The Bucs continued their winning start to the 2023 season on Sunday afternoon, first dominating the Bears and then holding on late on their way to a 27-17 home win. The Tampa Bay fans at Raymond James Stadium went home happy, and now they’ll see their team in a primetime matchup in Week 3 as Monday Night Football will feature the 2-0 Bucs against the 2-0 Philadelphia Eagles.

But before we get too far away from Sunday’s victory, it’s time to dive into the “Best Bucs Bites” from Week 2. Here were some of the best sound bites from what was a winning locker room on Sunday afternoon.

NCB Christian Izien

Bucs CB Christian Izien Photo by: USA Today

For the second straight week, Christian Izien came through with an interception for the Tampa Bay defense. This one came as a game-sealer after Shaq Barrett’s pick-six iced the game on the previous drive.

On his interception in the closing moments of the Bucs’ victory:

“I credit Antoine Winfield. He made a great break on that ball. We just watch film together so much as a defense. It’s good to watch film as a unit because if you all can see the same thing, you all can break on the ball at the same time. I credit it to just breaking on the ball, running to the ball. Good things happen to those who run to it.”

On Shaq Barrett’s pick-six to put the Bears away:

“I was a little confused at first. I saw his hand go up and was like, ‘Did he catch a pick?’ My immediate thought was just to push him into the end zone so we get more points. It’s great. Like I said, collectively watching film, just being together and going through the week together helps us all play fast and smarter.”

LT Tristan Wirfs

In his second game as Tampa Bay’s left tackle, Wirfs was part of an offensive effort that included 437 total yards, 120 rushing yards, 3.5 yards per carry and 6.4 yards per play.

On the Bucs offense being able to sustain drives on Sunday:

“It was nice to keep their defense out on the field and tire them out. We knew what kind of heat, what it was gonna feel like today. We practice in this every day, all camp. So we were gonna to be ready for it.”

On the Bucs playing complementary football so far this season:

“Them getting those big turnovers and kind of taking away possessions from the Bears was huge. You know, Shaq getting that one-handed pick six, getting pushed into the end zone there at the end was incredible. But it’s always complementary football is what we’re trying to play, all three phases working together. I think that’s what it was today.”

On Bucs QB Baker Mayfield’s ability to escape sacks and extend plays:

“100%, it’s crazy. Sometimes you hear the crowd kind of going crazy, you’re locked up and you’re like ‘What’s happening?’ And you see somebody hanging on his ankle like a little dog or something. He’s looking around for where to throw the ball. I think it’s really cool how crafty he is, how shifty he is, keeping plays alive. He’s a baller. That’s what he wants to do and we love it. We appreciate it. He’s helping us out and we’re doing our best to keep him clean. And he’s fighting for us.”

OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka

Bucs OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tryon-Shoyinka had a big day on Sunday, coming through with his first career multi-sack game. He was part of a Bucs defense that completely neutralized Justin Fields and the Bears offense for the majority of the game.

On the play of Tampa Bay’s defense against Chicago:

“Overall, it was in attack mode all day. First drive, we didn’t like what we had. He came out, six plays, touchdown. So after that, we turned up the heat, hit him like 10 times, two picks. The run game, we let a couple of explosives out, but we’ll clean that up. To our standard, I’d say we played where we want to be. But we want to keep them to like 10 points a game.”

On the challenge of facing another mobile quarterback in Jalen Hurts next week:

“Stay in attack mode. Never can be on your heels with this league. There’s dudes on every team that make explosive plays. The Eagles are one of them, offense has multiple stars that we’ve got to understand we’ve got to keep them under control. But it’s going to be a good challenge for us. I can’t wait to go out again. On Monday night, too.”

On the Bucs offense keeping possession of the ball and giving the defense a breather:

“When the offense is doing things like that, the defense is gonna just wanna play even better. So just, we play in sync as a team. I think that’s the team we’re gonna have to be to move forward – understand that defense is gonna lean on the offense, offense is gonna lean on the defense.”

WR Mike Evans

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Evans was the star of the Bucs’ offense on Sunday, with catches of 70, 36 and 32 yards as part of his six-catch, 171-yard, one-touchdown day. Through two weeks of the season, he has 12 catches for 237 yards and two touchdowns.

On the Bucs winning back-to-back games to start the season:

“It’s always going to be a positive when you’re winning and you’re undefeated. It’s two ugly wins, but we love those. We love winning. We found ways to win today. We have a really good team coming to our house on Monday Night Football. So we’re gonna rest, recover and come back ready to roll.”

On the improvised play that led to a 36-yard connection between him and Baker Mayfield:

“I thought Baker was gonna throw it away because I had a locked hitch outside. He threw a perfect ball, I caught it, stayed in bounds, made a guy miss. We scored that drive, so that was a huge play by him, just giving me a shot.”

.@MikeEvans13_ WITH THE SPIN MOVE 🌪️

📺: #CHIvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/8ShqPQT4G5

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 17, 2023

On his performance in Sunday’s win:

“I always feel like I can play better. Even my best statistical games, I always feel like I can play better. That’s how you stay motivated, and that’s how I’ve always been.”

DT Vita Vea

Vea was a force in Sunday’s game, totaling 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits.

On racking up 1.5 sacks in the win over the Bears:

“Sack and a half? Damn, I got a half. I thought I had two. It felt good, man. That’s what we’ve been working on all camp. Our d-line coach, Coach Kacy (Rodgers) has been harping on us [to] rush the passer. I felt like I left one out there last week, so it felt good to get one and a half today.”

On winning the home opener:

“It’s always definitely a good thing when you win at home. This league, it’s hard to get a win, so we take them as they come. It feels good to be 2-0, but we can’t get big-headed. We’ve got to get back in the game plan and get ready for next week.”