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TAMPA, Fla. -- One win more was all the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed to clinch a playoff berth in 2016. They also had a number of games where the performance of kicker Roberto Aguayo, who was the highest drafted kicker since 2005 when the Bucs traded back into the second round to pick him in 2016, made a world of a difference, for better and for worse. Here's a look at those games and how the performance of Aguayo, who was waived on Saturday, impacted the Bucs' season: Week 3 vs. Los Angeles: Rams rainout, L 37-32 In Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, Aguayo missed an extra point attempt in the first quarter after a Kwon Alexander pick-six, making it 7-6. In the third quarter, he missed a 41-yard field goal attempt that would have extended the Bucs' lead to 23-17. The ball veered wide left. In the fourth quarter, the Bucs had to go for two two-point conversions after two scoring drives and both failed. If they'd been in a position to kick extra points and made them, they would have only been down by three. Instead, they entered the final drive down by five with 1:42 on the clock. The final drive stalled at the Rams' 15-yard line, doable field goal range, but it wouldn't have been enough due to the earlier misses. Instead, they ran out of time. Afterward, coach Dirk Koetter was forced to answer questions about the team's clock management. Week 5 at Carolina: The Monday night thriller that almost wasn't, W 17-14 In Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers, Aguayo nearly cost them the game when he missed two field goals. In the second quarter, a 33-yard attempt bounced off the right upright, which would have extended the Bucs' lead to 6-0. With 3:38 on the clock in the fourth quarter, Aguayo's 46-yard attempt, which would have clinched the game, went wide left. Aguayo atoned for the mistake with a 38-yard game winner with three seconds to go. But had it not been for a successful two-point conversion from Jameis Winston to Adam Humphries in the third quarter, Aguayo wouldn't have been in position to kick the game-winner. Week 8 vs. Oakland: Overtime blues, L 30-24 The Bucs' secondary was annihilated by Derek Carr, but the Bucs could have avoided sending things into overtime. Aguayo missed an extra point at the beginning of the fourth quarter that would have tied the game 17-17. With 3:53 remaining, the Bucs scored on a 1-yard touchdown run from Jacquizz Rodgers to clinch a 22-17 lead. Rather than kicking the extra point, they went for two, with Winston hooking up with Mike Evans to make it 24-17. Just after the two-minute warning, Carr found Mychal Rivera for a 7-yard touchdown, that with the PAT, made it 24-24. Carr's 41-yard touchdown on fourth-and-3 ultimately sealed the deal. It should be noted that had kicking demigod Sebastian Janikowski made his 52-yard field goal with 11:03 remaining or his 50-yard attempt with four seconds to go, this wouldn't even be a discussion. Week 11 at Kansas City: Arrowhead upset, W 19-17 This was Aguayo's finest moment and reminiscent of "old Buc ball" in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the defense stifled opponents and Martin Gramatica, Aguayo's idol, was their offense. The Bucs didn't taste the end zone until the fourth quarter, when Alan Cross hauled in a 3-yard grab with 5:42 to go. Aguayo kept them in the game: He nailed field goals of 31, 22, 41 and 36 yards, and made his extra point. His four field goals without a miss were the most by a Bucs kicker since 2011, and he was awarded NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Week 14 vs. New Orleans: The streak extends to five, W 16-11 In one of the high points of their season, the Bucs defeated the Saints to extend their win streak to five, and they couldn't have done it without Aguayo. He went 3-for-3 on field goals of 41, 39 and 26 yards, and he made his lone PAT. Week 17 vs. Carolina: Bucs get the sweep, but barely, W 17-16 Aguayo made just one of three field goal attempts, making things a lot closer than they should have been, He missed from 46 yards and his 48-yard attempt was blocked. The win overshadowed Aguayo's struggles, but Koetter and general manager Jason Licht informed Aguayo afterward that they'd be bringing in competition for the upcoming season. Making the case for a replacement
The Bucs had a minus-1.0 average points margin per game in 2016. That's the difference between what the Bucs scored (22.1) points compared to what their opponents scored (23.1). Only two other teams that had a winning record had lower numbers -- the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans. The Tennessee Titans were the only other team with a winning record that had negative numbers. Four of the Bucs' seven losses were decided by seven points or fewer. The Bucs finished the 2016 season with 51.9 percent red zone efficiency -- 21st in the league. The Bucs averaged 20.3 points scored on offense, 20th in the league. Aguayo made 22 of 31 field goal attempts. At 71 percent, his was the lowest mark of any kicker in the NFL in 2016. He was 4-of-10 on kicks of 40 to 49 yards (40 percent), second-lowest in the NFL. His lone 50-yard kick was tied for fewest in the league. The Bucs' seven two-point conversion attempts in 2016 were tied for second-most in the NFL behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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