Kenneth Gainwell, a guy who’s literally *always* played for winning teams, is staring down the barrel of missing the playoffs for the first time in his entire career. This dude won a Super Bowl with the Eagles, and he’s made the postseason every single year since 2021 across his time in Philly and last year with Pittsburgh. But now, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sitting at a brutal 0-3, he’s facing a reality he’s never known, and it could get even worse this week against the Green Bay Packers. Talk about a cold dose of reality.
“Whole Team” Effort Needed to Avoid Historic Disaster
Look, the numbers don’t lie, and they’re grim for the Bucs. Only seven teams in NFL history have ever clawed their way into the playoffs after an 0-3 start, and a mind-boggling one team has done it after going 0-4. That’s a mountain to climb, or more like Everest without oxygen. Gainwell knows it’s an uphill battle, and he’s not sugarcoating what it’ll take to turn things around. In a one-on-one, he stressed that it’s gonna need the “whole team, offense, defense, especially special teams” to get their first win. He’s talking about “everybody being on the same page,” nailing “the small details,” and making sure “communication is key.” Sounds like the basic stuff, right? But apparently, it’s been missing, because the Bucs haven’t been complementing each other at all, ranking 19th in points scored and a dismal 23rd in points allowed through the first three weeks.
Rookie QB Jalon Daniels Steps Into the Fire, Gainwell Sees Shades of Greatness
As if the 0-3 start wasn’t enough, the Bucs are now dealing with a massive blow at quarterback. Baker Mayfield is out for at least three weeks with a thumb injury, meaning they’re rolling with undrafted rookie free agent Jalon Daniels. Talk about baptism by fire! But Gainwell isn’t backing down, even dropping some pretty wild comparisons for the young signal-caller. He thinks Daniels plays “like a Mike Vick or a new school Lamar Jackson type of guy,” which is some serious praise. He also sees “a lot of skill sets in his arm talent, like a little Jalen Hurts arm talent” saying Daniels “can throw the ball down the field” just like Hurts. If Daniels can live up to even a fraction of those comps, maybe there’s a spark.
The bigger issue, though, is what the Bucs do when they actually get close to the end zone. They’re dead last, 30th in the league, in red zone touchdown percentage. That’s just inexcusable. Gainwell knows it, too. He talked about “being efficient on first and second down,” getting “good runs,” and avoiding those dreaded “third and longs.” And yeah, the biggest “small thing” he mentioned? “Scoring touchdowns in the red zone would definitely help.” No kidding, man. No kidding.
This Sunday against the Packers, it’s not just another game for the Buccaneers. It’s a chance to avoid the 0-4 trap that only one team has ever escaped to make the playoffs. All eyes are on Jalon Daniels to see if he can bring that “Mike Vick” energy Gainwell’s talking about and if the whole team can finally get on the same page. It’s now or never for Tampa.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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