Buccaneers stat shot: Analyzing 2017’s Week 2 against Chicago

The Buccaneers open up the season with a sound thumping of the Bears. A win is a win, but there are always areas to improve in.

Well the first victory Monday of the season has come and gone. The Bucs dismantled the Chicago Bears in what was a home opener that was as exciting a game as the Bucs have had in years. Of course the scoreline was not indicative of how exciting the game was. For the average NFL fan it was a boring game, for Bucs fans who waited an extra week to see the team play, it was a confirmation of what we saw on hard knocks. This Bucs team wants to compete and at a high level. In order to accomplish that mission the Bucs have to take care of bad teams at home especially.

The Offense:

The gameplan was clear early, let Jameis sling the ball around the yard early and strike fast. Credit Koetter because the gameplan was executed beautifully in the first half and second half. The offense looked to be firing on all cylinders and the touchdown to Mike on the right side of the end zone was what we are accustomed to seeing from him. The offensive line held up pretty well and the running game did what it needed to do when it was called upon.

The Good: 117

Without Doug Martin in the backfield, the concern was that the Bucs would be forced to throw it a lot more than desired. Quiz didn’t have the best preseason and Sims has already proven he is not a between the tackles runner. That being said, the running backs rushed for 117 yards and whats more, when they were needed to chew clock they got the job done. In the third quarter the Bucs drove down the field using 9 minutes of clock. Barber and Jacquizz accounted for 42 yards on that drive alone to help put the game away.  While Martin is gone, it looks like the rushing attack is in good hands.

The Bad: 18-30

Of course It’s hard to find something to criticize after a win like yesterdays where the Bucs dominated in all phases of the game. Dirk himself did admit after the game he could be “a lot more pleased than this”.  The number represents Jameis completions-throws on the day. A few balls were just missed, the one to Mike in the back of the end zone comes to mind. He missed a few touchdowns deep down the field to Desean (Chalk that up to still learning). A few errant throws doesn’t discredit him from a solid day passing though.

Bonus: Let’s not miss extra points, ok Nick? Sweet!

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The Defense:

As Dirk himself said, these guys stole the show. They came out fired up and ready to win the game on their own(If the offensive touchdowns were taken away its still a tie game). Last year, Jordan Howard ran all over the Bucs defense amassing 100 yards on 15 carries. This year the added threat of Cohen was brought into the mix, but the two running backs still only garnered 20 yards on the ground. The defense also came up with four turnovers on the day as well. All in all solid outing from the defense.

The Good: 8-1

Lavonte David finished his day with 9 combined tackles, including one tackle for a loss and fumble recovery. Last year David didn’t have his best statistical year. Some even went so far as to call him lazy. This year, Lavonte started off with a strong performance which hopefully leads to a strong season. I’ve never seen Lavonte take a play “off”, but for those that think that he does, let’s see what he does the rest of the season. He was present on Sunday.

The Bad: 1

While the Bucs defensive line played the run well, they did struggle rushing the passer. Noah Spence had the sole sack on Sunday and for the most part Glennon was left standing up. The pass rush needs to be better especially against an O-line that was missing Kyle Long. The Bears aren’t the best O-Line in the league even at full strength, the Bucs needed to take advantage of that. The Bucs defense had 38 last year, 40+ is more than welcomed this season.

Next: Yarcho's Week 2 Pick Six!

Here’s my look at the stats which helped the Buccaneers defeat the Bears in their first home action of 2017. What did you see, and what do you hope to see more of moving forward?

Let me know in the comments, or find me on social media to discuss!