The Bucs spent time fine-tuning parts of their offense and defense this week in hopes of looking like the Super Bowl-contending machine many predicted them to be before the season started. That means in Week 5, snapping a two-game losing streak and coming out on top against a divisional opponent in the Atlanta Falcons.

Facing his old team, Bucs safety Keanu Neal commented on Atlanta’s new signal-caller, Marcus Mariota.

Bucs S Keanu Neal – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“He’s mobile, he can move, he can run,” Neal said after practice Wednesday. “He’s a good thrower, he’s a dual-threat quarterback. Going against those kinds of quarterbacks is not the easiest, but [if] we do what we do we’ll be fine.”

What also is not the easiest is facing a former team, which Neal also briefly touched on. 

“Oh yeah, I kind of felt that last year when we played [the Falcons] when I was in Dallas, just the emotions to everything,” Neal said. “That’s long gone now at this point, I’m just excited to go out there and play.”

“There’s No Pointing Fingers” For Bucs

The Bucs are hoping that everyone is just as excited to go out there and play Sunday. One aspect that was heavily criticized last week was the run game, both offensively and defensively. Whether it was the offense amassing an anemic three yards on the ground or the defense giving up 189 rushing yards to the Chiefs, it is evident this is their focus. 

For the defense, that starts with the guys up the middle. Bucs defensive tackle Vita Vea is central to this effort in taking double teams and space so the other guys around him can make plays if he doesn’t make them himself. Last week was not his best performance, but he took responsibility for needing to be better.

“I think we all had a hand in it, there’s no pointing fingers,” Vea said. “I think we all could’ve done better, I could’ve done better.”  

Outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is one of the guys expected to make plays around him on the edge. So far this season, he has gotten off to a slow start, recording just a half-sack and two quarterback hits. While the numbers reveal some of the story, he knows they must go out and tell the rest.

“We got some beasts inside, so they like to run on the edges,” Tryon-Shoyinka said. “We got to set better edges, [in the] outside linebacker room; we know we got to step it up. We got a challenge this week to go out and prove ourselves.”

For the defensive line, stepping up to that challenge is all about sticking to its scheme and correcting what was exposed against the Chiefs last week.

“There’s always a lot of stuff to be corrected each week,” Vea said. “We’ll just take what we’re being coached to do and execute.”

Bucs Have To Contain Falcons’ Playmakers

The Falcons could be the right team at the right time for the Bucs. Tampa Bay will be hosting them not only looking for a win against a division opponent, but for momentum as they head out of town for the next couple of weeks.

“It will be a really good test,” Vea said. “I just saw the film, they’re a really good running team, so it’ll be a good test for us.”

Bucs NT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Besides quarterback Marcus Mariota, the Falcons also have playmakers in rookies Tyler Allgeier at running back and Drake London at wide receiver. Atlanta’s offense will have to run through them on Sunday, as running back Cordarrelle Patterson and tight end Kyle Pitts are currently sidelined with injuries.

Both rookies have performed proficiently thus far and, according to PFF, have graded nicely for their play. Among all running backs, Allgeier ranks 10th out of 57 while London grades out 8th among 106 wide receivers. They make up the top two pieces the Bucs’ defense will be looking to contain without Pitts.

Speaking on both London and Pitts, Bucs cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting knows they can take over the game. It’s no stretch to say Tampa Bay dodged a bullet with Pitts ruled out.

“Every guy every week, they have the ability to take over top and to make big plays,” Murphy-Bunting said. “Those guys have shown they can make big plays and be reliable guys for that team. We just got to do our job and be ready to go when the time is there and be ready to attack them just as much as they’re going to attack us.”

Murphy-Bunting also knows that to come out with a win, guys need to step up. Facing elite quarterbacks this season has forced the defense to do so early and often, and that mindset holds true to how they’re attacking this contest.

“Guys in our room are ready to step up, ready to play and stand true, and stick to what they know,” he said. “That’s just attention to detail, playing ball, playing fast and playing physical.”

How well they can get back to that style of play will say a lot about the Bucs and their trajectory over the next quarter of the season, especially as they leave town for two road games against Pittsburgh and Carolina following Sunday’s contest.