4 biggest takeaways for the Buccaneers after statement win

Todd Bowles doesn’t get enough credit

Todd Bowles is easily one of the best acquisitions for the Buccaneers in the history of the franchise. The Bucs have taken on some incredible free agents, such as Tom Brady this year, but Bowles has played a far more prominent role than most.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently have one of the top-rated defensive units in the NFL. This rating comes on the heels of a few horrific seasons on the defensive side of the ball, and the impact of Bowles is evident.

The new Buccaneer scheme has placed numerous players in positions to succeed, and Tampa Bay now has top-5 players at most defensive positions statistically.

Bowles has been able to create a defense that is built on the premise of constant pressure and tight coverage on the outside. The Buccaneer players have taken this idea and ran with it, and the buy-in is very clear.

For a team that has most recently been build on offensive principles, the greatest surprise is that Tampa Bay is now a defensive-oriented team. The Buccaneers are winning games because of their defense, not despite it. Even with the offensive-focused modern NFL, the Buccaneer defense has been almost unstoppable at creating turnovers and putting pressure on the quarterback.

The Bucs are winning this season because of their defense, and the defense is playing at a renewed level because of its defensive coordinator.