The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reached their Week 9 bye and, although they enter the break sitting atop the NFC South and boasting a 6-2 record, the team is far from a finished product.

Tampa has split its last two games—both on the road—but they were both messy, ugly endeavors. The Bucs’ defense, which people thought would likely be the team’s weak spot in 2025, has been a formidable force in both games. So what has been the problem?

Though quarterback Baker Mayfield looked like a legitimate NFL MVP candidate through the first six weeks, and the Bucs offense was explosive during that time, both entities have looked increasingly pedestrian over the last two games.

• In the 24-9 loss at the hands of Detroit, it was a lack of accuracy in the passing game. Mayfield overthrew numerous downfield shots, both medium and deep, and each miscue stripped the offense of confidence.

• In last week’s 23-3 rout of New Orleans, it was a lack of execution in the redzone, and that forced fans to watch consecutive weeks of an offense that is devoid of exciting plays.

Now, Tampa enters its bye week, and it has come at an incredibly fortunate time. The non-divisional schedule only gets more difficult from here, so here are three things Tampa Bay has to hammer home during the two-week break:

Get the Ground Game Back on Track

In the NFL, in most cases, a successful offense is one that can run the football efficiently. That has not been Tampa Bay this fall. Over the Bucs’ first eight games, they are averaging fewer than 100 yards on the ground per game.

Now, you could be thinking, ‘Well of course their running game has sputtered—their lead tailback has been sidelined for half the games.'

That is true. Bucky Irving has been hurt, and backups Rachaad White and Sean Tucker have combined to average just over 3.5 yards per carry. So what did Irving average before his injury? 3.3.

The fact of the matter is that no matter who is taking the handoffs, the Bucs have not been able to find the chunk plays they were last fall. Their run blocking ranks 29th according to PFF, and while that may not mean a whole lot to a lot of old-school football minds, it also looks terrible when using the eye test. As the ground game has become less of a factor, opposing defensive coordinators have been able to lock their game plans onto controlling Mayfield, and his MVP-caliber season has been largely stymied.

During the bye, offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard needs to work with his unit to dial up better gap and zone blocking schemes to spring his backs. If the Bucs get back to being able to threaten 25-yard plays on the ground, Mayfield will probably get better looks when it’s time to uncork downfield.

Lock Baker Back In

While it’s true that a one-dimensional offense has left a lot of weight on Mayfield’s shoulders, he has not carried it well recently.

Early in the season, Mayfield was playing with a chip on his shoulder, throwing with overwhelming confidence and using his legs to extend plays effectively. However, since the rough primetime loss to the Lions, those things have disappeared.

He isn’t getting a ton of time from his offensive line, but even when he is given a sufficient pocket, he has been throwing like he is afraid to turn the ball over. Even to relatively open targets, he has floated the ball—kind of like an exaggerated ‘put-it-where-only-my-guy-can-get-it’ mindset.

The Bucs exit their bye week to stare down a gauntlet—a three-course meal of New England, Buffalo and the LA Rams (combined record 16-6) between Weeks 10-12. If Tampa has any hope of emerging from that stretch with multiple wins, the Bucs will have to put points on the board.

Mayfield needs to get his swagger back and drop any hesitation to let the ball fly. Fans will know whether that has happened by the end of the first quarter against the Patriots.

Get Some Players Back on the Field

Bye weeks are about rest, relaxation, adjustments and (this is the big one for Tampa) getting healthy. It might be obvious, but one of the pressure points this week should be getting starters back on the field.

Since the beginning of the season, the Bucs' injury report has looked like a Jackson Pollock painting—not in a work-of-art way, just in a busy way. The offensive line has been terrorized, which has led to the team’s poor blocking in all facets. The defensive line is down to a skeleton crew, which has made it difficult to rush the passer. If Tampa wants to have success down the stretch and into the playoffs, the team needs its best players.