It was not a must-win situation for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but the team really could have used a win to keep their playoff aspirations alive rather than falling to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos by the score of 31-23 on Sunday.
Led by their defense, Tampa Bay led 10-7 at halftime, but the unit could not contain Manning and company for much longer as the Broncos offense exploded for 21 points in the third quarter.
Sander Philipse of SB Nation's Buccaneers blog, Bucs Nation, believes the game was lost in the trenches while Tampa Bay's lack of depth and quality was exposed.
Ultimately, the Bucs lost this game because of a lack of depth and quality. Their secondary and offensive line simply weren't good enough to hang with the Denver Broncos.
Now 6-6 on the season, Tampa Bay will head back home to prepare for a visit from the reeling Philadelphia Eagles, who lost on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. The Buccaneers will desperately need to win this game in order to keep their playoffs hopes alive.