Three biggest takeaways for the Buccaneers after two weeks
By Rob Leeds
The Buccaneer defense is elite
It may be surprising, but the Buccaneer offense isn’t their best group. The defense did give up a few touchdowns, but Christian McCaffrey is one of the best offensive players in the NFL, and he had to work extremely hard to earn both touchdowns.
The defense had four takeaways in the matchup, a stark difference from some of the past years’ defenses. Jordan Whitehead and Carlton Davis both had stellar games, with Davis emerging clearly as one of the best corners in the NFL.
If the offense continues to show the same shortcomings, the Bucs will rely on their defense to keep them in games, and four turnovers is a great place to start.
The defensive line looks just as good as last season, but the secondary is where the most substantial change has occurred. Teddy Bridgewater had 367 passing yards, but many of these came during garbage time, and the secondary continues to trend up.
Starting pass-rusher Shaquil Barrett hasn’t shown up on the stat sheet yet, but the defense looks completely different from last year, and this change is an extremely welcome sight.