Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 X-Factors For The 2018 NFL Season

Kim Klement | USA TODAY Sports

It’s Time To Put Up Or Shut Up For The Defense

It’s too easy to point one particular person out for the horrible job the Buccaneers did on the defensive end in 2017. What the Bucs must get back to are the basics of tackling and focus. They play in a division where they will have to face three QBs who have won MVPs, played in Super Bowl’s and each made the playoffs last year.

In 2017, the Bucs’ defense finished the year ranked 23rd in rushing yards allowed and 32nd in passing yards allowed. There needs to be a serious improvement in those areas. With Winston out, the defense will have to carry the bulk of the responsibility on their shoulders so their season won’t get out of hand. This is why JPP was brought in.

While Gerald McCoy is a beast, the Bucs will need to find a way to get to the QB often. In 2017, the team as a whole finished with just 22 sacks. What’s awful about that is that there was no pressure on the QB which resulted in the Bucs’ secondary giving up so many yards through the air.

If the defense can remedy their issue on the front seven, then this could be a redemption season. If not, the Bucs will find themselves in another hole and jobs will be lost by season’s end.

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