| Tampa Bay used the talents of RB LeGarrette Blount well in Sunday's blowout win. (US Presswire) |
A bye week and a game against the struggling Kansas City Chiefs proved to be the cure for what was ailing Tampa Bay, as the Bucs performed well across the board in Sunday's 38-10 rout.
Offense: A-
This was easily the offense's best outing of the season, even surpassing the 34-point total the Bucs posted in a loss to the Giants earlier this year. Tampa Bay unleashed QB Josh Freeman earlier than usual, and WR Mike Williams took particular advantage, finishing with 113 receiving yards. Between Williams, Tiquan Underwood and Vincent Jackson, the Bucs can stretch the field vertically. They also had a nice mix of running styles, with Doug Martin getting 13 carries (5.8 yards per carry) and LeGarrette Blount (8.3 yards per carry) getting seven. Previous game's grade: C
Defense: A+
The Bucs had been stout all season in defending the run, and Sunday was no exception. Tampa Bay held Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles to only 40 yards on 12 carries. Overall, Kansas City only gained 2.7 yards per carry. But the secondary made big strides, holding QB Brady Quinn to only 180 yards passing and picking him off twice -- including Ronde Barber's 78-yard touchdown return. This was a dominant showing. Previous game's grade: C
Special teams: C
Apparently, K Connor Barth is human after all. He missed a 55-yard field goal attempt, hitting the left upright, to end a streak of 25 consecutive successful tries. P Michael Koenen had a punt blocked, resulting in a Kansas City touchdown. But Roscoe Parrish was again a stabilizing force at punt-returner, and there were no other deficiencies in either Barth's or Koenen's performances. Previous game's grade: B+
Coaching: A
Perhaps the bye week re-evaluation period really did work wonders for coach Greg Schiano and company. Previous problems on offense -- including few downfield shots for Freeman and a poor balance of work between Blount and Martin -- were taken care of. The defense largely had its way, even in the secondary, where the Bucs had been weak previously. After weeks of close games -- at least a couple of which Tampa Bay felt like it let get away -- this one was a no-doubter almost from the opening kickoff. Previous game's grade: C-
For more from Tampa Bay Bucs blogger Patrick Southern, follow @CBSBucs on Twitter.