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BY IRA KAUFMAN
The Buccaneer defense begins its Redemption Tour in an appropriate setting.
The Atlanta Falcons are the right opponent at the right time as Tampa Bay kicks off its 2025 season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. No rival has bedeviled Todd Bowles more often since he became head coach of the Bucs in 2022.
Week 1 will test the “killer instinct” Todd Bowles wants in his 2025 defense.
Before the Falcons imploded last fall, losing six of their final eight games, they appeared well on their way to ending Tampa Bay’s run atop the NFC South. In building a 6-3 record, Atlanta swept the Bucs in a pair of high-scoring matchups.
That improved the Falcons to 4-2 against the Bowles regime, shredding Tampa Bay’s pass defense in the process.
We’ll see if second-year pro Michael Penix Jr. can continue Atlanta’s habit of torching the Buc secondary. Kirk Cousins, Desmond Ridder and Marcus Mariota all had success against Bowles’ defense in the past three seasons and that Southern hospitality simply has to stop — beginning with the season opener.
In the last six matchups, Atlanta quarterbacks completed 66 percent of their throws with 12 TD passes. More significantly, Tampa Bay defenders registered only two interceptions during Atlanta’s 207 pass attempts.
Bowles says he’s looking for ballhawks. That’s why Tampa Bay selected defensive backs Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish on Day 2 of the draft. Penix is talented, but he’s still raw and the Bucs need to make a statement in Atlanta that they intend to win the division for the fifth consecutive season.
Bowles reviewed every game of the 2024 season in detail, especially the losses. He kept coming back to the number 7. That’s how many balls his defense picked off in 630 opportunities to grab a takeaway.
On the crap table, a 7 is known as a natural. On the football field, Tampa Bay’s 7 is a disgrace.
The most depressing setback of the regular season came right there at Atlanta in Week 5, where Cousins threw for 509 yards and four scores in a 36-30 OT victory. A late fourth-quarter fumble by Bucky Irving proved to be a critical mistake, but most of the blame falls on a defense that allowed 42 completions.
Only seven times in NFL history has a defense yielded more.
Returning to the scene of the crime gives Tampa Bay an early chance to atone for past sins. Bowles has been talking about developing a “killer instinct” in 2025. This Week 1 matchup offers an opportunity to remind the Falcons who’s boss.
Atlanta has averaged 31 points against the Bucs in the last three meetings. The Falcons boast a strong running game, but let’s not confuse their offense with the 2000 Rams.
Now it’s up to Bowles, bolstered by intriguing newcomers, to establish a new defensive tone from the start.
Some NFL clubs aren’t happy with their Week 1 opponent. The Bucs should be elated.
They should thank the NFL’s schedule maker for providing an immediate opportunity to make a statement to the rest of the division — it’s good to be the king.
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