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Week 10 Grades for Buccaneers Win Over Chicago Bears

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:32 p.m. ET

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Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin (22) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears in the second half at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers won 36-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The Buccaneers came away with their first home victory of the year, as they defeated the visiting Bears to draw back within a game of .500. As we always do, we’ll analyze and grade the position groups here.

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After two ugly losses in very different fashions, the Buccaneers needed to get a win in the worst way as they continue to muddle through a season which has seen disappointment and injury.

The Bucs wanted to start fast, and did just that by scoring a first quarter touchdown on a pick-six by embattled safety Chris Conte.

On a gift-wrapped toss by quarterback Jay Cutler, the former Bears defender took it to the house and gave his team a lead they’d never relinquish.

The interception was his second of the day, and was just the beginning of the struggles Cutler and his offense would face as they turned the ball over time after time and never got anything but a prayer going for them.

There was a lot going on in this one, and most of it was good. Let’s get going.

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) looks to pass against the Chicago Bears in the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

QUARTERBACKS: A

The Buccaneers’ fearless leader had to be just that on a day where the Bucs would start with two back-ups on the offensive line, and end with a third stringer at center.

Jameis Winston came into the match-up trying to propel his team to their first win since coming out of the bye and ended up putting more than 300-yards on the Bears defense. It’s his second game this season going over the 300-yard mark, but is the first time his Bucs have won when he reaches the passing milestone.

Along with yards, the sophomore quarterback also put two touchdown passes on the board. The first came just four plays after Chicago running back Jordan Howard fumbled the ball on his own 30-yard line.

It wasn’t all roses for Winston however, as he did throw a first quarter interception after throwing behind receiver Cecil Shorts who had the ball deflect off his hands into the possession of Harold Jones-Quartey.

A day to be proud of for the Buccaneers’ franchise quarterback though, and perhaps no play was as clutch as the 39-yard connection he had with Mike Evans in the third quarter after scrambling away from what seemed to be about 15 Bears pass rushers, and fired the ball downfield to his main target.

After a delay of game following the big play, he tossed a gently arching pass over the Chicago secondary into the arms of one Freddie Martino who took it the rest of the way for a 43-yard touchdown and 24-10 lead early in the second half.

You know your team is having a good day when you can bring in your backup quarterback to close-out a victory, and Mike Glennon came in for the final minutes of the game to do just that.

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin (22) kisses the field after he ran the ball in for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Chicago Bears 36-10. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

RUNNING BACKS: C

Doug Martin made his triumphant return to action after being sidelined with a hamstring injury since the Buccaneers played the Cardinals in Week 2.

Like Winston, the Buccaneers’ running backs were subjected to playing behind a patchwork offensive line against a defense looking to make a statement to the rest of the league.

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Martin got the start, but Peyton Barber got plenty of work as the undrafted rookie continues to show steady play carrying a dramatically larger workload than expected when the year began.

As a team, Tampa averaged just 2.6 yards per carry on 31 tries. Martin had 33 of those yards and the lone rushing touchdown of the game on what can be described only as a “feel good” short yard series where the returning star got three carries from inside the five-yard line to get a late touchdown.

Martin’s score capped off a drive which ate up nearly 10 minutes of game clock, and during which Barber carried the ball seven times for 23-yards.

Two Buccaneers’ running backs also brought in receptions as Martin brought in one for 13-yards and Mike James had another for five yards.

Overall it was a serviceable and average day for the Bucs running backs. Nothing stands out to get overly upset about, but there’s nothing to sound the trumpets for either.

It’s the best “C” this team will ever get though, as seeing Martin back healthy and running hard is a win in itself.

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate (84) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

WIDE RECEIVERS and TIGHT ENDS: A

During a season where Mike Evans has represented just about all the offense the Buccaneers have had, it’s actually nice to see him take second chair for a change.

Of course, it’s nice only because they won despite the fact Evans had just four catches for 66-yards.

