Coming into this game with three straight wins, the Bucs kept it rolling with their best game of the season’s second half. The offense clicked throughout, while the defense pitched a shutout in the second half. It was just about as well played of a game as Tampa Bay could have had.

With that comes a lengthy Most Impressive column following the team’s 40-17 win over the Chargers.

WR Mike Evans

Bucs WRs Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan – Photo by: USA Today

In pursuit of history with his 1,000-yard milestone still possible, Mike Evans kept hope alive that he could get there with his biggest game of the season. Evans started slow from a yards standpoint, with just six catches for 44 receiving yards.

But after so many jabs, he landed a couple of uppercuts in the third quarter. First, Baker Mayfield rolled out of the pocket and made an accurate throw on the move to find “M1K3,” who did the rest on what ended up being a 57-yard touchdown that gave the Bucs a 20-17 lead.

Then, the Mayfield-to-Evans connection struck again on a third-and-12 at the end of the quarter on a 35-yard rope that extended the lead to 30-17.

After finishing the day with nine catches for 159 receiving yards, Evans needs 251 more yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark over the last three games. More importantly than keeping the streak alive, he was a crucial part of the offense’s ability to move the ball down the field and find the end zone throughout the game.

QB Baker Mayfield

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

Baker Mayfield had as close to a perfect game as a quarterback could on Sunday.

Mayfield was looking to rebound following two tough games that — while the team won — he was not happy with his overall performance. After throwing two interceptions in each of the past two weeks, he could not fully avoid the interception bug as he threw another in the second quarter.

Still, Mayfield efficiently distributed the football. He set a new career-high to open the game with his 29th passing touchdown of the year and reached 32 passing touchdowns after connecting with Mike Evans for two big scoring plays in the third quarter and Rachaad White in the fourth quarter.

After putting himself in harm’s way and getting into sacks at points this season, Mayfield aptly moved around the pocket to buy time and find his weapons down the field. He also showed off his wheels, adding a 21-yard scramble on the ground.

Mayfield finished his productive day by completing 22 of his 27 passes for 288 passing yards while tying his season-high with four passing touchdowns.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles’ Second-Half Defensive Adjustments

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

Todd Bowles’ defense has been better coming off its Week 11 bye, and the results spoke for themselves when playing the Chargers. It did not start smoothly, with Justin Herbert beginning the game with two passing touchdowns. But the unit showed just how much it has grown, as while they may have let things spiral earlier in the year, they did not let that happen this time around.

Bowles began making adjustments in the second quarter as the defense forced a three-and-out. After that stop, it was more of the same in the second half.

Chargers second-half offensive drives:

Punt
Punt
Interception
Turnover On Downs
Turnover On Downs
Fumble

Pitching a shutout was a product of the team’s defensive playcaller adjusting to a pass-heavy offense. It worked beautifully as the Bucs outscored the Chargers 27-0 in the second half.

RB Bucky Irving

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

Injured or not, Bucky Irving has the innate ability to make big plays. Despite dealing with a back injury and being a game-time decision going into Week 15, Irving not only played, but played well.

Admittedly, it was slow going for him in the first half before he started to rip off big runs. It began with the Bucs’ first offensive drive of the second half, which opened with six- and five-yard gains. Then, he had an 18-yard run that brought the ball up near midfield.

Irving had his biggest run on the next drive. With the offensive line pulling to the right, he cut between his blockers and dashed through the opening to pick up 54 yards. That brought him up over the century mark for the second time this season. Both have come in the team’s last three games and doing so while playing through pain is impressive.

WR Jalen McMillan

Jalen McMillan is starting to get hot down the stretch of his rookie season. After an impressive four-catch, 59-yard, two-touchdown game against the Raiders last Sunday, McMillan looked even sharper in Los Angeles this Sunday. Early on, he was the biggest playmaker, and got wide-open down the left sideline to open the game’s scoring with a 26-yard touchdown grab, his fourth receiving touchdown of the season.

After setting career highs in catches and yards last week, McMillan set new ones with five catches for 75 receiving yards. That was no easy task for him, playing the Chargers and a young secondary that has been better than advertised this season. Not only has the receiving corps started to come around as of late, but the rookie wide receiver is starting to look like the player that general manager Jason Licht and the front office saw when they made him a third-round pick in April.

OC Liam Coen

The phrase “in his bag” this time of year often alludes to presents in Santa’s bag of toys. Instead, it was offensive coordinator Liam Coen who was in his bag in his return to Los Angeles. Coen’s offensive scheme was rolling early, as his Bucs’ offense did something no other offense has done against the Chargers’ vaunted scoring defense this season.

The unit has been matchup-proof this year, with this being the biggest statement game in that regard. The Bucs have scored 20 points or more in 13 out of 14 games, and this was another example of Coen finding ways to get his playmakers the ball to make plays.

Mike Evans had a big day. Bucky Irving remained productive in a more limited role. Jalen McMillan exploded with another impressive game. It was a product of setting up creative passing concepts, such as McMillan breaking from a bunch formation on the left to get wide-open for a touchdown. Evans was heavily involved, with his short receptions setting things up, and his big touchdowns opening things up. The offensive linemen pushed and pulled well on run concepts and that led to holes for Bucky Irving, who had another efficient day.

It was another day at the office for this high-scoring offense, but this should be one of the top bullet points on Coen’s growing resume.

Bucs… ILBs?

One of the most disappointing positions for the Bucs this season has been at inside linebacker. Already having gone through five inside linebackers, there has been a lot of shuffling and not a lot of production from anyone not named Lavonte David. David was again productive against the Chargers, and so was his linebacker counterpart, J.J. Russell.

Starting with “LVD,” he made a big play in the first half, bringing down quarterback Justin Herbert for an 11-yard loss that ultimately stalled the team’s offensive drive as they settled for a field goal. The veteran linebacker led the team with 12 total tackles and finished with 1.5 sacks.

Returning from injury, Russell came out of the gates fired up and making plays, breaking up a pass and getting a tackle at the line of scrimmage to force a third-and-10.

Throughout the game, he fared well and offered steady play, and when he was not in the box, it was safety Ryan Neal who came down and also filled in admirably. It was Neal’s first regular-season action after signing with Tampa Bay’s practice squad earlier this month. He got up to speed quickly and did more than expected, contributing three total tackles.

Even Vi Jones got in on the action with two big plays late. First, he forced a fumble on a kickoff late in the fourth quarter, though the Chargers recovered and maintained possession. But he wasn’t to be denied, as he would soon force another fumble that Kaevon Merriweather recovered for Tampa Bay. The play by this position group as a whole deserves acknowledgment.

CB Jamel Dean

Jamel Dean finally made a scene.

Previously, one had to go back to Week 2 of the 2022 season for the last time Dean recorded an interception. He snapped that long streak in the third quarter. Dean had a solid game in coverage and made a key play when it mattered, as that interception did a lot to swing the game in the Bucs’ favor.