(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
The defense arguably won this game, and they were mostly stellar. But there is a caveat behind that “mostly.”
The obvious good is the three turnovers credited to the Bucs, though we’d argue that one of them wasn’t particularly to the defense’s credit. The first Bucs turnover came from a botched snap between Minnesota’s center and QB Kirk Cousins, and while it was heads-up of Tampa Bay to get the ball, that was mostly a Vikings-specific error. The other two turnovers, however, were all Tampa Bay — Antoine Winfield made a great play to strip sack and subsequently recover a fumble off Cousins and undrafted rookie Christian Izien made a phenomenal play to force a pick out of WR K.J. Osborn’s hands. Tampa Bay’s wonky run defense from last year doesn’t look to be returning, as it held the Vikings to just 41 yards on the ground.
But all that glitters, as we know, isn’t gold.
The Bucs gave up 328 passing yards, mainly from the connection of Cousins to WR Justin Jefferson, who caught a staggering nine passes for 150 yards. Turnovers prevented those yards from really counting, which is why the defense grades positive, but that may not be the case in future games if other QBs are able to rack up so many yards.
Other highlights, including linebacker Devin White’s best game in Tampa Bay in good long while, give the defense high marks.
