There were plenty of changes to the defense for Todd Bowles’ Bucs this offseason, with the addition of a high-priced pass rusher in outsdie linebacker Haason Reddick, as well as some additions and a big change on the back end of the defense with the drafting of cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish and the move of Tykee Smith from nickelback to safety.
So, in Tampa Bay’s season opener at Atlanta last Sunday, all eyes were on what was perceived to be an improved pass rush, as well as better, tighter coverage that Bowles had promised now that he had the personnel to attack offenses that way.
There were positive signs from the pass rush, and especially from Reddick. Todd Bowles did play more man-to-man coverage, and the cornerbacks delivered in those situations.
But the underrated and understated key for Tampa Bay’s defense in that win was the way it played the run. Of course it was, right?
Bucs ILB SirVocea Dennis and Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier – Photo by: USA Today
All-world running back Bijan Robinson hurt the Bucs defense in the passing game, catching six of his seven targets for 100 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown. But Robinson was held in check on the ground, averaging only 2.0 yards per carry on his way to 24 rushing yards. Tyler Allgeier was limited to 24 yards on 10 carries himself, averaging out to only 2.2 yards per attempt.
So, how did the Bucs do it? It shouldn’t come as any surprise given this defense’s track record against the run under Todd Bowles. But Robinson spoke about the Falcons’ struggles on the ground earlier this week and from what he had to say, it sure sounds like Bowles and his defensive staff had something special in store for this Week 1 game.
“They came out in a look that we haven’t seen,” Robinson said. “Our playbook got shorter, and we were trying to run other plays to outscheme them. We prepared for something completely different. It wasn’t about effort or anything like that. We were just outmatched in that game.”
Score another one for Todd Bowles, defensive mastermind.
Bucs’ Dominance Against The Run Is Nothing New – It’s The Standard
Todd Bowles arrived in Tampa Bay with Bruce Arians’ coaching staff in 2019, and ever since, stuffing the run has been the standard for the Bucs defense. Of course, credit that partly to Bowles’ philosophy and partly to the human run-stuffing machine himself, Vita Vea, who was drafted in the first round of the 2018 Draft.
In Vea’s rookie year, the Bucs allowed 123.9 rushing yards per game, which ranked 24th in the league. Bowles’ arrival in 2019 changed things, as did the addition of Ndamukong Suh to pair with Vea up front. That year, Tampa Bay allowed only 73.9 rushing yards per game, leading the league in that category.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
The Bucs’ run defense remained the NFL’s best in the 2020 Super Bowl season, giving up only 80.6 yards per game. That number crept up to 92.5 in 2021, but that still ranked as the league’s third best. The defense got away from its roots in 2022 and allowed 120.7 yards per game on the ground, which ranked 15th.
But Bowles’ Bucs returned to its status as a top five unit in 2023, giving up just 95.3 yards per game to rank fifth. Then came last year, when their 97.8 average ranked fourth.
The year-to-year numbers are impressive in their own right, but looking at the defense’s overall body of work against the run in Todd Bowles’ tenure paints the picture even better.
Since 2019, Tampa Bay leads the NFL in fewest rushing yards allowed, fewest yards per rush and fewest rushing touchdowns allowed. In Bowles’ six years with the Bucs, the team’s run defense has been the league’s best twice and has been inside the top five in five of those six seasons.
It’s only been one game, but the Bucs are off to a good start in their quest to make that six top five finishes in seven seasons under Bowles. Up next is Monday night’s game against a Texans rushing attack that is led by veteran Nick Chubb, who ran for 60 yards on 13 carries last week in a loss to the Rams.