Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lose Second Preseason Game 20-14 to Miami Dolphins
Aug 16, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown (12) drops back to pass against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dropped to 0-2 in the preseason as they were beaten 20-14 by the Miami Dolphins at Raymond James Stadium.
The Bucs’ first touchdown came on a 7-yard pass from Josh McCown to Vincent Jackson which had been set up by Gerald McCoy forcing a fumble three plays earlier.
McCown, who struggled last week, was 5-for-7 tonight for 46 yards. He also ran once for four yards.
However, when Mike Glennon replaced him in the second quarter, the Bucs offense began to stumble. Glennon thought he had hit rookie Mike Evans for a touchdown but the Texas A&M product fumbled at the one-yard line and the ball fell out the end zone for a touchback.
From that point on, the Bucs offense became stagnant. Glennon finished 6-of-12 for 77 yards, a step back from last week’s solid performance, and also had a fumble.
Tampa Bay added a second touchdown with 14 seconds left in the game as Mike Kafka, who completed 4-of-11 passes for 55 yards, hit Lavelle Hawkins for a 13-yard score. On the play, Kafka showed tremendous poise to stay in the pocket and got drilled as he released the football.
The Bucs were awful on third down as they went 2-for-13.
However, they had some success on the ground as Doug Martin collected 24 yards on six carries while Jeff Demps added 31 on eight touches. Mike James had 18 yards on only three carries but left the game with an injury and did not return.
Evans was the only player to catch more than one pass on offense while the Bucs offensive line was improved over last week but still gave up five sacks as Lovie Smith continues to experiment at the guard position.
Perhaps the Bucs most impressive player tonight was Gerald McCoy. Along with the forced fumble, McCoy had a sack, three tackles and was a general wrecking ball in the Dolphins backfield.
The Bucs’ defensive line was dominant all night long. While they could only get to Dolphins quarterbacks once, they forced pressure all game long. They also held Miami to 46 rushing yards on 26 carries.
Dane Fletcher led the team with five tackles and should have had an interception but dropped an easy catch.
The team’s pass defense was suspect at times as they allowed big gains and were carved for 280 yards.
On special teams, Solomon Patton made a strong claim to be the team’s kick and punt returner when the season begins. He had three kick returns for 91 yards while adding 32 yards on three punt returns. He also caught a pass for eight yards.
Bobby Rainey, who had eight carries for 15 yards, also looked good in the return game with one kick return for 19 yards and three punt returns for 30 yards.
After 11 penalties last week, the Bucs had just six tonight.
James, William Gholston, Major Wright, Rashaan Melvin and Brandon Magee all left the game with injuries and didn’t return.
The Bucs’ next preseason game is on August 22 against the Buffalo Bills.