Winner: Calijah Kancey, DE
In his first game back since leaving Week 1 early with a calf injury, Calijah Kancey looked phenomenal.
Kancey looked good in the short period of time we saw him against the Vikings, and he kept that trend going against Detroit. On more than a few occasions, the rookie made his presence known and was a game changing force either as part of the run defense or in the pass rush.
In the third quarter, before Detroit blew the game open, Kancey appeared to have saved a touchdown thanks to the pressure he got on Jared Goff prior to a throw.
Something positive on defense from that last drive, Calijah Kancey might have saved a TD by disrupting Jared Goff’s throw with pressure. He looks GREAT next to Vita Vea in his first game back. pic.twitter.com/rczFgroYKK
— The Pewter Plank (@ThePewterPlank) October 15, 2023
While he didn’t get a hand on the ball or deliver a hit, Kancey’s pressure prevented Goff from being able to step up and fully deliever the pass to Williams. It was a rushed throw, which resulted in an incompletion that might have ended up going to a touchdown based on how badly Jamel Dean was out of position.
Kancey also made an impact on the Lions run game, slipping blocks and trying to wreck the backfield as much as he could.
Buccaneers rookie Calijah Kancey looking slippery beating the block for the run stop.
— Seven Rounds in Heaven (@7RoundsInHeaven) October 15, 2023
This is just the second game for the first-round pick out of Pittsburgh this season. pic.twitter.com/bICLrR0oC3
There wasn’t a lot to feel great about on defense in the loss, but Kancey was a bright spot. We’ve now been given two doses of what it looks like to have him next to Vea and there’s a ton to be excited about.