(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
…but not as much of a big part as this was.
The Buccaneers defense was absolutely stifling, recording six sacks and netting two interceptions on the day. The Bears were held to just 236 total yards and really stifled Chicago’s vaunted rushing attack, holding them to just 67 total yards on the day.
There were almost too many contributors to name against the Bears. cornerback Christian Izien had a great game with a pick and an almost-forced fumble, outside linebacker Shaq Barrett caught an interception for a pick six, OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was involved in two sacks, defensive lineman Vita Vea was an all-around monster and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. had one of the best pass breakups of the year. Almost every player on the Bucs defense played well, but that doesn’t mean everyone did.
CB Zyon McCollum had a good pass breakup and was overall fine in coverage, but his tackling remains nigh diabolical. CB Jamel Dean, even before he was hurt, has been consistently getting burned in coverage and will need to improve over the course of the year. Finally, S Ryan Neal has continued to be a problem for the second week in a row and will have to improve on all aspects going forward to contend with the best squads.
Overall, though? Domination, which is why we have our marks so high.
