It’s time for Scott Reynolds’ 2-Point Conversion post-game column, which features two statements, two questions and two predictions based on the latest Bucs game. Tampa Bay overcame a 17-13 halftime deficit to run roughshod – literally – over the Chargers, outscoring Los Angeles 27-0 in the second half of a 40-17 victory. The Bucs are now 8-6 on the year and maintain their lead over the 6-7 Falcons, who play in Las Vegas on Monday Night Football.

This was a statement by the Bucs, who have now won four straight games and are 5-2 on the road. Tampa Bay travels to Dallas to play the 6-8 Cowboys on Sunday Night Football this week.

2 BIG STATEMENTS

STATEMENT 1. Bully Bucs Put The NFL On Notice With 40-17 Win In L.A.

The Bucs did something that no other team has really done to the Chargers this year. Not only did Tampa Bay drop 40 points on a tough, Los Angeles defense, but the Bucs beat the Chargers by 23 points, 40-17, at SoFi Stadium.

The Bucs were absolute bullies on Sunday.

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

They rolled into L.A. and physically beat up the Chargers in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

Nobody wants a piece of these Bucs bullies right now.

Not the way Tampa Bay is playing on both sides of the football.

Los Angeles head coach Jim Harbaugh is fresh off an undefeated national championship season at Michigan where his Wolverines routinely dominated the line of scrimmage. The Chargers have adopted his physical, hard-nosed mentality this year, so he naturally had to be stunned with the Bucs scoring 27 straight points in the second half to overcome a 17-13 halftime deficit.

Sometimes the stat sheet doesn’t tell the whole story of a football game, but this one surely did.

The Bucs out-gained the Chargers 506-206 yards and out-rushed them 223-32 yards.

Tampa Bay was 9-of-15 on third downs (61%) while Los Angeles was 0-of-6 and 0-of-2 on fourth downs.

Hell, the Bucs didn’t even punt the ball.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: USA Today

That’s remarkable considering the Chargers entered Sunday with the league’s top scoring defense, allowing an average of 15 points per game.

Tampa Bay’s young, underrated offensive line is quickly becoming the league’s best unit. Jason Licht has constructed another Super Bowl-caliber O-line through the draft and Kevin Carberry and Bryan Picucci are coaching that talent to the next level.

“The offensive line took over and that was the biggest difference in the second half,” Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “Those guys played unbelievable upfront. It’s a physical football team (the Chargers). That’s what they pride themselves on – rushing the ball and being physical. And so to flip the script on that is huge for us.”

Mayfield threw four touchdown passes, including two to Mike Evans, and offensive coordinator Liam Coen was in his bag. Outside of two back-to-back turnovers in the second quarter, Tampa Bay’s offense was in high gear and everything Coen called seemed to work brilliantly. What a masterful play-caller Coen has become this year.

Bucs OC Liam Coen – Photo by: USA Today

“I can only imagine for a defensive coordinator what it’s like to scheme against us because the personnel changes,” Mayfield said. “I mean we get into 13 personnel, 21 [personnel], 11 [personnel] it’s just – how do you defend that? And we have a lot of plays off the plays in the same formations, so it’s tough to defend that. And it just comes down to our guys knowing the plan and executing it.”

As robust as the Bucs offense was, the performance by Tampa Bay’s defense was equally impressive. Missing the team’s top three safeties due to injury, Todd Bowles’ crew pitched a shutout in the second half and forced four turnovers – a fumble, an interception and two turnovers on downs on fourth down. The Bucs defense had been the culprit for several losses early in the season, surrendering 30 points per game in four of the team’s six defeats.

