Studs, duds from Buccaneers loss to Saints
By Ryan Doyle
DC Mark Duffner
The Buccaneers defense has taken massive strides ever since Mark Duffner took over as defensive coordinator. It was hard to place any blame on Duffner’s defense for the loss. Tampa Bay held New Orleans to 301 yards of total offense.
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The Bucs forced two turnovers as well as they continue to make plays on the ball. Nassib forced a fumble, and linebacker Adarius Taylor forced Drew Brees to throw his fourth interception of the year.
Tampa Bay’s offense didn’t hold up their end of the bargain in the second half. The Bucs defense opened the half by forcing a turnover. The offense stalled and Cairo Santos missed his second field goal of the day.
Then, the defense got another stop. The offense responded with a three-and-out before the punt was blocked to set the Saints up in prime field position.
The wheels fell off for the defense late, as the gassed unit finally folded to Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.
Sunday was another step in the right direction for Tampa Bay’s defense. Duffner cannot get enough credit for turning his unit around.