Bucs Are Still Kings Of The South

It’s time for Scott Reynolds’ 2-Point Conversion post-game column, which features two statements, two questions and two predictions based on the latest Bucs game.

Tampa Bay opened up the season with a wild win in Atlanta, getting some revenge on the Falcons in a 23-20 thriller. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns, including two to rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka, who caught the game-winner with less than a minute left in regulation. The Bucs defense bent, but didn’t break, as both teams’ kickers missed crucial field goals in the second half, including one from Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo that could’ve tied the game up at the end.

2 BIG STATEMENTS


STATEMENT 1. Bucs Are Still Kings Of The South

The Falcons “Falconed” again on Sunday, this time in a 23-20 home loss to the Bucs in Week 1.

That means they choked, just as they did at the end of last year, losing overtime games to Washington and Carolina in the last two weeks of the season when Atlanta was 8-7. The Falcons were in the driver’s seat in the NFC South after sweeping the Bucs in 2024 – only to lose the division to Tampa Bay, which got hot down the stretch and won its final two games of the year to finish 10-7.

Thanks to a last-second miss by kicker Younghoe Koo, the Falcons failed to tie Sunday’s game and sent the Bucs home a winner – and with an early 1-0 win in the division.

The word “revenge” wasn’t really thrown around a lot in the Bucs locker room. Tampa Bay obviously knows that Atlanta is a good team. That was evident in both losses to the Falcons last year.

A Week 1 loss would not have crushed the Bucs. It’s a long season, and the rematch will come on Thursday night in Tampa Bay in Week 15. So that’s why Todd Bowles and Co. treated this like a regular game in the media.

But deep inside, this was a revenge game for Bowles and the Bucs. That was clear with Bowles’ postgame “Yeahhhhhhh!” primal scream in the victorious locker room.

Bowles made it clear that he wanted his team to develop a killer instinct this year and not wait around until the end of the year in Week 17 or Week 18 to clinch yet another division title. Tampa Bay was the only Week 1 winner in the NFC South and won’t have another division game until Week 8 at New Orleans.

Atlanta gets the chance to taste victory for the first time in the NFC South in Week 3 at Carolina, which will be a revenge game for the Falcons after the Panthers’ Week 18 triumph in the Mercedes-Benz Dome gave Arthur Blank’s team a losing record for the seventh straight year.

Meanwhile Tampa Bay enjoys the satisfaction of being in the pole position early as it chances a franchise and division record fifth straight NFC South title. Perhaps no Bucs player enjoyed Sunday’s win more than kicker Chase McLaughlin, who missed a field goal of his own as well as an extra point.

Seeing Koo and the Falcons “Falcon” was a great way to start what could be a super 2025 season in Tampa Bay.

STATEMENT 2. Emeka Egbuka Is As Legit As We Said He Was

Remember that killer instinct that Todd Bowles wanted his team to develop this year? Well, it didn’t quite happen on defense – Bowles’ side of the ball.

Tampa Bay surrendered a long, 91-yard drive that gave the Falcons a 20-17 lead late in the fourth quarter, and then allowed Atlanta to drive down the field for a potential game-tying field goal at the end of the game.

But the Bucs offense did show a killer instinct in a Week 1, recapturing the lead with less than a minute left thanks a 25-yard touchdown catch by rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka, who had two TDs in his NFL debut. Emeka’s second score proved to be the game-winner and he hauled in a laser beam from Baker Mayfield, who overcame a slow start to throw three TDs in Week 1.

“We practice two-minute,” Egbuka said. “When it gets to that situation we’re down by three and with a field goal to tie – we’re shooting to kill. We want the win. That’s just our mentality. A field goal can be plan B, and that’s cool, but we want seven.”

Emeka had a step on Falcons cornerback Mike Hughes on his second touchdown and effortlessly caught Mayfield’s strike like a ho-hum reception he made over and over again in training camp. Even when it’s spectacular play for the rookie receiver, Egbuka just makes it look routine.

I’ve gone on record saying that Egbuka, who finished with four catches for 67 yards, is the best rookie receiver I’ve ever covered in Tampa Bay. Right now, he’s better than Mike Evans was in 2014 and he’s better than Chris Godwin Jr. was as a rookie in 2017.

On Sunday in Atlanta, Egbuka did his best Godwin impersonation as the fill-in slot receiver to help Tampa Bay start the season 1-0.

Not Godwin as a rookie. Egbuka looked like Godwin the polished pro.

We all got excited to see Jalen McMillan catch eight touchdowns last year during his rookie season. Well, Egbuka already has two – and there are 16 more games to go.

“He’s as advertised – and then some,” said Bucs right tackle Luke Goedeke.

2 PROBING QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1. Is SirVocea Dennis Truly An Upgrade At ILB?

Yes, but there is no doubt that SirVocea Dennis had his share of struggles in his first start at middle linebacker in Sunday’s 23-20 win at Atlanta. Dennis replaced last year’s starter, K.J. Britt, who wasn’t re-signed this offseason.

To better answer this question, ask yourself this: would Britt have made any of the plays that Dennis missed? Doubtful, as Britt is not as fast nor as athletic as Dennis is.

