Here's how historic Anthony Nelson's game was for the Buccaneers in Week 8

With Haason Reddick sidelined due to injury, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers desperately needed someone to step up in his absence at the edge position. 

Enter: Anthony Nelson

Nelson has been a key depth piece in Tampa Bay since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He has been a steady, reliable backup over the years, including a career-high 5.5 sacks in 2022 and a season-saving forced fumble to beat the Carolina Panthers in overtime in 2023.

But his impact was never more pronounced than it was in a Week 8 victory over the New Orleans Saints. With the offense sputtering against a tough Saints defense, the Bucs defense needed to rise to the occasion in order to get a crucial win, and Nelson answered the call. 

Nelson scored the first touchdown of the game with a pick-six in the second quarter. He finished the game with two sacks and a forced fumble along with his pick-six. 

So just how special was Nelson’s performance in Week 8?  He was the first player to record two sacks, a forced fumble & a pick six in a single game since 2007. He was also named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. 

With the trade deadline on the horizon, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding Tampa Bay's potential pursuit of an edge rusher. But perhaps Nelson proved to the front office that rather than investing draft capital on an outside option, the secret ingredient to further improve the Buccaneers’ pass rush was already in-house. 

If Nelson can continue to stack up performances like this and be consistently effective, it would provide a major boost for Todd Bowles’ defense entering the second half of the season.