After reviewing the Bucs’ offensive efforts from the Atlanta and Buffalo games we turn our attention to the defense.

Bucs Defensive Line

Will Gholston was stout in run defense, penetrating the offensive line and taking down ball carriers. Yaya Diaby and Shaq Barrett helped set the edge and force runs back to the inside. Kancey showed yet again that his pass rush skills are the real deal. Vita Vea was solid as a run defender, clogging lanes and redirecting runs.

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

Barrett was the best pass rusher of the bunch with several good reps including four pressures, three hurries, a pass defense on third down to end a drive and a sack. He nearly notched a second sack as he juked Kaleb McGary out of his shoes giving Barrett a clear path to Ridder. Ridder was able to evade Shaq before throwing the ball away though. Diaby also recovered a fumble at the Bucs’ one-yard line on a botched snap by the Falcons that helped keep almost-certain points off the board.

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka had a nice play to come across the entire offensive line to blow up a would-be screen play, and generally helped stifle the Falcons running game. However, JTS was completely stonewalled as a pass rusher, logging just one good rush for the game by my count. Greg Gaines was generally in his gap and helping to narrow the Falcons’ backs options. I’m not sure why Pro Football Focus had his grade as so poor.

ATL Grade: C+

It was so hard to give a realistic grade to any of the Bucs pass rushers. The Bills had such an effective quick game the Bucs barely had any time to rush. Josh Allen had an average time to throw of 2.38 seconds. Six of his 39 drop backs saw him target a receiver behind the line of scrimmage with an average time to throw of 1.22 seconds. 24 more drop backs had Allen targeting a player from 0-10 yards off the line of scrimmage with an average time to throw of 1.81 seconds. In those time frames it is near impossible for a pass rush to affect the quarterback. Bowles’ defensive strategy on the night failed the pass rush.

Despite this Calijah Kancey and Anthony Nelson were both able to play well for the circumstances. Kancey routinely got push as a pass rusher and Nelson converted his unblocked rep into a sack while contributing at a high level as a run defender. He made a couple of plays in the run game from a gap-and-a-half away. Yaya Diaby showed his athleticism in chasing down Josh Allen on a scramble where Allen tried to win the edge. Gholston was solid as always in run defense while notching his first career interception.

On the other side of things, the Bucs got very little from Gaines, Deadrin Senat, Mike Greene and Logan Hall. I’m willing to give Hall a bit of a pass due to the injury he sustained in pregame warmups, but the rest were moved easily to open gaps for running back James Cook to exploit. Shaq Barrett had a couple of good reps, but also struggled in run defense a good bit. In total the group failed to contain Josh Allen’s ability to scramble as he picked up multiple first down’s by scrambling outside the pocket as well as right up the gut.

BUF Grade: D

Bucs Linebackers

Bucs ILB Devin White and Bills RB Latavius Murray – Photo by: USA Today

Right from jump street Lavonte David asserted himself and why he is still one of the best linebackers in football, filling gaps and shutting down the Falcons’ run game and chasing down bubble screens. David almost came away with two picks in the first two drives.

Devin White was routinely out of position as evidenced by the contain he should have had on a Ridder run-pass option that he easily ran in for a touchdown. Late in the game he also bailed on his assignment to keep with the running back coming out of the backfield to freelance and pursue Ridder scrambling out of the pocket, despite the fact that Antoine Winfield Jr. had Ridder covered. This allowed Ridder to find the back now running up field for a 47-yard gain. White routinely allowed himself to fall out of position providing for big gains for Atlanta.

ATL Grade: C+

Devin White. Just when I think he’s playing decent-enough ball he goes and has a game like this. It wasn’t even his coverage that was a huge liability. White just looked completely uninterested in fitting the run. On multiple plays he refused to trigger downhill or try to take on a blocker. He was slow to read out runs and he even ran into Lavonte David on one play as he went in the opposite direction of the flow of the run. It was bad.

David was solid on the game but did not play up to the elite level of play he has been playing at this year. With 14 tackles, including one for a loss, he was involved throughout the game. But David, like the rest of the Bucs back seven was routinely exploited due to Buffalo knowing where every defender would be dropping to pre-snap. I cannot understate how bad the defensive scheme screwed the players on the field.

