Winner: Carlton Davis
Davis has been heavily criticized in recent weeks for failing to live up to his role as one of the defensive leaders for the Buccaneers. He's supposed to be one of the best players on that side of the ball, but he's played like anything but at times over the most recent stretch of games.
He was still a bit spotty on Sunday, once again finding himself on the wrong side of some big plays but he was front and center on the right side of one early on.
After the Falcons tied the game up 3-3 in the first quarter it looked like we were going to be headed toward another sluggish offensive performance that failed to carry the Bucs to victory. That's when Davis stepped in front of a screen pass to Bijan Robinson and took it to the house.
Carlton Davis III : 4 tackles, season-high 3 passes defensed & an INT pic.twitter.com/xQvym1kSNj
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) December 11, 2023
Davis was ruled down by contact after the play was reviewed, as he bumped Robinson on his way to the ground while securing the interception, but the momentum had already swung back in the Bucs favor. Rachaad White scored the touchdown but Davis gets partial credit for setting the offense up in the redzone and in prime position to take the lead back.
That spark ended up being crucial. Atlanta scored on the next drive and it's easy to see a parallel universe where the game spirals out of control on the Bucs if the Davis pick doesn't breathe new life into the team.