Extra Point: Takeaways From The Buccaneers Win Over The Vikings
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went into Minnesota as underdogs and came out with a 20-17 win against the Vikings on Sunday. There are plenty of things the team needs to improve on, but there were a ton of positives to take away from the season opener as well.
Here are my top three takeaways from the Bucs Week 1 victory.
Run Defense Looks Sharp
The Buccaneers defense looked good as a whole getting pressure on quarterback Kirk Cousins and coming up with three turnovers. However, the run defense brought back the shades of old. The Bucs only allowed 41 yards on the ground on the day. Holding Alexander Mattison to just 34 yards on 11 carries and a 3.1 yards per carry average.
Vita Vea was constantly in the backfield. While Logan Hall, Lavonte David, and William Gholston all racked up tackles for loss. When the ball carrier did get past the line of scrimmage Devin White was usually there to prevent a big gain.
If the Bucs can get back to their run-stopping defense of old, it will make teams one-dimensional and signal long days for the opposing quarterbacks.
READ MORE: GAME RECAP: Baker Mayfield Leads Buccaneers To Gritty Victory in Minnesota
Adjustments Were Key To Victory
In the first half, the Buccaneers couldn't get anything going on offense heading into halftime with just 95 yards from scrimmage. On the defensive side, they had no answer for Justin Jefferson in the second quarter who torched them for 138 yards.
Coming out of the mid-game break things would change on both sides of the ball. Jefferson would be limited to just two receptions for 12 yards. Meanwhile, the offense got things going with a 9-minute drive, ending in a touchdown to rookie receiver Trey Palmer.
The adjustments made by head coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Dave Canales proved to be clutch and played a large part in the Bucs coming out victorious.
Last season one of the biggest failures on offense was the refusal to make second-half adjustments. Realizing the run game and play-action boots weren't working, Canales switched to a shotgun hurry-up offense which yielded the results needed to help win the game.
Offense Still A Work In Progress
While they did enough to get the win, the Buccaneers offense still has a ways to go. A slow start on offense could've cost them the game if not for three turnovers in the first half by the defense. They showed resolve in the second half by making the necessary adjustments to turn things around. But there is still fine-tuning needed to be done.
However, that is expected with a first-time play-caller in Canales and an offense that had limited time together in the preseason. The offensive line had a few blunders and Mayfield missed some open throws and reads, but as the team gets more playing time together the results should improve.
The Vikings are in the middle of a retool on defense with play caller Brian Flores, who brought plenty of heat, but the Buccaneers will face much better defenses this season. With a beatable opponent next week in the Bears, improvement will need to be seen before the Eagles come to town in Week 3.
VIDEO: Buccaneers Rookie Wide Receiver Scores First Career Touchdown
Three Up Three Down
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Devin White
White had a game to remember in Week 1. Everything the Bucs have been looking to see from him was on display. While he didn't get to the quarterback, consistency in tackling, coverage and play recognition were there to see. He finished the game with a team-high 12 tackles, including one for a loss.
Antoine Winfield Jr
What a homecoming it was for Winfield Jr who was everywhere on Sunday. He racked up eight tackles, two quarterback hits, and a pass breakup. To go with a strip sack, fumble, and recovery that set up the Bucs' first points of the game. A move back to his natural position at free safety looks to have paid early dividends for the former Pro Bowler.
Baker Mayfield
While he and the offense struggled mightily to get anything going early, Mayfield turned it around at the close of the second quarter leading the Bucs on a touchdown drive finding Mike Evans for a 28-yard score.
In the second half, things looked like they started to click for Mayfield and the offense throwing for 110 yards and two scoring drives. Which included a nine-minute touchdown drive out of the half and a game-winning throw to Chris Godwin that let him finish the game in victory formation.
VIDEO: Baker Mayfield Throws First Touchdown Strike to Mike Evans
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Ko Kieft
Kieft was featured early on with the first two passes of the game headed his way. However, Kieft couldn't come down with either catch. Including one of which would've set the Bucs up with a fresh set of downs. On the next drive, he had an opportunity to put Tampa Bay on the board early but failed to reel in a pass from Mayfield. While the pass was a little high it was a catch he should've made.
Luke Goedeke
There were times when Goedeke handled himself pretty well against the Vikings' dynamic pass rusher Danielle Hunter. However, he was called for a holding penalty early on and was part of the block that let up the line-only sack on Mayfield. Hunter wreaked havoc on the day with seven tackles, two for loss, the sack, and a pass breakup.
Ryan Neal
Neal got caught out of position on several plays including Jordan Addison's 39-yard touchdown. There were other instances in the game where it appeared Neal wasn't in the right spot including a 30-yard grab by Jefferson in the first quarter. Neal has been praised all camp for his chemistry with Winfield Jr. but found themselves at times not on the same page against the Vikings.
Final Thoughts
The Buccaneers will look to build on the momentum of this win when they head back to Tampa Bay for their home opener against the Chicago Bears. The defense needs to tighten up in the passing game, but they also won't be playing a premiere wide receiver like Jefferson every week either.
If they can continue to shut down the run and force turnovers it should allow the offense the time needed to work out all the kinks. The national media counted out the Bucs, but they came out hungry in Week 1 and proved them wrong. They will need to string a lot more wins like this together to be in contention to win the NFC South division title this season.
You can follow JC Allen on Twitter @JCAllenNFL.
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