Bright opening half for Bucs offense precedes after-dark debacle The tease spanned nearly two full quarters. Before dusk arrived Sunday, the Bucs offense was converting third downs and skeptics with equal proficiency. After weeks of ebbs and flows, brutal starts and bland schemes, Tom Brady and Co. finally seemed to have re-discovered their rhythm. "I just think we were communicating a little bit better," receiver Chris Godwin said. "We were on the same page, we were being aggressive at the line of scrimmage and things were working." But before you could say aberration, that efficient start - 17 points in the first four possessions - had been upstaged by one of the most darkly comedic quarters in the history of a franchise rife with slapstick. "All of us feel terrible right now, embarrassed," tight end Cameron Brate said in the immediate wake of the Bucs' 34-23 loss to the Bengals. "Essentially five turnovers to start the second half. We did start the game well and that is something we haven't done this year, but it's four quarters." On Sunday, two promising ones preceded the two putrid ones. Though the Bucs had to settle for a field goal on their lengthy opening possession (13 plays, 67 yards), they converted twice on third down, equaling their third-down conversion total from the entire first half the previous week against the 49ers. Those conversions were accompanied by creativity. Play-action, a fleeting concept for most of the season, was employed more liberally, as was pre-snap motion. Mike Evans, barely visible in the opening half in recent weeks, was targeted seven times in the first half and had five catches for 71 yards at intermission. And when Brady found Russell Gage for a 1-yard scoring toss on fourth and goal early in the second quarter, the Bucs had their first double-digit lead in the opening half (10-0 at that point) since the Nov. 13 contest in Germany. It increased to 17-0 when Brady capped a 10-play, 85-yard drive with a 5-yard scoring pass to Godwin with 1:39 to play before halftime. The lead might have been higher had coach Todd Bowles opted to go for it on fourth and 3 from the Bengals 32 midway through the second instead of opting for a 50-yard Ryan Succop field-goal try that sailed wide left. "It was field-goal range and (Succop) had been hitting them consistently," Bowles said. "We wanted to get points out of it." Still, the Bucs' 17 points were their most in an opening half since Oct. 2, and their 67 rushing yards at halftime were 2 fewer than their rushing total in San Francisco. "We did a really good job coming out," Brate said. "Had a good game plan to run the football, play-action passes. Guys on the outside were making plays, we were picking up big chunks, running the ball, making it manageable on third downs, which we haven't done a great job with this year." But crispness quickly transitioned to chaos. After four consecutive second-half turnovers, the Bucs were down 27-17. As a result, the run game that had started so effectively had to be abandoned (25 second-half yards). Meantime, the Bengals' pressure of Brady increased. And teased Bucs fans became tormented ones. "Two good quarters (don't) win you any football games," Brady said. "And five turnovers (don't) win you football games." Joey Knight, The Tampa Bay Times, published 19 December 2022