The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading into a critical offseason after a disappointing 23-20 loss to the Washington Commanders in the Wild Card Round. The Sunday night thriller at Raymond James Stadium saw head coach Todd Bowles ' team lose a nail-biter to rookie superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels. Despite Baker Mayfield 's critical fumble in the fourth quarter, he is not the main reason Tampa Bay is watching the Divisional Round from home.

The Buccaneers' quarterback completed 15 out of 18 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, the offense only scored 20 points and generated 284 yards overall against Washington. However, those are not the damaging stats from this game, because his unit was only on the field for 24:34 minutes. That is despite converting five out of nine third downs and outrushing the Commanders at home. Instead, this loss was a tale of the defense being unable to get off the field. And, in particular, getting torched by a rookie quarterback who will be an absolute menace in the NFC for years to come.

Losing to Jayden Daniels at home during this part of his career has to be very frustrating for Todd Bowles and company. The Buccaneers have gone 27-24 in three seasons under their head coach. While that record may not seem impressive, this franchise has won the NFC South all those years. And in 2023, Tampa Bay won a playoff game, dominating the Philadelphia Eagles 32-9 , before losing a tight contest at the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round.

This franchise came into the 2024 season hoping to make that good-to-great jump. While the team only won one more game this year, it showed flashes throughout the season and came away with the No. 3 seed in the NFC. But now, Tampa Bay is the only higher-seed that lost this past weekend, and that is mainly due to this team's fatal flaw: the secondary.

The Buccaneers secondary is their fatal flaw

It was no secret heading into the Wild Card Round. Tampa Bay's most significant weakness going into the postseason was its secondary. This unit gave up the fourth-most yards per game during the regular season. On several occasions, quarterbacks were having career games against Todd Bowles' team. That even included non-playoff teams with struggling starters under center.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, who was eventually benched this season, had two phenomenal performances against this secondary. Over two games, he completed 74% of his passes for 785 yards and eight touchdowns with only one interception. And it did not get much better for this unit against elite quarterbacks.

That trend continued last Sunday even with the Buccaneers' rushing defense allowing just 82 yards on the ground. Through the air, Jayden Daniels completed 24 out of 35 yards for 268 yards and two touchdowns. The Commanders converted on over 50% of their third downs and wore down the Buccaneers' secondary on the ten-play 51 drive that led to the game-sealing field goal.

While Tampa Bay's secondary does not necessarily need a quick fix, multiple positions can be upgraded. While health was an issue for this unit, these players mostly struggled even when they were on the field. That being said, third-year cornerback Zyon McCollum showed flashes as a starter, leading the team in passes defended at 17. But it was McCollum or Jamel Dean, the Buccaneers' cornerbacks were picked on in certain games. With Dean having not played an entire season in his career, cornerback is a position Tampa Bay could look to add depth to in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Adding another edge rusher this offseason could also help conceal some of these secondary flaws. Tampa Bay only sacked Jayden Daniels once during the entire game, for zero yards. Todd Bowles' team ranked 18th in the league in sack percentage and struggled to contain quarterbacks with any mobility. Overall, the Buccaneers' defense needs to be a priority this offseason. If this unit does not improve leaps and bounds heading into 2025, that could spell trouble for this entire coaching staff.

What's at stake for Tampa Bay heading into this offseason

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are at a unique point in their franchise's history. The organization has finally shown stability over the past half-decade, making the postseason five straight years. That run includes Tom Brady leading the Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Since hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, Tampa Bay has gone 2-4 in the postseason.

This team, specifically over the past few years, has taken advantage of a weak NFC South. Which is, of course, fine. Still, this success has shielded the organization from some significant flaws that will continue to hold it back. It's important to note that a lot of this roster is young. However, some key players like Mike Evans and Lavonte David are at the tail end of their primes.

The organization, therefore, must decide if this team needs some tweaks around the edges or significant change. Some tweaks, especially in the secondary, could improve Tampa Bay significantly. However, questions remain about this roster's top-end talent, even at the quarterback position. Overall, this is a critical offseason for this franchise, which could be going through a bit of an identity crisis after a tough Wild Card elimination.