Buccaneers Offense and Defense Miles Apart in Statistical Rankings Ahead of Week 10

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense has delivered — the defense has not.

Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) scrambles against Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Chris Braswell (43) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a playoff push to make. And to make it, they're going to have to play better football on the defensive side of the ball.

The Bucs dropped a close 30-24 game in overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs last Monday, the second game of theirs to go to overtime after not doing so the entirety of the 2023 season. It brought the team down to 4-5, which makes a potential playoff push much harder — especially given that the team is set to play the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10 in what could be a crucial game for their Wild Card chances.

We'll start with Tampa Bay's offense. The Bucs have been one of the league's best offensive units, ranking top five in five different categories and No. 6 in yards per play. They've been consistently putting up points even without weapons like Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, and the work that offensive coordinator Liam Coen has done has been nothing short of fantastic.

Here's how Tampa Bay's offense looks statistically so far:

Buccaneers Offense	Value, Rank
Points per game	28.8 (No. 5)
Yards per game	377.8 (No. 5)
Yards per play	6.0 (No. 6)
Third down conversion %	51.82% (No. 2)
Fourth down conversion %	50.00% (No. 21)
Red zone scoring % (TDs)	70.59% (No. 3)
TDs per game	3.4 (No. 3)

The defense is a different story.

Tampa Bay has given up 27 or more points in their last five games and have gone 1-4 in that same span. They are bottom five in three defensive stats here below and very close to bottom five on two more of them, giving up and incredible amount of points and yards week in and week out. The defense simply has to play better — play average, even — to help Tampa Bay in the long run, and right now, it's doing much, much worse.

Here's how Tampa Bay's defense stacks up to the rest of the league:

Buccaneers Defense	Value, Rank
Opp Points per game	27.0 (No. 28)
Opp Yards per game	386.7 (No. 30)
Opp Yards per play	5.8 (No. 27)
Opp Third down conversion %	43.10% (No. 23)
Opp Fourth down conversion %	73.68% (No. 29)
Opp Red zone scoring % (TDs)	60.00% (No. 21)
Opp TDs per game	3.1 (No. 27)

The Bucs and head coach Todd Bowles will simply have to be better. That could start in Week 10, but it certainly needs to start after the bye week.

READ MORE: ESPN Analyst Makes Midseason Playoff Prediction for Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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