But since the bye week, Tampa Bay’s defense has been tops in scoring defense, allowing just 15 points per game. Granted, Bowles’ unit has taken advantage of lesser offenses like the Giants, Panthers and Raiders in the previous three weeks. But the Chargers were supposed to be more formidable.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David and DT Logan Hall – Photo by: USA Today

Instead it was Tampa Bay’s defense that beat Justin Herbert into submission with three sacks and became just the second team to pick him off this season. Bowles deserves an awful lot of credit for spearheading the team’s resurgent 4-0 run down the stretch, as well as finding enough glue and rubber bands to keep his banged-up defense together enough to play playoff-caliber football despite not being anywhere near 100%.

Simply put, if the Bucs continue to play this well, nobody in the NFL is going to want to play them. Not NFC foes like the Lions or Eagles, who each lost to Tampa Bay earlier in the season, nor Kansas City in the AFC, whom the Bucs took to overtime at Arrowhead two months ago.

With a resounding win in Los Angeles – the likes of which no one saw coming – Tampa Bay has officially put the league on notice.

Beware of the Buccaneers.

STATEMENT 2. Legends Mike Evans And Lavonte David Lead The Way For Tampa Bay

The old guys still got it.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

Future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans turned in his best performance of the year in Los Angeles on Sunday with nine catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns, including a fantastic, season-long 57-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter that helped the Bucs roll in the second half. The 31-year old Evans showed toughness and speed, shoving his way past a Chargers defender on his first touchdown and then jetting down the sidelines and winning the footrace to the end zone.

“I mean obviously Mike’s always had the game-changing ability within each play, but then on that the scramble play where he works all the way across the field, he’s the outside receiver on the right side, works all the way across,” Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “I’m just trying to keep my eyes downfield – and you know he’s always working – and he makes that play. Obviously makes the catch, but then after the catch is the big difference.”

But it wasn’t just Evans the receiver who came to play in L.A. The five-time Pro Bowler also played defensive back and broke up a would-be interception in the second quarter, and then threw a key block at the goal line on Rachaad White’s touchdown catch. Evans did just about everything he could to will the Bucs to their fourth straight win of the season as Tampa Bay marches towards the playoffs for a fifth straight year.

Not to be outdone, legendary Bucs linebacker Lavonte David, who turns 35 on January 23, led the Bucs with 12 tackles and had a season-high 1.5 sacks of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. David has been an excellent blitzer throughout his career and how has 5.5 sacks on the season, which trails defensive tackles Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey by just half a sack for the team lead.

On a defense that was down its top three safeties and was also missing starting inside linebacker K.J. Britt, David did a lot of the heavy lifting in limiting the Chargers to only 206 yards of total offense and just 32 in the run game.

2 PROBING QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1. Who Were The Unsung Heroes On Offense In L.A.?

Bucs RT Luke Goedeke and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

There were plenty of them. We know that Baker Mayfield completed 72.1% of his throws and threw four touchdown passes in Los Angeles, which matched his season high. Mayfield will likely win the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award as a result. We know that Bucky Irving had 117 yards rushing and that Mike Evans led the Bucs with nine catches for 159 yards and a pair of scores. Jalen McMillan continued to be hot, as the rookie receiver had a career-high 75 yards and another touchdown on five catches.

But there were plenty of unsung heroes who helped the Bucs put up 40 points on a stout Chargers defense. At the top of the list should be offensive tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke, who made it look easy against the likes of Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Joey Bosa and Bud Dupree. That dangerous pass rush quartet came into the game with a collective 21.5 sacks, but was held to just four combined tackles on the day and only one QB pressure, which was surrendered by Goedeke.

Wirfs was just about flawless despite not being 100% healthy, joked head coach Todd Bowles.

“They’ve been doing a great job the past couple of weeks, especially Tristan,” Bowles said. “Luke has been doing a great job all year, especially ever since he’s come back from his injury. He’s been very stout for us on the right side of the line. It seems like Tristan plays better if he’s not healthy than he is when he is healthy.”

Wirfs had a 90.7 pass protection grade per PFF against the Chargers, while Goedeke had an impressive 79.7 pass pro grade. Goedeke actually had a higher overall PFF grade of 89.3 thanks to a team-best 90.1 run-blocking grade. The job those two tackles did in L.A. was a masterpiece. Hang it in the Louvre.

