WEEK 2 BUCCANEERS TOP PERFORMERS AT DETROIT LIONS

Not many, including yours truly, foresaw the outcome.

Down multiple starters and losing yet another in the middle of action, the Buccaneers persevered and triumphed over the Detroit Lions in the Motor City with a nail biting 20-16 victory.

It saw the stepping up over several homegrown talents, particularly on defense as the unit frazzled one of the most dynamic offenses in the league throughout all four quarters and held them to one of the worst red-zone performances in recent history (only one scoring conversion in seven possessions, a 14.3% success rate).

Tampa sitting at 2-0 going against a frankly terrible Denver Broncos team next week could not be a better table-setter for key games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints.

But let’s savor the day and call out the best of the best.

Offensive Top Performer: QB Baker Mayfield

This win doesn’t happen without Baker’s continued confidence and playmaking ability, simple as that.

He took some rough sacks, some his fault and some not, as everyone will talk about the whole 4.5-sack power trip from Aidan Hutchinson — rightfully so, he’s an awesome player! But usually when game-wreckers, well, wreck, that means that their team wins.

Not this day.

This one was one of those “look at the film, not the stat sheet” games for Mayfield. He evaded pressure several times, stepped up in clutch moments, and scored the damn ball enough to win.

On top of going 12 of 19 for 185 yards and a score, he checked in as the team’s leading rusher and put the moves on defenders better than either actual running back.

The Bucs might just have themselves a franchise signal-caller, guys.

We also need to shout out Chris Godwin for destroying his former teammate Carlton Davis and primarily driving the Bucs' passing game in the first half to the tune of 7 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. It’s hard to believe, but he’s possibly been more effective in just 2 games than basically all of last season.

Defensive Top Performer: CB Zyon McCollum

McCollum came into the league much more project than player. He was an absurd athlete, testing off the charts in several metrics as a fifth-rounder out of Sam Houston State but lacking polish.

His first two years were very much a learning curve, but he appears poised to break out now after completely dominating on Sunday. After notching his first career interception on Detroit’s opening drive, he continued to blanket Detroit’s outside receiver threats with four passes defensed and made several key tackles in run support — he finished with 6 solo tackles.

He wasn’t the only one laying the wood, as we all were treated to the familiar site of Jordan Whitehead absolutely hammering people at the line of scrimmage. The prodigal son’s return has been a welcome re-addition to the squad, as he played a huge role in containing Detroit’s lethal ground game. Whitehead led the team in tackles with 11 combined.

Speaking of mid-round picks with something prove, SirVocea Dennis seems to have seized the starting linebacker role from K.J. Britt. Simply too explosive to keep off the field, Dennis looked smooth in coverage and made plenty of critical stops in his 10-tackle performance.

The young guns all stepped up.

Special Teams Top Performer: K Chase McLaughlin

McLaughlin handled his business, which is all you can ask for in a hotly contested slugfest. His first two kicks — one from 55 yards — gave the team a critical cushion when the offense couldn’t capitalize on ripe opportunities. He then chipped his two extra-point attempts to keep things as uninteresting as possible, which was welcomed considering the team’s punter tried to make the whole situation as uncomfortable as possible.

Special teams, baby!

2024-09-16T02:14:47Z dg43tfdfdgfd