One issue with Kindle Vildor.
One of the coolest defensive plays Joe has seen in a while from the Bucs at The Licht House came yesterday. Both bad and good.
Late in the first quarter, reserve cornerback Kindle Vildor read a pass from 49ers quarterback Mac Jones like a book.
Jones was throwing to his right near the sideline when Vildor saw what was coming and made a break for the ball, picking Jones off at 49ers-26.
Great read. Great coverage. Great break on the ball. There were no San Francisco players near him. So he housed the play and put six on the board, right? Not exactly.
Vildor seemed so intent on not dropping the attempted pass that he forgot he also had to run. Vildor caught the ball, began to run up the left sideline and he fell. No one was around to touch him down so he got up and fell down again.
Still, no 49ers player was near him Vildor so he got up yet again. And yet again, he fell. This time, Vildor must have thought, ‘The hell with it,’ and he just curled up in a ball with the football tucked away so no one could strip it.
Vildor looked like an ice skating beginner.
He could have been a star!
Clearly, Bucs coach Todd Bowles was happy about the play, except the part about hitting the deck three times without being touched.
“He has got to keep his feet,” Bowles said. “He made a heck of a read and made a heck of a play, all hats off to him. He is a very smart player, that is why we put him out there.
“He understands the game very well and the moment is not too big for him, so that started us off great.”
Damn right that started the Bucs off on the right foot. That pick came on San Francisco’s third play from scrimmage. Two plays later, Rachaad White punched it in from the 49ers-2 and the Bucs were up 7-0 before fans in The Licht House realized their overpriced Miller Lites were lukewarm.
Kindle Vildor stumbling his way to a takeaway
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— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025