It’s another bitter pill to swallow, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their fourth straight game of the season and second straight in forfeit, falling to the San Francisco 49ers 23-20. The Bucs’ season is in jeopardy and with the bye week approaching, it’s time to rest, recover and take a hard look at what this team needs to do to turn things around. They are two games and a tiebreaker behind the Falcons and the NFC South title and are quickly falling out of the playoff picture. They have an easier road ahead schedule-wise, but the Bucs will need to play error-free football, something they haven’t been able to do recently, to gain ground.

There is still hope that the Bucs can jumpstart their season down the stretch to make a run, and with key players like Mike Evans and Jamel Dean returning from injury, it should relieve some of the pressure on both sides of the ball. For all the struggles the Bucs have faced. The positive side remains. This team is undefeated and has held its own against the perennial powers of the NFC and AFC and nearly beat them. Moral victories only go so far, but the Bucs are a resilient team and if they can turn things around and dance, they will be a tough out.

The Bucs need Mike Evans back in the worst way. For the second week in a row, the Bucs wide receivers were nowhere to be found. The final statistic for the wide receiver room in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers was a measly four receptions on 11 targets for a measly 28 yards. The week before, in their overtime loss to the Chiefs, Bucs receivers made eight receptions on 13 targets for 91 yards and a score. However, most of that production came on the Bucs’ final drive of the game with six catches, 69 yards and the score. Going back to the Falcons game, the production was slightly better with 159 yards on 15 receptions, but that was between five different receivers for an average of 31.8 yards.

Cade Otton, Rachaad White and Bucky Irving have been the salvation of this Bucs passing attack with the absence of Evans and Chris Godwin. Fortunately, Evans will be back after the bye week and that should help the offense, but Baker Mayfield isn’t blameless here either. He missed multiple throws that were too short or too deep, without enough touch or too wide. Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen has done everything he can to get these guys open and coach them, but he’s working with the fringe number three receivers and practice squad guys and Mayfield is having trouble hitting them. Mayfield has just 316 passing yards on 60 attempts between the last two games and it’s clear he desperately needs Evans back in the lineup to try to turn this season around.

READ MORE: Buccaneers receive good news regarding Tristan Wirfs injury

The Bucs defense has no answers at the end of games this season after suffering its third loss of the season. Their two previous losses came in overtime, one in Week 5 against the Falcons and the other last week on Monday Night Football against the Chiefs. This one is even tougher, as it leaves the Bucs two games under .500 in a game they really looked like they were going to win. With 41 seconds left, Tampa Bay’s defense let the Niners march down the field for the time-expiring field goal to seal their fate.

Heading into the bye week, this team needs to take a hard look at where they’ve fallen short. Yes, injuries have played a role, but poor tackling, lack of execution and the dreaded lack of communication have led to the Bucs’ defensive collapses late in the game. Coming out of the bye week, the Buccaneers face an easier path with some very winnable games, but they will need to change and adapt if they want to make it to the end of the season. Simply put, the Bucs need their playmakers to step up to close out games. If they can’t start getting more production from their best playmakers, then this season is doomed and their streak of playoff appearances and certainly division titles is in jeopardy.

The Bucs just can’t seem to avoid the injury bug. It seems like every game this season, the team loses one or two key starters to injury at some point in the game. This week it was All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs who went down early in the second quarter with a knee injury. Wirfs had a player blocked in his right knee and was slow to get off the field, needing assistance from medical staff. It wasn’t long before he limped to the locker room and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Tests have revealed the best possible outcome from a sprained MCL and he will only be out for a few weeks with a small chance of being able to leave after the break.

It wasn’t just Wirfs, though. Before the game even started, standout rookie nickel cornerback Tykee Smith was ruled out with a knee injury he suffered in practice on Friday. And fellow rookie receiver Jalen McMillan, who was tracking to play and was active, was unable to go after testing his injured hamstring before the game. Later in the matchup, the Bucs lost starting cornerback Zyon McCollum, who has been having an All-Pro caliber season, to a hamstring injury, and rookie pass rusher Chris Braswell to an oblique injury. . As the injury bug continues to take its toll, the Bucs have a much-needed bye week to rest, recover and restore not only their bodies but their minds as they head into the home stretch of the season.

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