Say what you want, but this Tampa Bay Buccaneers team is different

Say what you want, but this Tampa Bay Buccaneers team is different

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a time rallying from behind against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, but ultimately came away with the win and improved to 3-1 on the season.

The Buccaneers trailed by as many as 17 points at one point and came roaring back in the third quarter to take a 28-24 lead before squandering it away and falling behind 31-28 heading into the fourth quarter.

But that’s when they turned it up a notch.

The Buccaneers defense held the Chargers scoreless and the Tampa Bay offense put up 10 points, resulting in a 38-31 victory.

The old Buccaneers wouldn’t have won that game vs. Chargers

There are plenty of concerns and things to address moving forward. The Buccaneers have to find more consistency on offense. The defense has to limit the big plays, which it simply couldn’t do against the Chargers. The special teams have to be better. Injuries are starting to pile up.

Yes, all of those things and more can be addressed, but let’s just take a moment to realize something: The old Buccaneers team wouldn’t have won that game Sunday afternoon.

The first half was a tale as old as time: It was the Buccaneers beating the Buccaneers. But the second half yielded a result that even the most optimistic fan might not have seen coming: A victory.

Yes, the Bucs looked atrocious at times. Nothing went right for them in the first half, but they stayed focus and Ndamukong Suh made a play right before the half by forcing that fumble that gave the team confidence heading into the third quarter.

And the result was different.

Say what you want to about this team moving forward, but the Bucs of old wouldn’t have won that game and that’s something that Tampa Bay fans absolutely need to recognize.