All week long, the talk heading into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Week 2 matchup against the Detroit Lions was how in the world will the defense hold up against one of the league's most unique and explosive offenses.
And for good reason. The Bucs defense, especially the secondary, was really banged up after just the first week of the season. At one point, rookie undrafted free agent cornerback Tyrek Funderburk was slated to start the game, but third-year cornerback Zyon McCollum ended up playing.
And boy did McCollum, along with plenty of other Bucs defensive backs, have one helluva game against the Lions.
"It took a Herculean effort from a lot of guys when a lot of guys went down, and we're pleased with the win," Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said after the game. "... It was tough. It was gritty. It took a lot of guys. It took a lot of effort. They played on the same page. They understood the assignment [and] they carried it out. They made some great underneath tackles to save us some touchdowns and have them kick field goals."
The secondary was rowdy throughout all four quarters and made several plays that were major factors in game's final the final outcome. I mean, where to start? The following list is just a glimpse of what Todd Bowles' crew was able to pull off despite missing its best player in Antoine Winfield Jr. and other players:
- McCollum's interception of Jared Goff on the Lions' first offensive play. Sure, Christian Izien should've been flagged for illegal contact, but that didn't happen. Credit McCollum with finishing the play and taking advantage of the situation.
- Jordan Whitehead made several good plays, especially behind the line of scrimmage, and almost came up with an interception of his own at one point in the first half.
- Yes, Jamel Dean got beat a few times, but he had a huge pass breakup that prevented a third down conversion and that eventually helped the defense force a Lions punt.
- Man, Christian Izien had a game. It's easy to see why the Bucs coaching staff loves this kid so much. He had a huge hit to force an incompletion on a 3rd and 6 and his fourth quarter interception is what really put the Bucs on a winning path.
- Rookie Tykee Smith's robust coverage on a few plays contributed to incompletions and he had a huge tackle for loss that helped set up a 3rd and 7 later in the game.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff had a bad day. He finished 34-of-55 for 307-yards and two interceptions. Another big talking point coming in was Goff's success against Todd Bowles-led defenses since 2019 and it's safe to say the Bucs shut that one down, this time around.
Bucs' front seven had a strong game, too, and it was a key factor in the win
The Bucs lost defensive lineman Vita Vea in the third quarter and the d-line was already without former first-rounder Calijah Kancey entering the game, but that didn't stop the front seven from having a strong game. Especially the linebackers on the second level.
Goff wasn't sacked, but there was enough pressure on a consistent basis to where he made plenty of errant throws, including the second half interception to Izien. The Bucs recorded 10 quarterback hits and four tackles for loss on the day. Sacks are great, but creating a consistently chaotic environment that the offense has to routinely overcome can be just as effective and that's what the Bucs did on Sunday.
"[There was] no Calijah and no Antoine, Vita goes down halfway through, but a ton of guys stepped up," Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said after the game. "I mean, it's the collective effort they had flying around, playing passionate football, and physical. That's not an easy group to go up against - they have a lot of weapons [and] they scheme it up really well.
"I can't say enough about our defense, especially in the fourth quarter. Bend don't break mentality, you know, they [the Lions] had to get a touchdown and our guys understood that and executed. That's what matters."
The Bucs defense got the job done when it mattered most, too. The Lions went 1-for-7 in the red zone and were 7-of-17 on third down. This comes a week after Detroit went 2-of-4 in the red area and were 6-of-13 on third downs, as well as a season after it finished third in red zone efficiency (64.1%) and converted 41.5% of its third down attempts (t-10th).
"We were pretty good in the red zone [and] we won the turnover battle. They made a lot of plays. It was a fight 'til the end, and we made the plays to win the game," said Bowles.
This is Bowles' best coaching job as head coach of the Bucs
Bowles put on a masterclass in Super Bowl LV when he was the Bucs defensive coordinator, but this is easily his best job as head coach when considering the opponent and context surrounding the defense coming into the game. He had his guys ready to go from the start and the end result is a 2-0 start with a key win over an NFC opponent that certainly keeps the Bucs on the path toward their fourth-straight NFC South title and fifth-straight postseason appearance.
