Not Since 1981
September 16th, 2024
Safety Jordan Whitehead.
One historic stat was revived Sunday as the Bucs’ beat down the Lions.
That would be a stat in notorious Lions history.
The Detroit offense landed in the red zone six times without a touchdown. That was a franchise high since 1981. And half of those trips resulted in no points at all: two fourth-down failures and one interception.
The Bucs’ red zone defense was special last season, but not that special.
Tampa Bay allowed touchdowns on just 42.6% of red zone drives in 2023. That was third-best in the NFL. Their defense quashed nine of those drives without giving up any points at all.
And now without linebacker Devin White and cornerback Carlton Davis, two Super Bowl cogs, and minus safety Ryan Neal, the Bucs’ red zone defense looks even better.
What the Bucs accomplished Sunday in the red zone was extreme and can’t last at that rate of defensive execution. The idea, of course, is to prevent teams from getting to the red zone. But if the Bucs can continue being a dominant red zone defense, better than last year’s, that should go a long way toward making them a Super Bowl contender.
Ira Kaufman Talks All Things Victory In Detroit, The Great, The Good And The Nitpicking, And More
September 16th, 2024 at 12:25 pm
I think last year it was Todd’s plan to make the other team waste 6-7 minutes for 3 points every trip down the field
September 16th, 2024 at 12:26 pm
Outstanding defense ….especially with our injuries
September 16th, 2024 at 12:36 pm
VITA is ok!!! Grade 2 MCL sprain. Coach Bowles just said he is day to day and may even play Sunday.
September 16th, 2024 at 12:37 pm
Anyone else a bit concerned about Camarda? That last punt did not look great and could have cost us. I don’t remember his others much, but I know last week it was mentioned he had some not so great ones as well
September 16th, 2024 at 12:44 pm
BUCS OLB STATS 2024
#1 Sacks – JTS
#1 Tackles for a Loss – JTS
#1 Forced Fumbles – JTS
#1 Tackles – JTS
We love to hate on JTS but it’s tough to complain about him and give love to Yaya and the other OLB.
September 16th, 2024 at 12:44 pm
I think Camarda averaged 46 yards a punt and the league stat is 45. Works for me.
September 16th, 2024 at 12:46 pm
The entire defense is better without DW and Zyon played this game better than Davis ever played. That’s not mentioning Dennis who looks like a potential star player!!
September 16th, 2024 at 12:46 pm
coburn
i hear ya!!!
i wouldnt say concerned but we should def keep an eye on it lol
GO BUCS!!!!!
September 16th, 2024 at 12:48 pm
i was at the game yesterday joe! not many buc fans but boy was it glorious to have that crowd shut up. the crowd was loud but the bucs kept them off keel all day and the only time it was the loudest was when they took the lead which made the game winning drive even more better considering the crowd was going wild at that point.
September 16th, 2024 at 12:50 pm
Whitehead such a beast
September 16th, 2024 at 12:51 pm
Joe … ‘The Detroit offense landed in the red zone six times without a touchdown.’
I’m confused Joe. Bucs right now have an outstanding 40% Red Zone TD Percentage after 2 games. Looks like they allowed 3 TDs in 3 Red Zone trips against Washington (100%) and 1 TD in 6 Red Zone trips (16.7%) against Detroit. Didn’t David Montgomery score on that 1 yard rush from the Tampa 1-yard-line with 3:32 left in the 3rd quarter yesterday?
September 16th, 2024 at 12:57 pm
Beej … ‘I think last year it was Todd’s plan to make the other team waste 6-7 minutes for 3 points every trip down the field’.
And it’s working perfectly Beej, because we’ve only allowed our opponents 4 TDs in 10 trips inside the Red Zone. Unfortunately, all 4 TDs were rushing TDs. Extrapolated on the season, that’d be 34 rushing TDs in 17 games. Gulp.
September 16th, 2024 at 1:07 pm
Calling that Win a Beat Down is as much of a Stretch as calling Mayfield a Franchise QB. With the little over 200 yards of Coen’s High Octane offense the Bucs were fortunate. 44-19. Now that’s a Beat Down.
Lions are already making plans should the Bucs secure a Wild card spot.
They have signed an 8 year veteran of the Washington County Arkansas Sheriff’s Dept to their practice squad. He has a certain knack for taking Mayfield down when he attempts to run.
September 16th, 2024 at 1:09 pm
Great team effort. Most all the” Next Man Up” players showed us why they made the team! Great start to what can end up being a great season! Next!!!!!
September 16th, 2024 at 1:10 pm
Our defense is definitely faster than last years and the pursuit was awesome. The Lions did the Bucs a favor yesterday by throwing it 50 times and not running the ball much. The Lions have a couple of really good backs and you can bet your last dollar if we see the Lions in the playoffs they are going to try and run a lot more.