BUF Grade: C

Cornerbacks

Eagles WR DeVonta Smith and Bucs CB Jamel Dean – Photo by: USA Today

Carlton Davis got burned by former Buc Scotty Miller on a deep go-ball. Chris Izien was caught out of position multiple times throughout the game and committed a pass interference penalty. This was probably the worst game of his young career. Jamel Dean was solid in coverage and great in run support. The trio largely held Atlanta’s passing game in check with Drake London only snagging six catches for 54 yards and no other receiving option catching more than three balls. It was the Miller and Pitts long catches at critical times that ended up being the difference though.

ATL Grade: B

The Bucs corners had a rough game. Slot corner Chris Izien was out of position on multiple plays and missed several tackles. Jamel Dean completely blew his assignment leading to a big gain by Buffalo.

C3 and Jamel Dean forgets receivers are allowed to come from the other side of the field…Ryan Neal falls down…just oof. pic.twitter.com/4dOmKhoVGB

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) October 30, 2023

Carlton Davis was fine but not great. All of them were victims of a scheme that gave receivers way too much room to work with and Buffalo took advantage all through the night.

BUF Grade: C-

Safeties

Ryan Neal’s struggles continued. Bowles’ scheme asks a lot of the safeties in terms of rotation at the snap and Neal’s lack of speed shows as he is often late to get to areas, he needs to be in. his was evident on the first drive when the Bucs rotated from a two-high look against a 3×1 that needed Neal to come from the boundary to the concept side in Cover-3. Neal was late and Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder was able to make an easy completion down to the Bucs six for 18 yards.

Antoine Winfield Jr. had perhaps the best game of his career. He was everywhere making plays at the line of scrimmage and shooting gaps in the run game, leaping to deflect end zone passes to away from Drake London and stealing touchdowns away from Ridder.

Antoine Winfield Jr. (@AntoineWJr11) can do it all from the Free Safety spot #Bucsfilm2023wk7

– Play 1: Sets the edge/Forces cutback
– Play 2: PBU on fade vs. a WR that is 7″ inches taller
– Play 3: Hustles, almost forces fumble
– Play 4: Never gives up, forces fumble/touchback pic.twitter.com/XUyy3fQquA

— Steven Cheah (@StevenCheah) October 25, 2023

The play at the goal line to steal the touchdown may have been one of the plays of the year across the entire NFL.

ATL Grade: B

Winfield Jr. continued his streak of good play against the Bills. His blitz and pass deflection in the first half directly led to Will Gholston coming up with the game’s lone turnover. Winfield was consistently in the right position throughout the game. He was one of very few players in the back seven who could make this claim. Neal was good in run defense, registering 11 tackles, but was once again a liability in coverage. The poor angle he took on the long play to Kyle Pitts that ultimately set up Atlanta’s game-winning field goal was bad.

BUF Grade: C

Bucs Special Teams

Punter Jake Camarda had three solid punts on the day, including one that backed the Falcons up to their own seven. Kicker Chase McLaughlin made both of his field goal attempts and his lone point after attempt. Deven Thompkins had one punt return for three yards and the Bucs’ coverage units were fine.

ATL Grade:

Bucs K Chase McLaughlin – Photo by: USA Today

McLaughlin missed his second kick of the year. And for the second time it was due to a block. It looked like it would have been a good kick. Shaq Lawson just made a great play to deflect it at the line. McLaughlin came back later to nail a 57-yarder in the 2nd quarter. I wonder what he might have done with the 58-yard attempt Todd Bowles never allowed him to attempt late in the first half. Camarda’s first punt was a thing of beauty, getting downed at the BUF four-yard line.

His second was a travesty. Backed up in his own end zone, Camarda who has a season average of over 50 yards per punt only got this one off for 44. The coverage unit was atrocious with five missed tackles by my count. It was an overall bad day at the office for Camarda and the coverage unit as they allowed Deonte Hardy to return four punts for 49 yards. Returner Deven Thompkins had a solid first return, getting to the BUF 27 and almost sprang his second return for a big gain if only Kieft had held his block. The rest of the way Thompkins elected to allow kickoffs go for touchbacks.

BUF Grade: D