Week 12 Grades for the Buccaneers Win over the Seahawks

DEFENSIVE BACKS: A+

Just three weeks ago there were folks on social media calling for Mike Smith’s job as the Buccaneers defensive coordinator.

Those lines seem kind of quiet these days though as the defense has become a strength in the last three weeks, and the secondary has become a key piece to it’s success.

In back-to-back games this unit had to contain the usual lot of wide receivers looking to make plays against them, but also had to deal with Travis Kelce and Jimmy Graham who present a whole new level of challenges for a defense.

In both outings, the unit rose to the challenge and while the tight ends got some good stat lines on them, neither was able to make a real impact on the momentum or feel of the game.

Graham led all Seahawks players with 67-yards on his six catches, but also lost a crucial fumble with his team driving late and looking to shrink the Buccaneers’ two score lead.

Chris Conte’s revival continued as he tied for top on the team with his seven tackles in Week 12, and of course there was Bradley McDougald who not only issued out a handful of impactful hits on Seahawks players, but also brought in the game sealing interception with less than two minutes left in the contest.

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The big moment of the game came in the second quarter on Russell Wilson’s first interception which was picked off by cornerback Alterraun Verner.

For those who don’t know, Verner’s father passed away Friday just one day after visiting his son for Thanksgiving. Deciding to play in his father’s memory instead of sitting out the game to grieve could not have been an easy decision, and you could see the emotion spill out of him as he fell to the ground after the play.

Swarmed by his teammates Verner made no secret of the weight tied to the moment, and I’m not afraid to tell you it got me right in the feels. The veteran defender has been relegated to mostly special teams duty this season after a rough 2015 saw him fall out of favor with the Bucs, so to see him have his moment was a surreal instance where football can transcend the game itself and shows the human side of what these players go through as a team and family.