While the stat-line doesn’t match up with the rest of Evans’ season, he was a serviceable decoy when he wasn’t getting targets, and opened the field for other members of the offense to get involved.

One of the other guys was Freddie Martino who made just his second catch of the 2016 season to score a 43-yard touchdown – the first of his career.

Leading the team in targets in Week 10 was wide receiver Adam Humphries who has definitely become a fan favorite in just his second season after going undrafted out of Clemson, and is starting to gain a little national steam as an effective slot receiver.

Bringing in five of his eight targets today, Humphries totaled 46-yards mirroring his stat line from a week ago against Atlanta, minus the touchdown.

While Evans was enjoying a week of not having to be the man for his team, Cameron Brate was making his case to enter the spotlight as one of Winston’s “security blankets”.

While he didn’t lead in targets, he did have seven and hauled in 100% of them to rack-up 84-yards and the Buccaneers’ first offensive touchdown of the game.

It doesn’t take a Harvard grad to tell you 100% is a good number to have, and a good day is exactly what Brate turned in today.

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) stands in the huddle against the Chicago Bears in the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

OFFENSIVE LINE: B

Ok, I don’t usually do this, but we’re going to go ahead and grade the Buccaneers offensive line on a curve.

How can we not? The front five lost Logan Mankins to retirement in the off-season and his replacement hasn’t stepped foot on the field yet. It may not be his fault per se, but J.R. Sweezy’s absence has contributed to the Bucs ranking third worst in allowing their quarterback to get hit, and is on pace to give up around ten more sacks this year than last.

This week, not only were they still missing Sweezy, but they came in without Joe Hawley and rookie Caleb Benenoch making his first NFL appearance at left guard.

By the end of the first half, they would be down to their third-string center – Ben Gottschalk – who literally got promoted from the practice squad this very week.

Still, despite the decimation of their starting offensive line, the Buccaneers found a way to protect Jameis Winston long enough for him to throw for over 300-yards and sustained drives to the tune of over 37 minutes time of possession.

Winston did get sacked four times losing 32-yards combined, but the pressure wasn’t an open faucet, and even with the pressure the Bears did get he was able to complete 70% of his passes.

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Noah Spence (57) strips the ball from Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) in the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSIVE LINE: B

Bears rookie running back Jordan Howard came into Week 10 with three 100-yard rushing games and got his fourth of the year with 15 carries for exactly 100-yards and a 6.7 yards per carry average.

What he didn’t get however, was a touchdown or a consistent stream of running space.

In fact, save for a few large chunks of yards, Howard was pretty well bottled up by the Bucs’ defensive unit lead by Robert Ayers who had six tackles on the day including one for a loss.

Clinton McDonald returned to action for the first time since Week 4, and provided one tackle, one for a loss and one sack for his efforts.

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There were plenty of good plays made up front in this one, but the play of the game came from rookie Noah Spence who got a strip sack on Jay Cutler at the Buccaneers’ 10-yard line when the Bears were looking to take the lead on the road.

The sack was Spence’s fourth of his rookie season and his third in the last four games coming in as a pass-rush specialist. It’s also his second forced fumble in the last three games, as the once troubled collegiate athlete has definitely flashed the potential which made him the Buccaneers first second-round selection in this year’s draft.

In total, the Bucs defensive line got to Cutler four times, and hit the Chicago quarterback seven times.

These efforts ensured the Bears gunslinger had zero time to throw, zero chances to find rhythm and kept him uncomfortable all day.

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers strong safety Chris Conte (23) reacts with outside linebacker Daryl Smith (51) after scoring a touchdown, after intercepting a pass from Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (not pictured) in the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSIVE BACKS: A-

Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s all give a round of applause to Buccaneers’ safety Chris Conte.

The former Bears’ safety came to Tampa with his two-time former head coach Lovie Smith and has taken a beating on the field, from Bucs media and from the fans on social media ever since.

