CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Take a look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first four possessions of Sunday's second half. They tell the story of the season.
After taking a 10-9 lead into halftime, the Bucs came out firing blanks in the third quarter. They went three-and-out on four straight possessions.
"I think that's what tilted the game was the third quarter, the slow start," quarterback Josh McCown said. "The third quarter killed us."
Tampa Bay's offense went cold when it mattered most and it cost the Bucs dearly in a 19-17 loss to the Carolina Panthers. That should come as no surprise. It has been happening all season.
The only good thing you can say about Tampa Bay's offense is that we only have to watch it for two more games. After that, the Bucs need to blow it up and start from scratch next year. The offense just hasn't worked and it's time for an overhaul. New offensive coordinator. New scheme. New quarterback.
"We started Day 1 in the offseason talking about being balanced and being able to do both," McCown said of running and passing. "It feels like we've done both effectively at times. But we've got to be able to do it in the same game. We just have not done that."
Early in the year, you could cut the Bucs some slack because they were without offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford. He had heart surgery at the end of the preseason and took a leave of absence that eventually turned into a permanent departure from the team.
Quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo was thrust into a tough spot as the new playcaller. But this season is 14 games old and the offense hasn't shown any signs of improvement. Arroyo might be fine as a quarterbacks coach, but the Bucs need a new coordinator for next year. A new scheme also would help. Arroyo still is using the outline of what Tedford put in, but that's not working. That's largely because the plays aren't being called properly.
The Bucs ran the ball well in the first half against Carolina; Doug Martin ran for 92 of his 96 yards, including a 63-yarder, before halftime. But they went away from the running game in the second half. The passing game didn't come to the rescue: McCown completed less than 50 percent of his passes, going 13-for-28 for 154 yards with one touchdown, one interception, three sacks and two fumbles lost.
Those aren't the type of numbers you would expect from a guy who was brought in to deliver a savvy, veteran presence. But McCown, 35, hasn't been playing like a savvy veteran. He has been turning the ball over way too much, with 11 interceptions in the nine games in which he has played.
No turnover was more costly than the sack/fumble of McCown early in the third quarter. It gave Carolina the ball on Tampa Bay's 4-yard line. Two plays later, the Panthers punched in a touchdown to take the lead for good.
"It was unfortunate," McCown said. "It hurt us bad."
The Bucs (2-12) have put themselves in position to have a very early draft pick. They need to use it on a quarterback, such as Marcus Mariota. This season has shown McCown isn't the long-term answer and the coaching staff already has given up on Mike Glennon.
McCown can stick around as a veteran mentor and backup. But this offense needs a fresh start all the way around, and that includes a new quarterback.
