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Buccaneers defense is back. Here’s how Todd Bowles is turning it around.

An inside look at how Tampa Bay pulled off one of the most unlikely upsets in team history.
 
Todd Bowles' Bucs defense ranks sixth in Football Outsiders’ efficiency ratings.
Todd Bowles' Bucs defense ranks sixth in Football Outsiders’ efficiency ratings. [ Times ]
Published Oct. 3, 2019|Updated Oct. 4, 2019

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just allowed a quarterback to pass for more than 500 yards.

It was one of the worst performances we’ve ever seen.

By a 500-yard passer.

You read that correctly. On Sunday, Rams quarterback Jared Goff passed for 517 yards. He became the 20th player since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to cross the 500-yard mark.

But it took him almost 70 passes to get there. Of the quarterbacks in the 500 Club, Goff’s 7.6 yards per pass average is the lowest.

So what’s that mean for the Bucs?

Defense is back in Tampa Bay.

MORE BUCS: Shaquil Barrett is Tampa Bay’s first quarter MVP

A month into the season, the Bucs rank among the top 10 in Football Outsiders’ defensive efficiency ratings. Though their sixth overall ranking is mostly the product of their stout run defense, the pass defense has held its own.

Shaquil Barrett is drawing national attention. Vita Vea is wreaking havoc. William Gholston, very quietly, is having a career season. And so is Carlton Davis.

Finally, the Bucs are building something. The difference? It starts with the players and their availability. Tampa Bay has been relatively healthy, so the lack of depth in its defensive front hasn’t been exposed like it was last season.

But there’s another reason why the Bucs might actually be … gulp! … good:

Imagination.

Come with me

And you’ll be

In a world of pure imagination

Take a look and you’ll see

Into your imagination

The fog of past seasons is clearing. Tulips are blooming. Bunnies are cuddling.

Credit defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. This is his creation.

Under his direction, the Bucs are showing improvement in several critical areas: They’re allowing fewer yards per drive. They’re allowing fewer points per drive. They’re generating pressure at a higher rate. They’re forcing more takeaways per drive. They’re clamping down in the red zone.

We’ll begin with a spin

Traveling in the world of my creation

What we’ll see will defy explanation

The players are buying into Bowles’ attack-style philosophy and seeing results, and those results are generating more buy-in. It’s the complete opposite of the cycle of infinite sadness that we’ve witnessed for far too long.

“It’s a new vibe, new culture, new feeling around here,” cornerback M.J. Stewart said. “And when you see the results, you’re like, ‘Okay, the coaches know what they’re talking about, so let’s make sure we do what they want us to do so we can win.’”

New vibe, culture, feeling — it’s great that the locker room no longer feels like a funeral parlor, but how did all of that positive energy result in the Bucs upsetting the defending NFC champions?

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MORE BUCS: Call Mike Evans and Chris Godwin the “Bruise Brothers”

One of the points of emphasis in Tampa Bay’s game plan against Los Angeles was to shut down receiver and preppy lacrosse player Cooper Kupp. He was the Rams’ guy on third down, and Bucs did not take their eyes off him.

For good reason. Coming into the game, Kupp had seen 13 targets on third down, most in the NFL. He caught 10 of those passes for 155 yards. Nine of those 10 catches resulted in either a first down or touchdown.

The Bucs weren’t able to shut Kupp out — he ultimately caught nine passes for 121 yards and one touchdown — but their third-down game plan was a success. He didn’t catch a third-down pass until 3:39 left in the third quarter, and that catch resulted in only a 3-yard gain, which was not enough for a first down. In all, he caught only two passes on four targets for 32 yards and a late touchdown against soft coverage.

Second quarter, 13:39 left, Bucs lead 7-0: Jared Goff pass incomplete, intended for Cooper Kupp [ NFL Game Pass ]

Tampa Bay intercepted Kupp’s first third-down target. He was open, but a disguised coverage led Goff to drift to his right and into a Barrett hit. The ball fluttered like the waterfowl in Duck Hunt and into safety Jordan Whitehead’s hands. Though the Bucs technically didn’t blitz, it sure looked as if they did. They initially rushed six defenders but then dropped two into pass coverage after the snap. You know, just your run-of-the-mill Bowles press-man coverage.

The coverage Bowles called on a third-and-10 incompletion in the third quarter was hardly typical. Tampa Bay put six defenders on the line of scrimmage, but — with Stewart blitzing from his slot cornerback position — it looked at first as if they were rushing seven defenders. At the last second, two dropped into zone — not man — coverage, with three pass defenders deep and three defenders low. If the pressure from Stewart hadn’t forced an errant throw to Kupp over the middle, the Rams would have been in position to cut the Bucs’ 28-17 lead to 28-24 (or 28-25 if Los Angeles had tried for a two-point conversion).

The defensive back blitz is a staple of Bowles’ scheme, and it influenced the outcome of another third down later in the quarter. On third and 5, Tampa Bay incorporated a presnap wrinkle. When the Rams sent Kupp in motion from the left side of the field to the right, Stewart followed, giving the appearance that the Bucs were in man coverage. They were not.

Third quarter, 3:39 left, Bucs lead 31-20: Cooper Kupp in motion presnap [ NFL Game Pass ]

Again, they put six defenders on the line, dropped two and sent Stewart on the blitz — a five-man rush with zone coverage behind it.

The upside of such play calls is that they can confuse offenses. The downside is they can leave a defense vulnerable to chunk plays. Good tackling is essential, and it was the difference here. As soon as Goff fired a short pass to Kupp, safety Mike Edwards broke toward the receiver and wrapped him up in the open field before he could gain yards after the catch. The next play? Goff threw his third interception.

Have the Bucs fixed their defense? No, not completely. They aren’t forcing very many three-and-outs and punts. There are, however, tangible signs of progress. Bowles’ scheme, at least for now, is masking weaknesses. He’s keeping offenses off balance, ensuring his defensive backs don’t have to cover receivers for too long.

The results are refreshing. Thanks to a little imagination, a defense that was the NFL’s worst in back-to-back seasons is in the midst of a turnaround.

If you want to view paradise

Simply look around and view it

Anything you want to do, do it

Wanna change the world?

There’s nothing to it

Contact Thomas Bassinger at tbassinger@tampabay.com. Follow @tometrics.