TAMPA, Fla. — When last we saw the Bucs defense, it was backsliding its way into December. That presumed hiccup against the Saints had segued to an all-out swoon.
The Bucs had been burned methodically (see Jared Goff) and vertically (see Tyreek Hill), allowing 12 touchdown passes in the past four games. Between weeks 9-12, they allowed 390.8 yards per contest, which ranked 27th in the NFL during that span.
As the bye week lingered, a fan base sought answers: How does this unit re-discover the sturdiness it brandished early on? How can it get off the field more consistently on third down? How can it neutralize the quarterbacks who get rid of the ball fast?
The responses have been clear and concise, with a distinctive common denominator: the f-word.
“Get back to fundamentals and communicate better,” defensive coordinator Todd Bowles said.
“Just getting back to the fundamentals,” outside linebackers coach Larry Foote noted.
“I think one of the biggest keys for us has been going back to our fundamentals,” defensive end Ndamukong Suh said.
On the surface, it seems a chorus of rhetoric; superficial sound bites wafting through airwaves and cyberspace while the underlying reasons for the dropoff lurk on video clips and game plans.
Or maybe, just maybe, there’s substance to their statements.
Consider the 27-24 loss to the Rams, where tackling — the most basic defensive fundamental in existence — betrayed the Bucs.
Or the ensuing 27-24 loss to the Chiefs, which featured a fundamental flaw in the scheme (specifically, trying to defend Hill with man coverage at the outset).
“Versus that kind of speed,” rookie safety Antoine Winfield said, “I would say you’ve got to double him, take him out of the game.”
And if fast starts are a fundamental prerequisite in the NFL, the Bucs have fallen woefully behind the curve lately. In its past four games, Tampa Bay has been outscored 52-7 in the first quarter. In those four periods, opponents were a collective 6-for-11 on third down.
“We do a great job in the second half,” coach Bruce Arians said. “But we’ve got to do a better job of matching the speed, especially if the team is in tempo, to start the ball games ... and get off the field on third downs.”
So how does that occur? Starts with crispness, and cognizance of the opponent’s game plan.
The Vikings (6-6), winners of five of their past six, likely will employ a succession of waggles (play-action bootlegs) with resurgent quarterback Kirk Cousins, who has 15 touchdown passes and only two picks in Minnesota’s past six games.
His favorite targets, veteran Adam Thielen (57 receptions) and rookie Justin Jefferson (61), average 12.6 and 17.0 yards per catch, respectively. Of course, setting up the aerial proficiency is FSU product Dalvin Cook, the NFL’s second-leading rusher (1,250 yards, 13 TDs, 5.0 yards per carry).
“Dalvin’s one of the best backs — arguably the best back — in the league right now, and they feature him,” Arians said. “He’s a great zone runner, he’s a downhill runner, one cut [and a] hard tackle. It’s going to be a great challenge defensively.”
Which leads us back to tackling. For all their recent shakiness, the Bucs still have surrendered the fewest rushing yards (890) and yards per carry (3.3) in the NFL. Effectively neutralizing Cook will free up edge specialists Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul to go after Cousins.
That will call for a back-to-basics approach.
“As you go through the season and you get to that middle of the season, you have that lull where you kind of get away from fundamentals a little bit and you just start working on the game plan,” Bowles said.
“We’ve got to get back to what we’ve been doing best and what we know how to do, and that’s the basic fundamentals of football. Whether it’s eye discipline, backpedaling, gap recognition and technique, hat-and-hands, just old-school football and playing the way we know how to play.”
If they fail to do so Sunday, the playoffs become a more bleak proposition.
That’s a fundamental truth.
