, 1 reception, 4 yards

 

The veterans in this running back room have carried the team at times this season but due to the early deficit, Byron Leftwich was forced to negate the rush in favor of an aerial attack. Leonard Fournette slipped into some old habits early on and confidence in him quickly waned. This drop on first down set the tone for the Bucs offense all afternoon.

 

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Fournette is still the workhorse in this offense, however, as shown by his nine targets out of the backfield. The above pass was the only one he dropped as he made use of plenty of check downs as the game progressed. He also had two carries inside the Washington 10-yard line, failing to hit pay dirt on both opportunities.

Giovani Bernard was held to just 8 yards on 4 touches. He did see a red zone target in the second quarter but much like Fournette above, the pass bounced out of his hands and the chance went begging. A tough day at the office for the Bucs run game.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Mike Evans: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 61 yards, TD

Chris Godwin: 8 targets, 7 receptions, 57 yards

Jaelon Darden: 2 targets, 1 reception, 29 yards

Tyler Johnson: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 17 yards

Cameron Brate: 3 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards, TD

 

Mike Evans turned his likely bust week into a boom one with that late 40-yard touchdown pass from Brady late in the fourth quarter. Evans had been held in check with only one catch with 11 minutes left in the game. Evans has been consistently inconsistent in terms of fantasy production for much of 2021 and saw only three targets compared to Chris Godwin‘s eight targets in what should have been a playground for the Bucs receivers.

Godwin was listed as questionable for this game but managed to suit up despite a foot injury that robbed him of practice time for much of the week. With Antonio Brown out, Godwin has been heavily schemed into work across the middle of the field and looks to be Brady’s go-to on third down if today is any indication. This work out of the slot and strength in securing the ball on contact makes him perfect for the role.

 

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Rookie Jaelon Darden and second-year wideout Tyler Johnson have both seen additional touches with Brown missing but neither could do anything significant today. Darden was infamous for his misdemeanor resulting in the first interception, while Johnson’s work was bookended by back-to-back targets on the Bucs first drive, where he failed to bring in a third-down throw, and another two looks on the final drive of the first half. Neither Darden nor Johnson was targeted in the second half.

Cameron Brate emerged from fantasy obscurity to score a touchdown off a tipped ball in the second half to put the Bucs back into the game. The score could have inspired a Bucs comeback but it didn’t. It was Brate’s first score of the season and, despite Rob Gronkowski‘s continued absence, only his third catch in the last three games. Uninspiring is a more appropriate word.

 

 

Washington Football Team

 

Quarterback

 

Taylor Heinicke: 26/32, 256 yards, TD, 5 sacks | 3 carries, 15 yards

 

If you want to see what people mean when they talk about a “game-manager” at quarterback then look no further than this performance from the capricious Taylor Heinicke. This showing was as steady as we have seen from the former Panthers quarterback, who expertly navigated the hype of a Bucs third-quarter surge to take the wind out of the sails of Brady by grinding out a mammoth 19-play fourth quarter drive to take the game away from Tampa Bay. The drive included four third-down conversions, the best of them this dart to Terry McLaurin.

 

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Heinicke’s only touchdown throw was a beauty – a phenomenal touch pass to the corner of the end zone for a 20-yard score to DeAndre Carter. This is the type of throw Heinicke pulls out once or twice each week.

 

 

The key to Heinicke’s game today was not turning the ball over. He did take a couple of big licks and was sacked five times. However, credit his toughness and leadership to stick it out in the pocket. Today, when his team needed him, he delivered. None more so than on this completion to backup tight end John Bates on third and long in the third quarter to set up Gibson for his first score and answer Brady’s touchdown pass to Evans. Nice job.

 

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Running Back

 

Antonio Gibson: 24 carries, 64 yards, 2 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 14 yards

Jaret Patterson: 4 carries, 7 yards

J.D. McKissic: 2 carries, 4 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 35 yards

 

Signs of life from Antonio Gibson in terms of fantasy were long overdue. The former JUCO running back has suffered a “Sophomore slump” this season but a positive game script and a little faith from his Offensive Coordinator Scott Turner worked wonders today. Both touchdowns were from a yard out, and he got a little help from his offensive line friends for his first score since Week 5 against the Saints.

 

 

Gibson ran well against a strong Tampa Bay front, who came into the game giving away the seventh fewest points to running backs this season. It wasn’t a prolific, breakout performance as Gibson saw a remarkable 10 touches on that final 19-play drive which resulted in him marching in for six. But it will serve as a huge confidence boost. His 24 carries were easily his best total of the season. I still have no idea why he isn’t used more in the passing game. This nice work out of the slot to bring in a key third down was only one of his two targets out of the backfield. Baffling.

 

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Rookie Jaret Patterson had minimal opportunities to show anything in this game after leading the backfield in touches prior to the bye week, coming in to spell Gibson on only a handful of occasions in this contest. Pass-catching specialist J.D. McKissic was also sparingly used, however, he did pull in two key passes on back-to-back plays to convert on fourth down for Washington’s first touchdown. McKissic gave the team a chance by making a man miss then finishing a tough run to bring up fourth and three before Heinicke trusted him on the very next play to get the first down – McKissic doing brilliantly to haul in the pass in tight coverage.

 

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Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Terry McLaurin: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 59 yards

DeAndre Carter: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 56 yards, TD | 1 carry, 4 yards

Ricky Seals-Jones: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 30 yards

John Bates: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 25 yards

Dax Milne: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 22 yards, Fumble (Lost)

Cam Sims: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards

Adam Humphries: 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards

 

Another week, another standout performance from Terry McLaurin. The star wideout for Washington was once again heads and shoulders the best receiver on the field. That is quite the compliment when you look across the Buccaneers roster. McLaurin failed to find the end zone but his overall contribution cannot be understated. McLaurin was a menace to the Bucs secondary all game, operating across the formation and finding ways to exploit weaknesses in the Tampa defense. He did miss a couple of drives in the first half with a shoulder problem but he returned to the field and looked himself. Although he didn’t see his usual deep ball from Heinicke, he did find other ways to make an impact and propel his team to victory.

 

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Ricky Seals-Jones was the man on third down today, completing catches and battling for the marker on each of his grabs. This bulldozing run on Washington’s final scoring drive of the first half, extending their lead 16-3, epitomized what Washington were all about today.

 

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DeAndre Carter is slowing becoming a fantasy option as a flex play. As well as his lovely route for the 20-yard score, Carter also did his quarterback a solid by bringing in this tipped ball at a crucial moment prior to half time. Carter now has consecutive games with over 50 yards and a score as his relationship with Heinicke grows.

 

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Adam Humphries hasn’t seen a fantasy renaissance in Washington, however his lone grab today was crucial to his team’s victory. Facing third down late in the game, Humphries laid out for his quarterback and moved the sticks.

 

 

The only black mark on the receiving corps came from rookie Dax Milne, who coughed up the ball in the fourth quarter after veteran star linebacker Lavonte David punched it out. It could have been a game-turning moment but luckily Heinicke bailed him out.

 

 

 

— Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)

Series Navigation
Introduction
Ravens @ Dolphins
Bills @ Jets
Buccaneers @ Football Team
Falcons @ Cowboys
Saints @ Titans
Jaguars @ Colts
Lions @ Steelers
Browns @ Patriots
Vikings @ Chargers
Panthers @ Cardinals
Eagles @ Broncos
Seahawks @ Packers
Chiefs @ Raiders

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