Losing Chris Godwin and Mike Evans during the last game against the Ravens drastically changed the dynamic of the Bucs offense and added more pressure on Todd Bowles’ defense to play better than they have up to this point. On Sunday afternoon against the Falcons, the Bucs allowed Kirk Cousins and Atlanta’s offense to have another big game and was unable to keep up, losing 31-26.

It was another tough day by Tampa Bay’s defense, which highlights this week’s most disappointing column.

HC Todd Bowles And His Defensive Scheme

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The theme for the Bucs defense going into this game was fixing the communication issues that have plagued the defense this season and even more so in recent weeks. After giving up 550 total yards to the Falcons the first time around, things were not much better this time.

A lot of that falls back on head coach/defensive play-caller Todd Bowles and his defensive scheme.

Kirk Cousins had by far his best game of the year – and one of the best of his career – back in Week 5. Cousins followed that up with easily his second-best game of the season in Week 8. He completed 23 of his 29 passes for 276 yards and four passing touchdowns.

There are no excuses for the defense’s poor play, and considering the experience on that side of the ball, it makes it look that much worse.

Not only did the defense fail to contain Atlanta, but they also did not record a single turnover. Needing to win the turnover battle was vital in coming out with a win, and even getting one could have turned things around. It did not happen, and it does not look like the unit will turn itself around anytime soon. That should worry Bowles and the rest of his defensive staff.

CB Tyrek Funderburk

It was a down day for the undrafted rookie cornerback.

While there were some positive moments, such as breaking up one end zone pass intended for wide receiver Darnell Mooney, the negatives far outweighed any flashes of good play. Funderburk struggled to make tackles, most notably whiffing when Kyle Pitts barreled down the field for his controversial second touchdown catch.

Later in the second quarter, Kirk Cousins aired it out for Mooney down the field, and Funderburk failed to stop him again and allowed a touchdown. Before halftime, he was beaten yet again by him for 21 yards, putting Atlanta in field goal range to make it a 24-17 game going into halftime. At this point, the team should hope to get Jamel Dean back and let the young cornerback go back to the bench to develop in practice, not in live game action.

S Kaevon Merriweather

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts and Bucs SS Kaevon Merriweather – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs had a chance to get a big fourth-down stop after the Falcons recovered Rachaad White’s fumble early in the first quarter. Merriweather’s own blunder allowed Atlanta to put up the game’s first seven points.

Merriweather was called for a holding penalty on tight end Kyle Pitts down the field, but Pitts still pulled away to haul in a 36-yard touchdown. The reserve safety does not get to see the field much and plays like this won’t do him any favors for getting more playing time going forward.

ILB K.J. Britt

To paraphrase a famous saying, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. That rings true with Todd Bowles’ decision to continue trotting out K.J. Britt in a full-time role on defense. When considering how successful Kirk Cousins was the first time around distributing the football, one would have thought Bowles would have adjusted and considered other options, such as playing J.J. Russell.

Russell only got into the game when Lavonte David went down with an ankle injury in the second half. The defensive play-caller stuck by his struggling linebacker, and it did not pay off.

Britt continued to give up the middle of the field for Cousins to find his wide receivers and tight end. Not only were there chunk plays, but he was also most at fault for Kyle Pitts’ 49-yard touchdown. He shuffled his feet backward and was late on the route, spending most of the time running behind Pitts and not being in position to break up the play.

Bucs’ Pass Rush

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs’ front seven did generate some pressure on Kirk Cousins, but they failed to wrap up the immobile veteran quarterback. The team did get two sacks, both by reserve defensive tackle C.J. Brewer. Their collective inability, however, to take him down allowed him to get into a rhythm through the air.

Making it worse is that it was not for a lack of trying, as blitzes were dialed up often. Their lack of success upfront created a trickle-down effect and contributed to the secondary’s struggles.

OLB Yaya Diaby

Part of the Bucs defense’s inability to disrupt Kirk Cousins, Yaya Diaby was a non-factor in Sunday’s game. Diaby was credited with one of the team’s four quarterback hits, but that’s not enough for the top pass rusher on this team.

Fair or not, it’s on Diaby to lead the way given the inconsistency and inexperience behind him on the depth chart at outside linebacker. A game like Sunday’s in which he was largely shut down will damage the Tampa Bay defense every time, and he’ll need to bounce back and find a way to impact the game more moving forward.