Yet Dennis was no match for covering running back Bijan Robinson out of the backfield in the flat. The third-year Bucs inside linebacker got out-athleted by Robinson on a 50-yard receiving score in the first quarter and again in the third quarter on another Robinson catch, while missing a few tackles in the game.

Also ask yourself: would Britt have made the same plays that Dennis made? Again, doubtful.  Dennis was tied for second on the team with 10 tackles (seven solo) in Atlanta on Sunday and had two tackles for loss and a pass breakup.

Britt only had one double-digit tackle game last year in 16 starts, including the Wild Card playoff loss to Washington, and two tackles for loss the entire season. Dennis had that in the 2025 season opener – and there are 16 more games to go.

“He didn’t struggle in coverage,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said. “The first one, he was ‘out-athleted.’ Bijan got him in open space, and he ran. The second one, he got greedy and tried to go for the sack instead of taking his man. We had to get him back down and pull up the game plan that way. Take away the two plays, he played a solid ball game. He had some big sticks himself and had a ton of experience.”

Dennis played well in the first four games last year platooning with Britt before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury against the Eagles. Had he stayed healthy, Dennis would’ve supplanted Britt as the starter by Week 5 or Week 6.

Before we get too down on Dennis from some gaffes in his first start, let’s give him some time to grow and learn on the job – while knowing that he is already an upgrade over Britt already.

QUESTION 2. Was The Bucs’ 4-Man Rush Good Enough In Week 1?

No, of course not. The Bucs’ four-man pass rush is and will be a work in progress after a solid, but not spectacular showing against the Falcons in Week 1.

Tampa Bay’s defensive front left some sacks on the field as Michael Penix Jr. found some escape lanes when pressured from the pocket. Penix ran for 21 yards on six carries and scored a go-ahead rushing touchdown on a fourth-and-goal at the 4-yard line late in the fourth quarter.

“We left some sacks on the field. We left quite a few,” said Bucs head coach Todd Bowles.

Yaya Diaby had a 14-yard sack of Penix negated by a facemask penalty by cornerback Jamel Dean. Newcomer Haason Reddick did have one sack in his Bucs debut, a big one on third down that ended a Falcons drive and forced a field goal that cut Tampa Bay’s third quarter lead to 17-13.

Bowles moved Reddick around and had him as an edge rusher and also at the linebacker level as an off-ball linebacker in base defense.

“We tried to run a little bit of base that looked like a nickel, a little nickel looked like base and move him around some so he wouldn’t be stuck, and he could be an active player,” Bowles said. “He was a very active player for us that way. It really helped us in the run game, as well as the pass game. I know he feels like he should have had two more sacks than he should have, but I like where he’s at. I like how he fits in here. He’s going to do nothing but benefit us.”

Hey, Reddick is on pace for a 17-sack season, right? I’d say a 10-sack season is more likely, which would certainly be welcomed in Tampa Bay.

Defensive tackles Vita Vea and Greg Gaines each got flagged for 15-yard roughing the passer penalties on Atlanta’s final touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, which didn’t help matters. But the best thing the front four did was combine for 11 tackles, three tackles for loss in helping to stymie the Falcons’ ground game. Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson combined to run for just 48 yards on 22 carries (2.4 avg.). That’s a good start – and the sacks will come as chemistry develops up front.

2 BOLD PREDICTIONS

PREDICTION 1. Bucs, Falcons Will Split The Series

The good news for Tampa Bay is that it beat Atlanta to start the 2025 season 1-0. The bad news is that it’s clear the Falcons have found their franchise quarterback in Michael Penix Jr., who passed for 298 yards with one touchdown and one rushing score. Penix showed plenty of poise in his fourth NFL start and made a bunch of plays against Todd Bowles’ defense.

“I told him after the game that he’s going be a problem in this league for a long time,” Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “I think he’s a great player. He’s decisive, goes through his reads, trusts his guys. He’s young, but he’s got it.”

That being said, I can see Penix, who is a Tampa-area native hailing from Dade City, and the Falcons getting some revenge in Week 15 and splitting the series with the Bucs. After all, it’s the creamsicle game – and Tampa Bay just doesn’t win in the orange jerseys.

PREDICTION 2. Tampa Bay Ends Primetime Slump In Houston

The Bucs lost all five of their primetime games last year, starting with a 36-30 overtime loss at Atlanta. That was followed by a pair of losses on Monday Night Football – a 41-31 defeat at home to Baltimore and a 30-24 loss at Kansas City. Then came a disappointing 26-24 defeat in Dallas on Sunday Night Football in Week 16 followed by a 23-20 home Wild Card loss in primetime to Washington.

The Bucs have the chance to end that losing streak and prove they can win in primetime next week versus the Texans. Tampa Bay travels to Houston for a Monday Night Football affair at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Texans struggled offensively versus the Rams in a 14-9 loss in Los Angeles to start the 2025 season, but were able to get Nick Chubb going with 60 yards on the ground in his debut with Houston. I predict the Bucs get a win in Houston with the pair of Galveston, Texas natives – wide receiver Mike Evans and cornerback Zyon McCollum – having big games near home.

Not only is Todd Bowles now 4-0 in season openers as the Bucs head coach, he’s also 3-0 in Week 2.

Make that 4-0.