Defense shines in Buccaneers primetime win over Panthers

Bucs’ defense shines again

The real MVP of the Buccaneers could be found on the defensive side of the football as outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett tallied not one, not two, but three sacks of Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton last night. In just two games as a Buccaneer, Barrett has already tallied four total sacks on the year.

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While struggling early, cornerbacks Vernon Hargreaves and Carlton Davis shined in the second half, shutting down the likes of D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel in the second half. Hargreaves even led the team in tackles; the Buccaneers’ defense, while it did surrender a ton of yards through the air, were able to employ a bend-but-don’t-break approach to last night’s game.

The defensive line of the Buccaneers managed to stuff the run and shut down talented Panthers’ running back Christian McCaffrey, who tallied over 200 total yards last week. Last night, McCaffrey managed just over two yards per carry as he ran for 37 yards and caught only two passes out of the backfield for 16 additional yards.

Defensive lineman Vita Vea and William Gholston both found themselves bringing McCaffrey down behind the line of scrimmage, as well as outside linebacker Devante Bond and rookie corner Sean Murphy-Bunting. Kevin Minter played surprisingly well in relief of rookie linebacker Devin White, who exited the game with a sprained MCL.

The Buccaneers will welcome Eli Manning and the New York Giants into town next week as they look to move their record to 2-1. Getting Bruce Arians his first win as the head coach in Tampa, the Bucs look to move onward and upward from here.