Buccaneers: 3 players who stepped up in week 1 letdown
By Rob Leeds
Sticking on the offensive side of the ball, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs had a massive debut on the Buccaneer offensive line. Wirfs had one of the toughest matchups of the day against stellar pass-rusher Cameron Jordan, and the young tackle lived up to his pre-draft hype.
After terrorizing Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers last season, Jordan was held to no sacks against the Bucs for the first time since 2018. As one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL, Jordan was going to be one of Wirfs’ toughest matchups of the year, and he rose to the challenge.
If Wirfs was able to keep Jordan shut down, the outlook on the right half of the ball has improved dramatically for the Buccaneers and their hopes to protect Tom Brady. One game doesn’t decide a full season, but Wirfs has shown that his ceiling is being one of the best tackles in the NFL.
Tampa Bay was unable to pull off the victory, and the margin of the loss wasn’t pretty, but the Bucs would’ve lost by far more if Cam Jordan had his way with the rookie.
The right half of Tampa Bay’s offensive line is clearly the stronger area, and for the time being, Wirfs is projected to continue anchoring that side in place.