Buccaneers game grades: 2017 Week 2 win over Chicago Bears
LINEBACKERS
What more can be said about this impressive group of Buccaneers linebackers?
Well, it seems they may have added another member who will just make them even better.
Arguably the best linebacker group in the NFC South, led by Kwon Alexander and veteran Lavonte David. Now, another infusion of youth has seen LSU’s Kendall Beckwith join the duo, trying to form a lethal trio of middle defenders.
The first time this group made their mark on this game came when David rushed off the edge on a first down in first quarter and halted the Bears’ ball-carrier for 4-yard loss.
Shortly after David’s standout play, Alexander intercepted a pass from Glennon with Chicago sitting on the Bucs 22-yard line. Again, this play came in the first quarter and halted any real chance the Bears had of being competitive in this game.
David would later recover the aforementioned fumble caused by Noah Spence, while Alexander would later leave with a hamstring injury in the 2nd Quarter.
It looks like that the Bucs are adjusting to the loss of Kwon Alexander by playing Kendell Beckwith at MIKE and Adarius Glanton at SAM.
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) September 17, 2017
With Alexander’s exit, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com reported the Bucs were moving Beckwith to “Mike”, or middle, linebacker. With this move, the team also used Adarius Glanton at their strongside linebacker position, replacing Beckwith.
Any thoughts the exit of Alexander might doom the defense were quickly extinguished as the team continued to dominate the Chicago offense throughout the afternoon.
The Bucs traded into the tail end of the third-round in the 2017 NFL Draft, and many were more than a little confused when they drafted Beckwith instead of a running back like Marlon Mack.
Well, his play this week certainly will help with quieting any lingering questions. Beckwith finished with five tackles on the afternoon, but it’s the plays he was involved with towards the end of the afternoon that really show his value.
The rookie simply found a way to be involved in every important play down the stretch. With a young player who can move from outside to inside at linebacker, and one who finds his way into every important play, this defense truly found value in the trade.
Glanton chipped in two tackles of his own, and the linebacker group gave the Buccaneers the burst they needed early, and maintained intensity as they closed out the Bears in Week 2.