For the Bucs, Sunday marked a return to the basics coming into the afternoon having lost four straight games. Needing a win to keep the season alive, Tampa Bay did just that, with the defense shutting down the Titans’ offense and their own offense doing just enough to put some points on the scoreboard in a 20-6 bounce-back win.

It was not the most convincing victory, but it was a step in the right direction. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles spoke about what the win meant after the game and what was the key to leaving Raymond James Stadium with a much-needed “W.”

The Bucs Have All The Answers In Front Of Them

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Todd Bowles said it to the players in the locker room after the game, and he reiterated his message to the team when speaking to the media. They have all the answers to the test. But to pass it with flying colors, it is up to them to get right and not let simple mistakes impede their brand of football.

“The answers to the test are in the room with us together,” Bowles said. “We have all our answers, we just got to play mistake-free football. We understand how we [have] to play, we know how we [have] to play. Today, everybody made plays.”

After last week’s 39-37 loss at Houston, Bowles had the entire defense watch the game film together rather than in separate meeting rooms by position. He called out every player who made a mistake and held them accountable to get it corrected.

“We watched the gametape together and we understood who could do what and who could go where,” Bowles said. “We start letting guys do what they do best, and then we just put all together, and let them play and put it in their hands.”

Bucs inside linebacker Devin White was turned loose to attack the line of scrimmage and wound up with his second sack in as many games on Sunday. White said Bowles lit a fire under the defense during the film session.

“Yeah, we watched it as a whole,” White said. “Obviously, being called out in front of everybody – that sets a fire under you. That’s what he (Bowles) did. Man, he just kept it real with us like, ‘We can be as good as y’all want to be because I’m putting y’all in great positions, but we’re just messing up little things.’ We’re just trying to get back to the fundamentals. I know that’s hard to say, like we’re an NFL team it’s Week [10] and we are talking about fundamentals. We should have that down pat. But at the end of the day, you’ve [got to] do what you’ve [got to] do to win ballgames. We got back to the fundamentals.

Bucs OLB YaYa Diaby and Titans RB Derrick Henry – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“We knew that was a great team coming in, with a great running back and we knew the emphasis was to shut him down. I think the big boys held up [well] up front and they [were] able to get that done. I don’t know how many rushing yards he [Derrick Henry] had (24), but I know it wasn’t enough to win a game. So, just kudos to them for doing what they had to do. They were challenged and they stepped up to it.”

After taking some “Ls”, the Bucs did their best Big Sean impression and “bounced back.” For the defense especially, it was truly an instance of playing as close to mistake-free as possible. They did not let Will Levis get nearly as comfortable as C.J. Stroud, and instead of giving up big plays, the Bucs made key stops and largely held their opponent’s star power in check.

After two encouraging NFL starts, Levis was held to under a 50% completion percentage as he completed 19-of-39 passes for 199 yards and an interception. The secondary contained Levis and held his star receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, to just three catches for 27 yards. Running back Derrick Henry was limited to just 11 carries for 24 yards.

“We just had a clunker last week,” Bowles added. “They came back focused in practice, determined to win a ballgame, we cut out a lot of mistakes. The penalties were light early, I know we got a couple late that I didn’t like but for the most part, the guys played a clean ballgame. I thought our offense did a good job on third down, the defense did a good job getting to the quarterback, at least trying to harass him, and [Derrick] Henry did not go off on us.”

Bucs Go Back To Basics And Trusting The Process

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: USA Today

A lot of the Bucs’ success can be credited to its defense as they got back to being aggressive. Will Levis was under duress plenty and he ended up being hit 13 times, four of which for sacks. Derrick Henry often met his demise behind the line of scrimmage, with Lavonte David, Calijah Kancey, YaYa Diaby, and others all getting in on it. It was a complete effort by the unit, and they looked a lot like they did earlier in the season.

“We were probably more aggressive today like we were all year like we used to be, just getting back to the basics and doing the things that we do well and playing fast football,” Bowles said.

On the offensive side of the football, the unit did enough to capitalize on their chances and overcame some early struggles to get into more of a rhythm. The biggest turning point was running back Rachaad White’s 43-yard receiving touchdown off a screen pass that quarterback Baker Mayfield just got off in time. It was an unexpected big play, and after the game, Mayfield mentioned trusting the process that a breakthrough would happen.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and OC Dave Canales – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Just trust the process,” Mayfield said in his press conference. “Trust the system that things are going to come. Like I said, there are some things – like the interception [in the first quarter] was on me. So, if I just check it down, we’re going to get points, we’re going to get a field goal. Just trust the system. Trust the ball is going to go where it needs to and keep fighting and good things will happen. Especially when your defense is playing like that.”

A lot of trust in the Bucs has been lost in recent weeks. Losses are never taken lightly, but the way the team suffered close defeats to the Falcons and Texans demoralized a fanbase that was excited about the team’s 3-1 start.

Despite the external thoughts of onlookers, internally the team has not lost its way and got a big confidence boost as they now head on the road to face the 49ers and Colts.

“It was big because we lost four in a row, a lot of people can lose faith,” Bowles added. “These guys never flinched in the locker room, the effort was there. They understood the mistakes they made and they tried to correct them today, so that was big for us.”

The Bucs hope that Sunday’s win propels them to regain the early foothold they had in the NFC South. They have gained some ground and it is still very much for the taking.

“It is kind of like last year,” wide receiver Mike Evans said. “We were [in] first place for a while, floating around .500 and then we ended up winning [the division] at the end. It’s a similar situation this year, but we have more time. Hopefully, we can go on a win streak and separate ourselves.”