The case of the curious Bucs game plan against Carolina

The Bucs waited all year to have their top four receivers on the field together.

It finally happened Dec. 11 against the Falcons, when Mike Evans made six receptions for 132 yards. Chris Godwin had a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Jalen McMillan, who had not played since fracturing three bones in his neck in the preseason, caught a pair of passes for 38 yards, including a 19-yarder that he nearly turned into a touchdown. Emeka Egbuka caught four passes for 64 yards.

Then they took all that firepower to Carolina Sunday, and offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard essentially froze out his own guys.

A preconceived desire to finish the game against the Panthers with at least 30 rushing attempts may have helped the Bucs dominate time of possession, but it didn’t change the scoreboard enough in a 23-20 loss.

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Meanwhile, quarterback Baker Mayfield dinked and dunked his way to 5.6 yards per pass attempt.

Evans (31 yards receiving), Godwin (30) and McMillan (15) were seldom used. Egbuka had one catch for 40 yards but only one other target.

Yes, the Bucs rushed for 169 yards on 33 carries, a 5.1-yard average. But the total is skewed by Rachaad White’s 39-yard run in the second quarter. Remove just that one explosive play, and the rushing average falls to 4.1.

What’s more, it includes Baker Mayfield scrambling four times for 49 yards.

But the Bucs got their 30-plus rushing attempts and a loss to go with it.

“We didn’t have to get it. We wanted to,” head coach Todd Bowles said Monday. “It was a formula for us that worked last year. Last year we had (40) and (39) rushes against them (in two wins). When you win the game, it’s different; when you lose the game …

“We were right there. We did everything we wanted to do. We controlled every category except for the turnover battle at the end, and we lost the ball game. So, we try to get the ball to our stars, but at the same time we try to establish the run game and make it balanced as well.”

Everything, that is, but score enough points to win the game.

Mayfield finished 18 of 26 for 145 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown to Evans.

Take away the 40-yard pass play to Egbuka — a series that ended in a punt — and Mayfield averaged only 4.2 yards per attempt.

The formula also was a gift to the Panthers defense, which knew the Bucs were going to run on the early downs. Tampa Bay’s first 10 first-down situations resulted in nine running plays. The lone exception? A 1-yard fade pass to Evans for a touchdown on the opening drive.

The NFL, with its salary cap, is an allocation system when it comes to payroll.

Evans and Godwin combine to earn $42.5 million. Tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke together are paid $50 million to protect Mayfield. Egbuka is a first-round pick. McMillan is a former third-rounder who had seven touchdown receptions in his final five games a rookie. The Bucs are paying Mayfield an average of $33 million per year, and it’s not for his scrambling ability.

Bowles mentioned that teams who had run 30 times or more against Carolina have done well.

But what he fails to include is that those teams typically jumped out to big leads and attempted to shorten the game by running the ball.

By running so much on first down, that pattern can give a defense an advantage.

“It depends on what’s working,” Bowles said. “If they’re running the ball and it’s successful, then you keep at it. If it’s not successful, then it’s going to be difficult for you.”

Contrast the offensive approach with Bowles’ decision to call a Cover Zero blitz at the end of the first half with the Panthers out of timeouts and facing second and 2 from the Tampa Bay 22-yard line with 12 seconds remaining.

Bowles dared quarterback Bryce Young to take a shot at the end zone. And he left the Panthers’ top receiver, Tetairoa McMillan, one-on-one with cornerback Jamel Dean, who was beaten for a touchdown.

“(Dean) could have played it better,” Bowles said. “The blitz should have got home, and he should have been in a different position. It was bad technique and play on his part. The ball should have never happened.

“He was by himself. He should have been off and deeper, and we talked about it. He understands that, and he knows the situation. We do it all the time.”

Remember, Grizzard and Bowles had 10 days to come up with these game plans.

Now it comes down to the Bucs having to win Sunday at Miami to keep their season alive unless Carolina falls to Seattle.

“We understand we control our own destiny, but our biggest enemy right now is us, and we understand that as well,” Bowles said. ”So, going into the week, that’s all we’ll focus on, and we’ll focus on the things that we can do better as coaches and players, and we’ll go into the game against Miami.”

at Dolphins, 1 Sunday TV/radio: Fox; 97.9-FM Line/OU: Team by 5 ½; 46 ½

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The case of the curious Bucs game plan against Carolina

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