Of course, he’s deserved most of it, but let’s also give credit where it’s due. With linebacker Daryl Smith bearing down on him from an outside blitz, Jay Cutler floated an attempt to Logan Paulsen which was properly read and reacted upon by Conte who grabbed an easy interception and ran it the remaining 20-yards for the first pick-six of his career.

The defensive back could be seen on the sidelines shortly afterwards with an almost relieved look to him as he certainly has been aware of the negativity surrounding his play over the course of the last two years.

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Brent Grimes (24) intercepts the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

His interception wasn’t the first of the game though, as Brent Grimes took another gift-wrapped throw from Cutler away from the Bears’ offense just one possession earlier when Chicago was moving into field goal range in a scoreless first quarter.

Overall, whether through good coverage or consistent pressure, Cutler was never able to get rolling with his receivers as even Alshon Jeffery couldn’t bring in even half of his targets on the day.

If there’s one play which serves to draw the grade down a bit, it’s the Hail Mary play at the end of the first half.

Even the most basic of football fans understands a Hail Mary pass needs to be batted down and away from receivers when defending it.

Down 17-3 on the last play before halftime and the Buccaneers getting the ball to start the second-half, John Fox dialed up a desperation attempt to grab some cheap points before heading into the locker room.

In an absolute reversal of conventional play, Conte not only attempted to catch the ball rather than batting it down, he also bumped fellow defender Bradley McDougald out of position to bat it down himself.

The result was a tipped pass by Conte which fell into the hands of Cameron Meredith who made his lone catch on the day for a 50-yard touchdown.

No harm no foul I suppose as the Bucs gave up zero points in the second half and ran away with the game, but still – Come On, Man!

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker Kwon Alexander (58) picks up a fumble against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

LINEBACKERS: C-

Did the Buccaneers start any linebackers against the Bears?

The dynamic duo of Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander combined for just seven tackles on the day and David had the lone tackle for a loss for the entire unit.

Daryl Smith didn’t record a single statistic, but did contribute greatly to the pick-six by Chris Conte in the first half.

On Noah Spence’s strip sack of Jay Cutler, Alexander came away with the recovery, making it the best play made by this group on the day.

Perhaps more credit should be given to reputation and lack of challenge as the Bears very seldomly looked to the middle part of the field as Alexander and David routinely made sure there was no opening for crossing or settling receivers in their areas.

Still, the lack of impact plays made by the group, and the 100-yards rushing on just 15 carries speaks to an ineffective day for the normally dominate unit, and a disappointing day despite the big victory.

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Roberto Aguayo (19) is congratulated by T punter Bryan Anger (9) after he made a field goal during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Chicago Bears 36-10. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

I hesitate to get too excited, but the Buccaneers special teams didn’t have a single head-scratching return and actually pulled off a 22-yard return by rookie Ryan Smith who had been struggling mightily since earning the kick-return duties.

Roberto Aguayo entered the field of play for six kicks and made every single one of them.

Going 2-for-2 on field goals including a long kick of 30-yards, and 4-for-4 on extra points will draw little attention to the rookie kicker, which is exactly what he wants.

The painful truth is nobody pays attention to kickers unless they’re missing kicks.

Bryan Anger continued his strong 2016 campaign as he booted five punts an average of 42.8 yards a piece and pinned the Bears inside their own 20-yard line twice.

The league’s leader in hangtime, Chicago’s punt returner Eddie Royal found the Buccaneers’ coverage all over him leading to the speedster losing three yards on two return attempts in five chances.

The special teams was actually a bright spot today, and only a return TD could have made it better.

That’ll do it for our grades for the Week 10 victory over the Chicago Bears.

With the win, the Buccaneers improve to 3-5 and currently sit in second place in the NFC South following losses by the Falcons, Saints and Carolina Panthers in their respective Week 10 games.

What are your thoughts on the game today, and what grades would you give out?  Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter anytime!

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