This was another tough game to watch as the Bucs outperformed the Titans in almost every category but still couldn’t manage to come out with a win. This was mainly due to costly turnovers from poor miscommunication on the offense leading to great field position for the Titans. The Bucs managed to keep it a close game in spite of all the turnovers and lack of offensive red zone efficiency but still came up short in the end. Here are the winners and losers for week 8:

Winners

Mike Evans

Mike Evans finished with 198 receiving yards (most this season) and two touchdowns. He dropped a touchdown pass early in the game, but he was able to make up for it making key plays throughout the rest of the game. Evans also had a record-setting day by becoming the Bucs’ all-time leader in receptions from his second touchdown.

Lavonte David

Game after game Lavonte David continues to prove that he is one of the best linebackers in the league. He led the Bucs with six tackles and was always finding ways to make an impact on all plays. David continues to show why he is the centerpiece of the Bucs defense by leading the team in tackles and always being reliable in crucial moments of the game.

Defensive Line

The defensive line picked up where they left off from the past games this season and remain proving to be best performing unit for the Bucs. Jason Pierre-Paul, Carl Nassib, and Shaq Barrett all had a sack against the Titans and were able to provide pressure on Ryan Tannehill the majority of the game. Vita Vea also had a great game stopping the run and eating up blockers even though his stats may not reflect that. Derrick Henry was contained the majority of the game but did have 75 yards rushing due to a few breakaway runs he had off of missed gap assignments.

Losers

Jameis Winston

According to HC Bruce Arians, “Jameis didn’t throw one damn interception that was his fault. His receivers let him down today.” It’s hard to tell where the blame should go to for the interceptions but obviously the easy target is Winston. The fumbles that Jameis had weren’t completely his fault with the first one being an unexpected early snap and the second one from getting pressured immediately by the Titans pass rush. It seemed like the only receiver that was on the same page as Winston was Mike Evans with Godwin and Perriman running wrong routes.

Breshad Perriman

Breshad Perriman continues to have a lack of production as he was targeted multiple times throughout the game but still wasn’t able to have any catches. He was the main receiver that wasn’t on the same page as Winston especially towards the end of the fourth quarter. The first time that Winston targeted him towards the final drive it was nearly picked off and then the second one was picked off by Logan Ryan sealing the game for the titans. Perriman also had an incident when running into Dare Ogunbowale at the goal line which was another example of him not being in sync with the rest of the offense.

Offensive Line

The offensive line wasn’t able to help out Winston or the running game against the Titans. They had a better performance than the last game against the Panthers but there was too many holding penalties, false starts, and miscommunication on plays. The Bucs weren’t able to get the running game going with either Peyton Barber or Ronald Jones, and the offensive line performance also lead to costly turnovers.