Also, kicker Chase McLaughlin is so automatic that his field goals are almost an afterthought. He’s so underappreciated, and has connected on 25-of-27 field goals (92.6%) in addition to making 95.5% of his extra points. McLaughlin was perfect in Los Angeles, hitting all four field goals and all four extra points.

QUESTION 2. Who Were The Unsung Heroes On Defense vs. The Chargers?

Bucs DT Logan Hall – Photo by: USA Today

There were certainly a few on defense outside of the whale of a game that linebacker Lavonte David had. J.J. Russell returned to the starting lineup and had three tackles on defense and one on special teams. Reserve linebacker Vi Jones had one snap on defense, but made it count in coverage, forcing a fumble that was recovered by second-year safety Kaevon Merriweather. That was the first takeaway that each young defender had a hand in creating.

Defensive tackle Logan Hall also had a really good game. The Bucs played with three and four defensive tackles at times to help man up against the Chargers’ big offensive personnel. Hall had a sack and a half and now has a career-high 4.5 sacks on the season, which is the third-most on the team. Defensive tackles Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey are tied for the team lead with six apiece and David has 5.5 sacks.

It’s good to see Hall really come to life late in the season with his pass rush. Hall had a pair of sacks at Atlanta back in Week 5, but has been quiet since then. He’s just a sack and a half away from the team lead with three games to go.

2 BOLD PREDICTIONS

PREDICTION 1. Bucs Snap Losing Streak In Prime Time In Big D

Bucs FS Mike Edwards – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Momentum is real, and Tampa Bay certainly has a good deal of it with its fourth straight win after the bye week, capped off by a 40-17 trouncing of the Chargers in L.A. Dallas has found its footing with backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who has won three of the last four games in relief of Dak Prescott. The Cowboys aren’t an easy win for the Bucs despite their 6-8 record. Tampa Bay can’t just show up in Dallas and claim victory, especially in prime time.

The Bucs are 0-3 in prime time games this year with losses at Atlanta and Kansas City and a home defeat against Baltimore on Monday Night Football. With the potential for a Wild Card game to be in prime time, as has been the case the last two years on Monday night, finally getting a win on Sunday Night Football and snapping the three-game losing streak in prime time is essential.

And it happens. Mark it down. The Bucs win their fifth straight to improve to 9-6 and continue their lead in the NFC South.

PREDICTION 2. Bucky Irving, Mike Evans Both Have 1,000-Yard Seasons

Bucs RB Bucky Irving Photo by: USA Today

I know I doubted Mike Evans’ chances of reaching 1,000 yards this season when he was out for three games with a hamstring injury. The math wasn’t in his favor, especially with him not producing a 100-yard receiving game until Week 13 at Carolina. But thanks to more targets to Evans – and specifically more catches – he erupted in L.A. with his best game of the year. With nine catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns versus the Chargers, Evans now has 749 receiving yards to lead the Bucs and he’s 251 yards away from 1,000 yards for an 11th straight season.

Next up are the Cowboys and Evans returns to his home state of Texas to play in prime time. Dallas is without top cover cornerback Trevon Diggs, so Evans should have some favorable matchups to exploit. Then it’s another game against a Panthers secondary he lit up a few weeks ago for 118 yards, followed by a season finale against the Saints without Marshon Lattimore, who was traded away at midseason. Evans needs to average 83.7 yards per game over the next three games.

As for Bucky Irving, he needs even fewer rushing yards to hit 1,000 yards than Evans does receiving yards. Irving had his second 100-yard game of the season in Los Angeles, rushing for 117 yards, including a 54-yard dash in the second half while playing through a back injury. The rookie running back now has 852 yards and needs 148 yards to hit 1,000 yards with three games left. That’s an average of 49.3 yards per game and seems quite doable.