Bucs Dominated by Colts in Indy

The Colts dominated the game against the Bucs from the kick off. The Bucs had 8 drives in the game, 5 of them ended in 3 and out. On defense the Bucs could not stop the Colts all game. In the third quarter alone the Colts offense had the ball for over 13 minutes. The Bucs could not figure out how to get off the field on defense, or stay on the field when on offense.

The offensive line, which had been so dominant all year long struggled for most of the game. Donald Penn got the start for the injured Luke Petigout at left tackle, and was over matched against Dwight Freeney all game. It was not all Donald Penn though, as no offensive lineman seemed to get a push in the run game, nor could they stop the colts defense from getting into the backfield and disrupting Jeff Garcia. Without being able to move the ball or sustain a drive most of the game, the Bucs offense reminded fans of last seasons inept offense. The defense could not get off the field, but when you are forced to be on the field the whole against and offense like the Colts, their is only so much you can do.

The Bucs also had some more bad news on the injury front as they were driving for their first score. Michael Pittman ripped off a good run before being tackled and having his ankle rolled up under him. The Bucs originally thought that it was a sprained ankle, but the most recent news is that Pittman suffered a cracked fibula on the play. This was injury to a position that was already depleted by Cadillac Williams season ending injury. The Bucs pursued some trades before the Colts game after Williams went down, expect the Bucs to work even harder on a trade to get another running back into the backfield.

Maybe the only bright spot of the game was once again Jeff Garcia, who has yet to throw an interception on the year. Garcia was efficient and took what he could and tried to make plays when the offensive line broke down. While the offense did not move most of the game, it was not his fault. His play will be even more important with the loss of another running back.