September 16th, 2024 at 1:24 pm
“Zyon played this game better than Davis ever played”
Davis had flaws, but in the games he was on point, the WR he blanketed was effectively shut down. This happened more often than not.
September 16th, 2024 at 1:39 pm
At first, it looked like the defense didn’t show up…but they quickly got on the right path.
September 16th, 2024 at 1:40 pm
Rarely does a player return to its previous/initial team and have it work out. So far…so very good for Whitehead ( who likely didn’t enjoy his time with the beleaguered Jets organization ). Obviously this is an older pic as he’s now wearing the single “3”. 🙂
September 16th, 2024 at 1:46 pm
Fan of the South Says
“Calling that Win a Beat Down is as much of a Stretch as calling Mayfield a Franchise QB. With the little over 200 yards of Coen’s High Octane offense the Bucs were fortunate. 44-19. Now that’s a Beat Down.
Lions are already making plans should the Bucs secure a Wild card spot.”
I agree it wasn’t a beat down…it was a very tough game. Both teams played extremely well.
As for Mayfield…he is playing lights-out. Better than the QBs he has faced in either game.
And…he is the starting QB of this franchise…which makes him a ‘Franchise Quarterback’.
I was skeptical all last year and going into this season. I was even a little skeptical last week. But this week he played very well against a great team…aand he didn’t get rattled after being sacked so many times.
September 16th, 2024 at 1:57 pm
The Bucs got rid of ineffective defensive starters from last season.
Shaq Barrett
Carlton Davis
Ryan Neal
Devin White
September 16th, 2024 at 2:05 pm
Sirvocea Dennis has been unbelievable along with Zyon and Izzey. Just WOW.
September 16th, 2024 at 2:11 pm
Beat the Stainks and Super Bowl is possible.
September 16th, 2024 at 2:16 pm
He deserves a newer pic joe smh
September 16th, 2024 at 3:17 pm
RT Skule got schooled. Next “man” up? He was a Skule boy.
September 16th, 2024 at 3:19 pm
‘Addition by subtraction’!
You just gotta love it Joe.
Or, out with the old, in with the new!
Go Bucs go.
September 16th, 2024 at 3:45 pm
Fan of the South – once again you’ve got no clue what you’re talking about. We ran half as many plays as Detroit. Jac Goff flung it 55 times. Mayfield threw it 19 times. We’re going to get better offensively than we showed yesterday. We got more points with that disparity in number of plays. If our offense would have snapped the ball that many times we would’ve scored 40 points.
September 16th, 2024 at 3:49 pm
If we score more points and have half as many chances some folks would call that a BEATDOWN.
September 16th, 2024 at 3:58 pm
Seriously Fan of the South – I haven’t seen or heard anything from you since joining this sight that makes me think you can clearly delineate your keester from a proverbial hole in the ground.
September 16th, 2024 at 4:35 pm
@Cobourn – I was concerned by that poor punt as well, but I gotta think it may have had to do with how far back in our end zone he was kicking from. Perhaps didn’t have the space to put his normal leg into it?
At the same time- if you can’t use your booming leg when we need it most, what’s the point?
September 16th, 2024 at 4:36 pm
Not a beatdown, but it was a solid, hard fought win.
There’s no style points in the NFL. You are what your record says you are.
September 16th, 2024 at 5:09 pm
This win was no Beat Down. It was a classic Cardiac Bucs win over an excellent playoff-caliber opponent. I can only imagine what it felt like leaving Ford Field after the game as a Lions fan. I’ve done it at Tampa Stadium as a Bucs fan. The winning team wasn’t playoff-caliber either.
September 16th, 2024 at 6:25 pm
It’s interesting that if you get Rachaad White out in space with the ball and he’s productive. But through the line he’s not. What’s the missing component? The line.
The line is not opening holes. We still have an interior line problem as well as a play calling, scheme problem. They’ll get better as the season goes along.
September 16th, 2024 at 8:23 pm
I had a 1997-2002 feeling yesterday when we were on D. I can’t explain it other than i was more curious than worried when we were on D. They just play confidently. I don’t want to give up a score but I’m more interested in seeing how we’re going to stop the opposing O than worried we’re gonna give up a score. This D has the ability to be special. This secondary may rival the 1999 and 2002 secondaries. McCollum really could be special. Winfield is already there. Whitehead is a stud. Dean is excellent. Izien and Smith are excellent spare parts.
September 16th, 2024 at 9:33 pm
The bucks came in with their backs against the wall and that’s how they played the entire game they were completely fearless competitors!
September 18th, 2024 at 7:52 am
We better get some depth on the o-line because if we have to depend on Skule ever again I’ll probably have a stroke before halftime. That dude was pitiful