When something happens that rarely occurs, is it better to call the event an accident?
Well, the Bucs defense was no accident yesterday. They very much bailed out the Bucs by stonewalling the Lions four times in the fourth quarter without a point, despite Detroit marching into Bucs territory on each of those four drives.
This was a one-sided game. The Bucs had no sacks yet gave up 4.5 sacks — to one man! The Bucs couldn’t run the ball yet they gave up 139 rushing yards.
Well, if you look at NFL history, yeah, the Bucs win yesterday was an accident. Only once since the merger in 1970 has a team been so statistically outplayed yet still won, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
The Buccaneers became the second team since the 1970 merger to win a game despite being outgained by 200-plus total yards (463-216) and having a sack differential of minus five or worse (other: Houston Oilers in Week 8, 1987, at Cincinnati Bengals).
So, was yesterday an accident? OK, yeah. Did the Bucs have some luck winning yesterday (like the Lions botched field goal attempt to end the first half)? Sure.
But as the old cliche goes, better to be lucky than good. And yeah, it appears the Bucs are good, too.
