Photos from Buccaneers vs. Jaguars at Raymond James Stadium.
1. The Bucs have depth on the offensive line.
The Bucs were without center Evan Smith and guard Logan Mankins on Sunday. Despite their two most experienced offensive linemen being sidelined, the team ran the ball for a season-high 183 yards. Joe Hawley stepped in for Smith, as he's done since Smith injured his ankle against the Saints and Kevin Pamphile filled in for Mankins, who was missing his first game of the year with a groin injury. Pamphile is usually a tackle but performed well when moving inside to play guard. "Kevin Pamphile (and) our young guys really stepped up and gave our running backs a chance," Head Coach Lovie Smith said, "whether it was Doug [Martin], of course, who was outstanding, or Charles Sims. They did a great job."
2. Jameis Winston made simple decisions.
Winston threw the ball just 19 times on Sunday, the fewest attempts he's had so far this season. The only other game where he's thrown less than 30 passes was against New Orleans, which the Buccaneers also won. Winston threw 21 balls in that game. "I made a lot of very simple decisions today and the running game was amazing," Winston said, "so when I'm making the right decision and not turning the ball over you see how productive our offense can be."
*3. All three of the Bucs' running backs made an impact. *
The Bucs dressed three running backs against the Jaguars and all three played pivotal roles. Doug Martin, of course, led the team in rushing, en-route to his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game. Charles Sims was the Bucs' leading receiver, hauling in all four passes thrown his way for 85 yards and Bobby Rainey had an explosive day returning kicks, averaging 38.3 yards per punt return with a long of 58.
4. The Bucs are getting better on third down.
Through the first three weeks of the season, the Buccaneers were adamant about addressing their struggles on third down. Over the course of the past two weeks, the team had done just that. The Bucs have converted on 13-of-27 third down attempts (48%) after going one-for-12 against Houston in Week 3.
5. Gerald McCoy is one of the best in the business.
Through five games, Gerald McCoy leads all defensive tackles with 4.5 sacks. He's tied for the second-most sacks of any player in the league, behind Cincinnati's Carlos Dunlap. Since 2012, no defensive tackle has taken down the quarterback more than McCoy.
