Extra Point: Top Takeaways From Bucs' Win Over Lions

JC Allen delivers his biggest takeaways from the Buccaneers' 37-20 Victory over the Washington Commanders.

Sep 15, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles reacts after the Buccaneers defense stopped the Detroit Lions on a fourth down play late in the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers silenced the doubters and put the NFC on notice with their scrappy 20-16 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Heading into the season, the Buccaneers were once again overlooked and ignored, with many favoring the shiny new Falcons and relegating the Bucs to the bottom once again. Through two weeks the team has proved once again that ignoring them is at their own peril.

In a brilliantly called game on defense by Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, the offense found a way to put enough points on the board while the young players stepping into big roles on defense delivered. The Bucs displayed grit, toughness and attitude winning in a much different way than they did in Week 1. If the league still wasn't paying attention to this team after their win over the Commanders, their win over the Lions has certainly got their attention.

Here are my top takeaways from the Bucs 20- 16 win over the Lions.

Masterclass By Todd Bowles

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles put on a workshop with the defense he called against the Lions. Down his All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and ascending defensive linemen in Calijah Kancey, Bowles was dealt another blow when Vita Vea left the game in the third quarter. He didn't falter, though, and made the proper adjustments calling on Greg Gaines, who played 66 snaps, and elevated defensive linemen C.J. Brewer and Mike Greene to help fill the void.

The work he did with the secondary was particularly impressive. With WInfield Jr. out, Bowles called upon Christian Izien to man the free safety spot and he delivered with several big plays. The rotation he utilized with SirVocea Dennis and K.J. Britt as well as the play of Lavonte David allowed them to limit Sam LaPorta to career lows with just two receptions for 13 yards.

The bend don't break defense Bowles employed delivered several big stops including a fourth and eight stop at the six-yard line with the Lions looking to pull ahead with a minute left in the game and then another fourth down stop with six seconds remaining. The players executed but Bowles put them in the right places to make plays.

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Bucs Young Players Ball Out

It was a coming-out party for several young Bucs on defense. Cornerback Zyon McCollum, who was in concussion protocol up until Saturday, set the tone early by picking off Lions quarterback Jared Goff on his first play of the game. He finished with six tackles and only allowed one catch for four yards on five targets. He nearly came away with another pick, but Amon-Ra St. Brown ripped the ball out of his hands, and he made a game-clinching pass breakup on Jameson Williams on 3rd and 10 with 10 seconds left in the game.

Izien stepped up in a big way with a huge red zone interception with the Lions driving to take the lead, made the tackle on the fourth down stop the ensuing drive for the Lions at the six-yard line to force a turnover on downs and delivered a thumping hit on St. Brown earlier in the game that should've been ruled a fumble. Dennis also showed out in his opportunity, finishing with 10 tackles on the day and making several big plays including two big tackles on running back Jahmyr Gibbs when the Lions were driving down the field late in the game.

Sunday's win over the Lions was about the next man up, and the young Bucs on the team stepped up in their new roles when their number was called.

Bucs Show They Can Win Gritty

After the offensive explosion in Week 1, the Bucs had to win a different way against the Lions. It wasn't the high-scoring shootout many thought it could turn into with the Bucs down several players to injury and the Lions incorporating two rookies into the secondary. Instead, the game turned into a grind-it-out battle between the two teams looking to go 2-0 on the season. The win was a building block for the Bucs and a game that brings the team closer together and gives them confidence they can win the tough games by leaning on each other.

They're not always pretty, in fact, they can be downright ugly, but a win is a win and you get them however you can. Sunday's' victory over the Lions was an example of that. In a slugfest that came down to the wire, the Bucs have proved they can win those gritty types of games as well as the high-scoring contests.

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