YaYa Diaby gets a key third-quarter interception against Dallas.
A weird thing is about the Bucs through five games is KitKat-eating head coach coach Todd Bowles just might be turning in one of his best defensive coaching jobs.
The Bucs have had one of the better defenses in the league this year. Sneaky good. And all of this without any edge rush (what’s new?).
Consider what NFL senior researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno dug up. The Bucs lead the NFL in total forced three-and-outs and have the highest percentage in the NFL of forcing three-and-outs.
(You’d think with those numbers the Bucs ought to be scoring points because they have, in theory, the ball more often than anyone else. Nope.)
The Bucs are also third-best in the league allowing the fewest first downs per game (16.3). Additionally, the Bucs rank third-best in rushing yards allowed per game (78.5).
Just imagine how sorry a team’s offense must be for a defense to lock down opposing offenses this well, and the same team not only struggles scoring (23rd), they can’t win unless they’re playing a total sieve of a defense.
#Sad
Buccaneers defense this season:
🔸 20 opp 3 & outs (1st)
🔸 45.5 opp 3 & out pct (1st)
🔸 16.3 opp 1st downs/game (3rd)
🔸 78.5 rush YPG allowed (3rd)
🔸 282.4 total YPG allowed (4th)
🔸 45.5 opp red zone pct (5th)
🔸 32.7 opp 3rd down pct (6th)