Buccaneers Game Day Spotlight: Defensive Line

Going to Kansas City to play in the NFL is never an easy task. In order to give themselves a shot, the Buccaneers have to see the best game from their defensive line that they’ve had all year.

I know, I know. I’m breaking my own rule. Our game day spotlights have been a player each week that needs to step up or have an elite level game to give the Buccaneers their best chance to win. However, in a game such as this, I’m calling upon the front four to be that spark.

The Kansas City Chiefs are quietly 7-2 on the year and in first place in the extremely competitive AFC West. They lead the NFL in turnover differential thanks to an opportunistic defense and a fundamentally sound offense that protects the football and doesn’t make mistakes. To have a chance at arguably the biggest win of the season, the Buccaneers have to change that.

But how?

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Quite simply, they have to do to Alex Smith what they did to Jay Cutler. Get pressure on him early and often, forcing him into those mistakes he rarely makes, as I spoke about earlier this week. The pressure we saw – whether it was from blitzes or the front four – was able to create opportunities for Brent Grimes and Chris Conte to intercept passes and create momentum shifts for the Bucs. The return of Clinton McDonald to the interior showed a massive boost to the line as a whole. Robert Ayers has gotten his feet back under him since returning from injury, Noah Spence gets better and better each week, and Gerald McCoy – despite the constant critics – continues to be the best player on the defense and disrupts the flow of the offensive line.

The Buccaneers will see a heavy dose of running back Spencer Ware today, so McCoy needs to be that disruptive run stopper we’ve seen him be so many times. One thing about Andy Reid teams is that they funnel the offense through the run game to minimize mistakes in the passing game. With Jeremy Maclin out, the run game will be even more prevalent.

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It’s hard to categorize this game as a “must win”, but it’s a must win. To keep any postseason hopes alive, the Buccaneers have to find a way to string wins together against tough opponents as they will face Seattle after taking on the Chiefs. Dropping to 4-6 could put a nail in the coffin for the 2016 season, but the defensive line can will the Buccaneers to victory if they play the way we saw last week, and the way many of us expected heading into the season.