The Bucs pass rush got back on track Sunday night with four sacks in a 19-17 win over the Patriots. The man responsible for half the production was rookie Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, who recorded the first two sacks of his career.

With Jason Pierre-Paul missing the last two games due to a shoulder injury, Tryon-Shoyinka has been elevated to starting outside linebacker. It’s a testament to the rookie’s preparedness that there’s been no drop-off in play. In fact, Tryon-Shoyinka is tied for the team lead in sacks, along with Shaq Barrett and Will Gholston.

“I feel it was good timing,” Tryon-Shoyinka said about recording his first career sacks. “It was Sunday Night Football. I grew up watching it all my life, so being able to get that tonight was really special.”

Bucs OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – Photo by: USA Today

“He is fun to watch,” head coach Bruce Arians said. “He’s got a ton of talent and he plays really, really hard. Hard and fast. He’s one of those guys, too. He’s just going to get better and better the more he understands the pro game and that speed isn’t always the rush. Power sometimes helps more. He’s got both those things. I think he’s just going to get better and better.”

What’s important to know about Tryon-Shoyinka is that he’s not just a pass rusher. He had quite an impact in the run game as well, helping the Bucs break a franchise record by allowing -1 rushing yards. On New England’s eight rushes, Tryon-Shoyinka was in on a couple stops.

“The biggest thing is staying in his gap,” Arians said. “Not trying to jump underneath a block and make a play. The more he learns about how to play this defense the better he’s going to get. And he’s not bad at all right now. He read the crack-sweep, jumped outside the crack block and blew everybody up. That’s what we expect him to do. He’s just going to get better and better.”

Tampa Bay also benefited from playing against rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who is not very fleet of foot. They capitalized on the quarterback’s inexperience, taking him down four times in their best pass-rushing effort of the season.

“We knew he wasn’t a mobile quarterback,” Tryon-Shoyinka said. “He likes to stay in the pocket with the ball, looking for his second and third options. We knew if we got him off his spot, we’d be fine.”

Injuries were piling up in the secondary as the game went on. Carlton Davis III exited in the second quarter with a quad injury, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. left with a concussion. Richard Sherman and Pierre Desir, signed off the street after the season began, finished the game at cornerback for Tampa Bay.

You can only do so much in coverage when your top players are injured, so the Bucs relied on a great pass rush. That was an emphasis for the Bucs on Sunday, entering Week 4 with the lowest sack total in the league.

“Most definitely,” Tryon-Shoyinka said. “I think we’ve only had about three as a whole defense coming into this week, so that has been a focus point. We have to get him off his spot, got to get him to the ground. I think we had four or five sacks, so it paid off.”