The Buccaneers walked out of Sunday’s 16-0 shutout of the Falcons with a clean sheet on the scoreboard and a messy situation on defense.
Yaya Diaby, who had just exploded for three sacks against the Panthers, left in the first quarter and never came back. On Monday, Todd Bowles said Diaby is dealing with an MCL sprain, and the team still doesn’t know how long he’ll be sidelined. Bowles added that Tampa Bay is "hopeful" Diaby won’t need to go on injured reserve.
That’s the bad news. The encouraging part for the Bucs is that the pass-rush room hasn’t been built around one player alone.
David Walker has stepped forward with four sacks, which is one more than Diaby has this season. The rookie has also found his rhythm as the year has gone on, piling up seven total pressures, six hurries and a sack over the last three games after managing just two pressures and two hurries in his first three.
Bowles has reason to trust that group, but Tampa Bay still needs more from it. The Bucs are tied for 20th in the league with 16 sacks, a number that leaves some room for improvement even with the defense doing plenty of heavy lifting elsewhere.
Walker leads the team with 17 pressures. Calijah Kancey is next with 15, followed by Diaby at 14 and Vita Vea at 13.
Even with a 1-5 start, Tampa Bay’s defense has kept the team afloat. The unit ranks sixth in the league in points allowed and sixth in opponents’ points per game, with the article also noting it sits eighth in the league in points allowed.
In Other News...
Bucs Defense Just Turned A Lost Season Into A Real NFC South Race
After an 0-4 start, the Buccaneers have dragged themselves back into the NFC South conversation by leaning on a defense that has suddenly started to look like a strength instead of a liability. The turnaround has shown up in turnovers and a much sturdier run defense, and it was on display again in a recent shutout of Atlanta that tightened the race at the top of the division.
Tampa Bay now sits close enough to first place that the path is easy to see, even if it is still narrow. The Bucs believe winning the rest of their division games could be enough to carry them into the playoffs, which gives every NFC South matchup a little more weight from here on out. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Secondary Is Forcing A Much Bigger Conversation
The Buccaneers defense has spent enough time near the top of the league this season to make the secondary a real talking point, not just a supporting cast. Tampa Bay currently ranks first in expected points added per play allowed, and a big part of that surge has been the play of cornerback Jacob Parrish, whose coverage and run support have stood out as the unit has tightened up behind an improving pass rush.
Parrishs value has been easy to see on tape, especially in how he handles receivers at the line and stays disciplined once the play develops. Todd Bowles has singled out those traits while the rest of the defense keeps rounding into form, with contributions coming from several rushers, including Rueben Bain Jr. and Yaya Diaby. The bigger question now is how high this group can climb if the back end keeps playing at this level and the pressure up front keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Just Gave Fans A Reason To Reopen One Big Debate
The Buccaneers 16-0 shutout of Atlanta gave Tampa Bay something it has not had much of lately: a clean, convincing win built almost entirely on the ground and on defense. Adam Slivons latest Top 10 Takeaways video points to a franchise-record rushing night, with Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell both turning in career-best performances while the passing game was barely asked to do anything at all.
Alex Anzalone, Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish helped make sure the Falcons never found a rhythm, and the result nudged Tampa Bay back to 3-5 with a little momentum heading into Chicago. It also reopened the familiar debate around what this offense should look like when the run game is working this well, especially if the Bucs can keep pairing it with a defense that can take the ball away. [Read more 🡒]