Safety Antoine Winfield Jr., left, and linebacker Lavonte David, right, stop Saints running back Devin Neal during the Bucs' 23-3 victory Oct. 26 in New Orleans.
Safety Antoine Winfield Jr., left, and linebacker Lavonte David, right, stop Saints running back Devin Neal during the Bucs' 23-3 victory Oct. 26 in New Orleans.
TAMPA — It was a postgame handshake not spiced with trash talk, but a testimony. Saints safety Justin Reid grabbed Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. near midfield Oct. 26 at the Superdome, laughed and shook his head.
“Every time I play your ass, you get a turnover,” Reid said. “Every time, bro. Every time! Since I’ve been with Houston, Kansas City. Every time. Go get it, ‘Tweeze. Go get it, man!”
The Bucs defense had just destroyed the Saints by forcing four turnovers, including a pick six and forced fumble by Anthony Nelson. Winfield had six tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. If not for an inadvertent whistle, he would have scored at least one touchdown from those turnovers.
“We just feed off each other,” Winfield said. “Somebody is making plays. You’re happy for them, and you just want to make that next play, so everybody is happy to feed off that.”
Considering all their injuries on offense, the best reason the Bucs have a chance to keep their season afloat is because Todd Bowles’ defense is doing what it does best: stealing the football, flipping field position and momentum, and turning chaos into confidence.
That’s why over the next three games — at home against the Patriots and at the Bills and Rams — turnovers aren’t just the plan.
They’re the prayer.
The Bucs offense is hanging on. In the last two games, they’ve accounted for a total of only 25 points. Injuries to receivers Mike Evans (collarbone) and Chris Godwin (fibula), running back Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder), and tackles Luke Goedeke (foot) and Tristan Wrifs (knee) have held them back.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has been playing hurt, battling knee and oblique injuries.
That’s why it’s the Bucs defense that has to drive the bus until Mayfield can get some of his playmakers back.
![Bucs safety Tykee Smith (23), shown tackling Saints receiver Chris Olave on Oct. 26, is the only NFL player with 65-plus tackles, two-plus sacks and five-plus passes defensed this season.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 398"/%3E)
Bucs safety Tykee Smith (23), shown tackling Saints receiver Chris Olave on Oct. 26, is the only NFL player with 65-plus tackles, two-plus sacks and five-plus passes defensed this season.
“Obviously, it makes our life a lot easier on offense,” Mayfield said. “After seeing them in practice, during training camp, offseason and all that, all the pressures (Bowles) can dial up. There are some guys that are nicked up on the defense, but the young guys have stepped up in a big way.”
Mayfield singled out the versatility created by moving second-year defensive back Tykee Smith to safety and rookie Jacob Parrish playing at nickel.
”They are starting to play together and realize how to disguise certain things, and it is really fun to watch," Mayfield said. “I do not love playing against it, but it is fun to watch.”
The strength of the defense has been Bowles’ creativity and the improved secondary.
Opposing quarterbacks have the fourth lowest collective passer rating (79.8) when targeting Bucs defensive backs and the second fewest yards per target (6.5). Six of Tampa Bay’s 25 sacks, 10 of its quarterback hits and 24 pressures have come from the secondary. The 16 tackles for loss by defensive backs is tied for the most with the Giants.
Moving Smith from nickel has been a resounding success. He’s the only NFL player with 65-plus tackles, two-plus sacks and five-plus passes defensed. Cornerback Jamel Dean is having a career year. He’s tied for fourth in the NFL with three interceptions, including a pick six, while forcing two fumbles.
When the Bucs are at their best, their defense is creating turnovers.
![Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) had six tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in the win over the Saints, part of an opportunistic Bucs defense that forced four turnovers.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 413"/%3E)
Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) had six tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in the win over the Saints, part of an opportunistic Bucs defense that forced four turnovers.
“We practice it all the time,” Bowles said. “They come in bunches. I can’t tell you that there is one thing we do differently that we have not been doing. I have been around when we practiced it daily every day and did everything we could and we got none, and I have been around when we hardly practiced it and we got a bunch of them.
“They come in bunches, and the guys start seeing it and they feed off of it, and we just have to keep that going.”
That’s especially true Sunday against the Patriots and quarterback Drake Maye. The former North Carolina star is having a great year, ranking second in the NFL in passer rating (116.9) and tied for fourth with 17 passing touchdowns.
“Great legs,” Bowles said. ”He really has a knack for finding a hole to run in, but at the same time great touch on the ball, great arm strength. Great feel for the game. Understanding where his guys are, and I think (Patriots offensive coordinator) Josh (McDaniels) has done a great job getting him ready to play and understanding how he has to play and executing for them."
If you look at their overall rankings, the Bucs defense appears fairly average. It is 16th in total defense, allowing 321.4 yards per game. It is tied for 13th in scoring defense, allowing 22.3 points per game.
But the secret sauce is creating chaos. Seven interceptions. Eight forced fumbles. Tied for fifth with 50 tackles for loss. Tied for eighth with 25 sacks.
“I have hit on it 1,000 times talking about the culture here, the competition level within the building, trying to elevate the standard and to just elevate our game overall,” Mayfield said. “When you have any of our players that have stepped up in a big way, you want to be the next one to go out there and make the play. It just comes down to doing your job at a high level. and those guys are in the right spot at the right time.”
Up next
vs. Patriots, 1 p.m. Nov. 9, Raymond James Stadium TV/radio: CBS; 97.9-FM
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