Is there a game the Bucs can win this season? Joe Henderson, The Tampa Tribune, published 21 September 2009 I'm sure that this time last year nobody in Detroit believed the Lions could go 0-16. They had lost handily to Atlanta and Green Bay in the first two games, but the thought of going winless couldn't possibly have registered because that just doesn't happen in the National Football League. Except it did. So this morning we look at the 0-2 record for the Bucs after Sunday's 33-20 loss against Buffalo. The Bucs talked about mistakes they made because those are correctable, but I'm seeing a team that got physically beaten on both sides of the ball and that's not something you can easily fix. They committed a preposterous 13 penalties for 112 yards, gave up two more long scoring passes and saw the game get away in the fourth quarter. They're a bad team. Logic will tell us there is too much football remaining. There are 14 of what players like to call "opportunities" left on the schedule. Surely there is enough talent and drive on this team to get at least a handful of victories. But you tell me - off what we've seen so far, where will that victory come? They get two shots at Carolina, so maybe they can grab one there. Or maybe not. Who is the unfortunate coach going to be who has to explain to his boss and fans why they lost to the Buccaneers? Will it be Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants, who is next on the Bucs' schedule? That's the first of a three-game gauntlet through the NFC East that includes trips to Washington and Philadelphia. Anybody seen a game yet where the Bucs will be favored? "None of us has given up. We're 0-2 but there are 14 more weeks left. To just write us off is ... we don't write each other off," defensive end Stylez White said in the hush of the losing locker room. "Big plays or not, we believe in one another and we're going to continue it - 0-and-16, that won't happen. We believe in ourselves. All we've got is us." Buffalo running back Fred Jackson ran through the Bucs for a career-best 163 yards Sunday, and this was after the Bucs sometimes dedicated seven and even eight men in the box to stop him. Asked to explain, defenders laid it to missed tackles and the like. What they're really saying is that even with a stacked alignment they weren't physically good enough to make the play. "We've got to play better, we've got to play faster, we've got to do some different things on defense to win," Coach Raheem Morris said. It wasn't just the run. The Bucs were burned for two more long touchdown passes, and isn't that getting to be a habit now? That's five scoring passes of 32 yards or longer against this team in two weeks, which has now surrendered 67 points. To be fair, cornerback Aqib Talib was stride for stride with Buffalo's Terrell Owens on a 43-yard score with 9:16 to play, but Owens made the play and Talib didn't. It broke the game open. Let's not overly pick on the defense, though. This is a team sport. The Bucs had showed some spunk by fighting back after falling behind 17-0, trailing just 20-14 at the half. They had a little momentum and the gathering at Ralph Wilson Stadium was getting antsy. That's when Buffalo crowded the box to take away the Bucs' running game, which is their strength. You'd think that would open up the passing game, but it didn't. "It should have (opened things up)," receiver Michael Clayton said. "They did a great job bringing a lot of pressure and we're definitely going to see that next week. The passing game should be more efficient in those situations (against stacked lines), but it didn't happen today." So you think about it. Jackson set a personal rushing record against them Sunday, just like Tony Romo set a personal passing record against them last week. All those penalties show they're lacking discipline and when Buffalo's defense took away the run, the Bucs didn't have an answer. And a game in which they trailed by only six entering the fourth quarter turned into a rout. Sure they'll keep fighting and working hard, just like every other team in the league. That still doesn't answer the question, though. Just where is that first win coming from? Anyone have a clue?