The Buccaneers walked away with a 20-17 win over the Cardinals on Sunday, and at first glance, the defense looked like it had finally turned a corner. Two turnovers forced.
Two sacks. A couple of key fourth-down stops.
Only 17 points allowed. That’s the kind of stat line you’d expect from a unit rounding into playoff form.
But the box score doesn’t tell the whole story - not even close.
Despite the win, Tampa Bay’s defense still showed plenty of the same cracks that have plagued it all season. Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, and Arizona’s ground game gashed the Bucs for over five yards per carry. That’s not the kind of performance you want to see from a defense trying to reestablish its identity - especially when you’re up 17-3 late in the third quarter and still find yourself clinging to victory in the final seconds.
“We knew they were going to throw the ball a lot,” head coach Todd Bowles said after the game. “They threw it less against us than the last two weeks, but 40 passes is still a lot.”
He’s not wrong - Brissett had been airing it out at a high clip coming into the matchup. But even with the reduced volume, the Cardinals moved the ball far too easily for comfort.
The Bucs did manage to generate a pair of timely takeaways. The first came late in the first quarter when Brissett, after starting hot with six straight completions, tried to force one over the middle.
Cornerback Jamel Dean got a hand on it, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. came up with the interception at the Tampa Bay 14-yard line. The second came early in the third, when defensive lineman Logan Hall punched the ball loose from Arizona running back Bam Knight.
Safety Tykee Smith was there to pounce on it at the Bucs’ 40.
Outside of those two moments, though, the Cardinals pretty much had their way offensively. And the tackling? That was a recurring issue - again.
“I thought we tackled well in the first half,” Bowles said. “But in the second half, we let some plays out.
Not the deep shots, but the short stuff - the 5-yard passes that turn into something more because we’re not wrapping up. There was one on third and short where three guys missed him behind the line.
That can’t happen.”
Tackling has been a sore spot for weeks now, and Bowles has been vocal about it. The challenge, of course, is that in today’s NFL, you’re not bringing guys to the ground in practice.
You’re working on form and technique with pads, dummies, and donuts - but the real thing? That only happens on Sundays.
Still, if there’s a silver lining, it’s the pressure the Bucs were able to generate. Brissett was the most pressured quarterback in the NFL in Week 13, according to NextGen Stats, facing heat on over 53% of his dropbacks. That’s a strong showing from the pass rush, even if they only got him to the ground twice.
“We got back there quite a bit,” Bowles said. “We missed a few, but we were disruptive.
Haason [Reddick] included - I thought he looked good in his first game back. We just have to finish.
We missed about five sacks we should’ve had.”
Veteran linebacker Lavonte David didn’t mince words after the game. He felt the defense should’ve slammed the door much earlier.
“We’ve got to have it, man,” David said of the final defensive stand. “Somebody’s got to step up and make a play.
Everybody on that sideline was pissed off. We shouldn’t have been in that situation.
Especially me - I hate being in those spots. But that’s when big-time players step up.
SirVocea [Dennis] made a huge play.”
Bowles, for his part, didn’t apologize for the win. But he didn’t sugarcoat the defensive performance, either.
“It’s not going to be pretty,” David said, recalling Bowles’ message to the team. “We just have to do a better job of finishing the game.
We were up big, and we let them back in. That’s on us.
We’ve got to take that personally.”
The Bucs may have escaped with a win, but they know this kind of defensive effort won’t hold up down the stretch - especially with the Saints coming to town next. The talent is there.
The flashes are there. But until Tampa Bay can put together a full four quarters on defense, they’ll keep riding the razor’s edge.