RECAP: Buccaneers' Rediscover Their Winning Ways in Impressive Effort Overseas
It was an exciting matchup between two NFC Division leaders — the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — who faced off at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
Right from the start of this game, the Buccaneers' defense came to play. Although they have been excellent defending the pass all season -- with an 82.5 coverage grade according to PFF -- the team's inability to stop the run has been a shocking development under the tutelage of their head coach and defensive specialist, Todd Bowles, this season.
Well, they bucked that trend in a big way in Munich, Germany, as the Buccaneers' defense seemed to rediscover their true identity, putting on a clinic in terms of stuffing the Seahawks' very serviceable rushing attack, led by standout rookie running back, Kenneth Walker.
READ MORE: WATCH: Leonard Fournette throws interception while targeting Tom Brady
On the other side of the ball, we saw a level of efficiency from the Buccaneers' offense that has been missing for...well, the entire season.
Tampa Bay recorded two touchdowns in the first half, including a 30-yard catch-and-run by Julio Jones, which was the team's longest touchdown through their first 10 games of the season.
In what was a pleasant surprise for anyone trying to enjoy some good old-fashioned American football, the Buccaneers' were running the ball with determination and effectiveness throughout the first half of this game. Offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich — who has rightfully fallen under harsh criticism this season — was mixing his decisions to run or pass with much more rhythm (and logic) than at any other point this year.
Unfortunately, Leftwich decided to throw that logic out the window early in the second half.
With Tom Brady in the midst of orchestrating a beautiful drive deep into Seattle territory, the Bucs' decided to snap the ball directly to running back, Leonard Fournette, in a wildcat formation, to try and catch the defense sleeping. The decision was surely predicated on a direct snap to Fournette just a few plays earlier, where Tom Brady was left alone on the far sideline. However, having just seen this formation a matter of moments earlier, the Seahawks' defense was prepared and made sure to stick a defender on Brady — just in case.
WATCH: Tom Brady, Julio Jones Score Longest Bucs Touchdown of Season
Well, with the ball in his hands, and clearly feeling frisky, Fournette decided to throw the ball across the field to Brady anyway. Naturally, this resulted in an easy interception for Seattle's standout rookie cornerback, Tariq Woolen. And for the Bucs, it was a brutal end to an otherwise perfect offensive possession.
But as was the case for the majority of this football game, the Buccaneers' defense came to play. And with Seattle initially appearing to take advantage of the gifted possession from the Bucs, Geno Smith was able to march his offense (for the first time all game) into Tampa territory.
It was then that Smith found himself acting indecisively with the pocket collapsing around him, and instead of throwing it away, he was met by Bucs' linebacker, Devin White. White registered a strip sack on the play, resulting in a fumble recovery by Anthony Nelson, giving the Bucs the ball back in their own territory with 2:29 to play in the third quarter.
Unlike the offense we've seen for the majority of this season, Brady and the Bucs weren't going to waste back-to-back offensive possessions. Brady led an aggressive drive, which was fuelled by a beautiful 29-yard run that saw Rachaad White slash through Seahawks defenders like a steak knife through butter.
The drive carried into the fourth quarter and was capped off with Chris Godwin's first touchdown reception of the season, and Brady's second passing touchdown of the game, giving the Bucs a 21-3 lead.
The Seahawks responded though, in what was Geno Smith's first complete drive of the game, he completed a nice touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett in the middle of the end zone to register the team's first touchdown of the contest. Hoping to close the gap even further, Pete Carroll opted to go for the two-point conversion, which was unsuccessful. The pass was broken up by Devin White, who was all over the field, all game long.
It was 21-9 Buccaneers at that point.
WATCH: Leonard Fournette throws interception while targeting Tom Brady
So with just 7 minutes left in the game, Tom Brady, who had played a fantastic game up until that point, made a crucial mistake. He lofted a pass over the middle of the field — most likely targeting Mike Evans, but the ball wasn't even close — which was picked off by Seattle linebacker, Cody Barton.
So with just over half of a quarter to play, trailing by 12 points, the Seahawks had some life. Shortly after converting a 4th and 4 to Tyler Lockett, Geno Smith scrambled for a significant gain to give his team another 1st down in Tampa territory, which this time led to a 19-yard touchdown strike to from Smith to Marquise Goodwin in the corner of the endzone. This late score helped Seattle close the deficit to just 5 points with just under 4 minutes to play.
And on the Bucs' final drive of the game, Tampa Bay's offense did something that Bucs' fans have been calling for all year, which was hand the keys to rookie running back, Rachaad White.
From there, White did the rest, as he pretty much single-handedly marched the length of the field to cap off what was a career performance for the talented back out of Arizona State. He finished the game with 105 yards rushing on 22 carries, helping the Buccaneers re-establish a run game that most people thought was dead and buried.
By the time the clock ran out, the Buccaneers had prevailed over the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks by a score of 21-16.
The unsung hero of this game was the Buccaneers' offensive line. As a unit, they handled pressure all day long, keeping their 45-year-old quarterback out of harm's way, all the while creating gaping holes in the run game for both Rachaad White and Leonard Fournette to run through — from the start of the first quarter, through to the end of the fourth.
On the other side of the ball, Devin White was a man on a mission. He finished the game with 9 total tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble.
With back-to-back victories under their belt for the first time since week 2, it appears as though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have finally found their footing. They've managed to grind their way back to .500, with a week off to look forward to, and plenty of momentum heading into their Week 12 matchup vs. the Cleveland Browns.
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