Big November needed.
Hey, if Joe is going to use a two-game sample to wring his hands over the Bucs’ offense, then he will also give props to the Bucs’ defense in those same games.
Sure, the Bucs lost to Detroit. Eh, it happens. The Lions, given previous, um, transactions with the zebras, were frothing at the mouth waiting for the Bucs to enter their den. The stars were not aligned.
But then the Bucs’ defense seal-clubbed the slimy Saints. Nearly pitched a shutout.
Typing for Yahoo!, Charles McDonald said the month of November will be the [make-or-break month](http://When the Bucs play high-quality teams like the Lions, that level of performance isn’t going to cut it because Tampa’s defense has too many cracks in the armor to shut down good offenses in the NFL. The Bucs are a bit slow at the second level and extremely gettable if teams can get past their defensive line. Their overall numbers are solid for the season, but teams like the Seahawks, Lions and even Jets have had success moving the ball against them.) for the Bucs they could be sitting pretty on Thanksgiving leading the pack for home-field advantage in the playoffs or the Bucs could have a rotten Thanksgiving, backed into a corner fighting for their playoff lives.
McDonald believes Baker Mayfield cannot have a bad game like he did against the Lions if the Bucs desire the top seed in the playoffs.
When the Bucs play high-quality teams like the Lions, that level of performance isn’t going to cut it because Tampa’s defense has too many cracks in the armor to shut down good offenses in the NFL. The Bucs are a bit slow at the second level and extremely gettable if teams can get past their defensive line. Their overall numbers are solid for the season, but teams like the Seahawks, Lions and even Jets have had success moving the ball against them.
Again, Joe isn’t sweating how the Bucs got a scare from the Seahawks or got beat by the Lions. Good teams will test a team. Or they should.
Joe doesn’t believe the Bucs have a crack on defense, unless it’s pass defense by SirVocea Dennis.
Let’s break down the Lions game, shall we? In the six previous games prior to the Bucs-Lions game, the Lions averaged 37 points a game at home, including in a playoff loss to the Commandos last winter.
The Bucs held the Lions to 24 and the offense did little to nothing to keep the defense on the bench and rest. Holding a strong offense like the Lions to 13 points below their average and holding them to 24 points Joe thinks is damn good.
And let’s be real: You hold any team to 24 points, that’s a winnable game.
So the players that are banged up for the Bucs, Joe sure hopes they healed up the past few days and into next week. The Bucs will need them through the month of November.
(Future NFL MVP?) Baker Mayfield and Tristan Wirfs of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers chatting with @Jackie_Redmond and apparently the big OT had some skating lessons when he was younger 😅 pic.twitter.com/W3uqvk4EkB
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) October 31, 2025