Buccaneers Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. One of Three Who 'Played Like Superstars'
Underdogs in Week 1 headed out to face the Minnesota Vikings the Tampa Bay Buccaneers surprised many outside of their circle, but not as many inside of it.
"It was a good win, it was a gritty win," Buccaneer coach Todd Bowles said during his Monday press conference.
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That gritty win for the Bucs was led by toughness and speed, specifically from quarterback Baker Mayfield who showed plenty of grit, but also from the defense and three members of that unit specifically.
"[Antoine] Winfield did a lot of things that Winfield does," Bowles said when asked about the level of confidence in his star safety. "He got tackles, he got sacks, he caused fumbles, he recovered fumbles, [and] got PBU's... Him, Devin [White], and Lavonte [David] are probably the fastest three guys on the field on our side of the ball, and they played like superstars."
Combined, that trio contributed 28 tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, a pass defended, a forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
It was a good week for some of Tampa Bay's top defenders, and a strong outing for linebacker Devin White who had plenty of eyes on him waiting to see what his play tempo would be after a very tumultous offseason.
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Of course, the three weren't the only defenders on the field and several others came up with big plays including undrafted rookie free agent Christian Izien.
"He took it with one hand," Bowles said of the impressive interception that maybe should have been ruled a fumble. "It was a heady football play on his part. It was a crafty move for a rookie, [and] I give him a lot of credit."
Credit is good, wins are better, and after one week the Buccaneers are in the half of the league that is undefeated.
Next week they'll host the Chicago Bears in one of 15 NFL games featuring a team looking to stay undefeated while sending their opponent to an 0-2 start to the season.
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 season.
