Buccaneers vs. Jets Final Score: Tampa Bay loses on last-second field goal

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a frustrating game in New York, as Darrelle Revis returned to face his old team. With stifling defense that collected four sacks and two turnovers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seemed pull out a last-minute win, despite an absent running game and an inconsistent passing game. With 38 seconds on the clock, Rian Lindell hit a go-ahead field goal. But it was not good enough, as Lavonte David gifted the Jets the win with a stupid shove out of bounds on Geno Smith to give the Jets field goal range. Nick Folk's kick sent the Bucs home with a loss.

Darrelle Revis looked completely healthy, and back to his old ways. In three series, the cornerback went from playing zone coverage to following Santonio Holmes across the field, and shutting him down. The Jets tested him twice, and they stayed away from him for the rest of the game. That set the tone for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, which largely shut down an anemic Jets offense.

Unsurprisingly, when stamina problems forced Revis off the field the Buccaneers instantly started to struggle, leading to a late field goal for the Jets to take the lead. Leonard Johnson got beat repeatedly on that drive, and a holding penalty on him extended the drive when the Bucs had them stopped.

It looked like the Bucs offense would blow their part of the bargain early on, but they got it together in the end Malfunctioning helmet equipment turned 2nd-and-10 into 3rd-and-35 via two delays of game, a sack and a false start on the first drive. The next drive ended with a safety. Three drives in, the Tampa Bay offense had a net -3 yards and -2 points.

It didn't take long for Freeman to get back into it, finishing off a touchdown drive with a laser to Mike Williams, and overall having a reasonably solid game, given the complete lack of a running game and an offensive line that struggled to stop a potent New York pass rush. Vincent Jackson was the main man for the Buccaneers, beating up Antonio Cromartie to the tune of 7 receptions for 154 yards, including a crucial 37-yard catch to set up the team's game-winning field goal.

Unfortunately, he was the only player consistently winning his matchups, and Kevin Ogletree and the tight ends were conspicuously absent. Doug Martin finished the game with 65 yards on 23 carries, for a ridiculously low 2.8 yards per carry, and no help was coming from that direction, either.

This left the Bucs with a one-dimensional offense which struggled to move the ball against a pretty good defense. That's something the Buccaneers will have to address in future games. Their offense consisted of Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams, with everyone else combining for just 4 receiving yards. Penalties further limited Tampa Bay, as they collected 13 on the day, with the final crucial one

Unless that changes, the Buccaneers are looking at a season of classic Buc Ball: good defense, and a struggling offense limited further by penalties. With games against the New Orleans Saints and New England patriots coming up and an 0-1 record, Tampa Bay may have a problem.

What's next?

The Buccaneers welcome the 1-0 New Orleans Saints in their home opener next Sunday.