Bucs ILBs K.J. Britt and Lavonte David – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

The Bucs allowed over 500 yards through the air against the Falcons.

Take that in – 500 yards.

That is over a quarter of a mile.

A mile.

That is unacceptable by any definition of the word. By my count over 40% of those yards came from the teeth of the Bucs defense in the middle of the field. On the first drive of the game Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins was able to find tight end Kyle Pitts on a seam-route for a 32-yard gain to set up Atlanta’s first score of the game.

In the second quarter Cousins was able to find receiver Khadarel Hodge deep down the middle for 22 yards to put the Falcons just outside of the red zone. Darnell Mooney’s touchdown a few plays later was in the middle of the field. Hodge’s game-winner was also in the middle of the field. The list goes on and on. Prior to this matchup Cousins was just 11 of 20 for 198 yards with a touchdown and an interception when targeting the middle of the field at 10 yards depth or more. He certainly improved those numbers this week.

Bucs Have A Linebacker Problem

Bucs ILB K.J. Britt – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

There is a big hole in their defense, and it lies in between the defensive line and the secondary. The Bucs linebackers can’t move in space well.

K.J. Britt has always had limited athleticism. Last year Bucs head coach Todd Bowles tried to limit that deficiency by using Britt on early run downs and subbing him out for Devin White on long and late downs when the Bucs were likely to face a pass. The formula largely worked as Britt was left in coverage on less than half of his 252 snaps and generally played well.

Bowles attempted to continue that formula this season with Britt working early downs as the starter before coming off the field for SirVocea Dennis. Through the first three weeks of this season, he dropped into coverage just 47% of the time.

But with Dennis getting injured in Week 4 and out for the year, Britt has now been forced to play all three downs.

And it isn’t working.

He struggles to turn in space. His limited speed makes him a liability in coverage, and he has a lack of feel for getting enough depth in his drops to prevent plays from happening behind him. Like this one.

Oh hey, @kylepitts__ #TNFonPrime | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/AeKSqe4PES

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 4, 2024

Bucs ILB Lavonte David and Falcons WR Drake London – Photo by: USA Today

But Britt is not solely complicit in this issue. For all of his greatness, and there certainly is a lot, Lavonte David’s once-special ability to play in space and cover large swaths of field has come to an end.

He still has a high aptitude with a nose for the ball. But he can no longer be counted on to erase whole areas of the field as a dropping backer. He too was exploited with plays over his head and showed his declining athleticism with slow turns and changes of direction.

These problems are also showing up in the form of missed tackles. Neither player is getting in the best position to make a tackle and are often left behind by ball carriers and receivers as they move through or around the two tight-hipped linebackers. Coming in to this game both players had missed tackle rates over 20%.

The Falcons watched the first four weeks of the Bucs defense and targeted Britt and David as their ticket to an offensive explosion.

The First Poor Game Of Tykee Smith’s Career

The linebackers were bad, but not alone. Tykee Smith, who has been an early candidate for best rookie on the team, had his first let down performance of his career. He was targeted on two of the Falcons’ touchdowns, allowing an early score to Drake London and a late score to Darnell Mooney after missing a tackle.

Smith was targeted quite a bit himself and allowed an uncharacteristically high number of uncompetitive catches.

Quick work for the Falcons! @KirkCousins8 finds @DrakeLondon_ for 6️⃣#TBvsATL on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/6pK8eByEjK

— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024

Mooney with the moves and we’re all tied up in ATL! #TBvsATL on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/0IBE6TUfRb

— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024

Safeties Provided No Safety

Bucs S Kaevon Merriweather and CB Jamel Dean and Falcons WR Darnell Mooney – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

Behind the Bucs second line of defense was little help from safeties Jordan Whitehead and Christian Izien. Whitehead was in coverage on the Kirk Cousins-to-Kyle Pitts seam to start the night and later missed several tackles. Christian Izien also failed to bring down several receivers and backs in space.

The sheer volume of yards after catch allowed once everything is tallied up will be astounding. Cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum finished the game with nine and 10 tackles respectively, often cleaning up misses from Whitehead, Izien, Smith and the linebackers.

Both Izien and Whitehead had missed tackle rates north of 16% headed into this game per Pro Football Focus. Those numbers have likely increased after this game.

The totality of the failures over the middle of the field belies a larger problem that will not be fixed easily.

There Are More Questions Than Answers

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Some of this is cured when Antoine Winfield Jr. returns from his foot injury. He is a sound tackler and should help improve that area of the game by replacing one of the players on the field. Winfield will also help man that area in coverage, reducing the current exploitation the Bucs defensive backfield is facing. But who Winfield replaces becomes a more interesting story.

The direct replacement is obviously Christian Izien. He has been playing Winfield’s free safety position. But when you look at the defense’s best 11 players it certainly includes Izien.

But it does not include K.J. Britt.

The Bucs can’t take their second linebacker off the field entirely and become a base dime defense. Opponents will run the ball straight down their throats no matter how much Vita Vea and the defensive line try to prevent it. But Todd Bowles needs to find a solution for pass-obvious downs with SirVocea Dennis out. David is no longer a plus player in that area but isn’t necessarily a consistent liability. Yet pairing him with Britt creates too big of an issue.

Could that be late down dime looks?

Possibly.

Put Izien in for Britt with Whitehead dropping to the box may be the best option in the short term. Whitehead’s issues are troublesome but the least likely to continue given the history of each player involved in this mess. And Izien provides some play-making and increased athleticism in the middle of the field. He can at least chase and tackle better.

There is no silver bullet here. The problem can be mitigated to a certain extent but is likely to continue throughout the rest of the season. And it will continue to be a thorn in this team’s side.