Ira Kaufman’s 10 Takeaways From Bucs-Bears

October 24th, 2021

BY IRA KAUFMAN

Derrick Brooks went to bed a happy man Sunday evening.

Tampa Bay’s Hall of Fame linebacker wanted to see style points from the Bucs, who were heavy favorites against the visiting Bears. There were style points along the way and 38 points on the Raymond James Stadium scoreboard en route to the first 6-1 start in franchise history.

This one was over before thousands of Chicago fans in attendance had time to down their first brewski. A long punt return and an interception set up short fields for a 14-0 advantage by the 11-minute mark.

The rest of the afternoon was spent seeing Mike Evans beat a series of double teams in the end zone and watching Jason Pierre-Paul chase Justin Fields all the way to Riverview.

The first half was a glimpse of what this team is capable of in defense of a championship. The 35-3 lead at intermission represented the most first-half points ever scored by the Bucs. The only issue remaining was deciding how long Bruce Arians would stick with Tom Brady, who had already thrown four TD passes from inside the 10-yard line.

Can you imagine flying in from O’Hare and donning a Khalil Mack jersey to watch this claptrap? After viewing a beatdown this absolute, some Chicago fans are returning to the Windy City Monday with a compelling question: how did this team win three of its first six games?

Here’s how the Bucs tuned up for a Halloween matchup against Jameis Winston and the Saints:

* The field position battle was incredibly one-sided. Five of Tampa Bay’s eight first-half possessions began in Chicago territory. The best start for the Bears in their 13 possessions was their own 35.

* The opening half was a modern-art masterpiece for the home team. The Bucs had zero giveaways, allowed zero sacks, committed zero penalties and didn’t allow Chicago to convert any of its seven third-down situations. Without the stout running of Bears rookie Khalil Herbert, who gained 91 of his 100 yards in the first two quarters, it could have been even more lopsided.

* Bucs rookie Jaelon Darden set the aggressive tone from the start with a 43-yard punt return to the Chicago 32, setting up Leonard Fournette’s 2-yard scoring plunge. Before Darden’s burst, the Bucs had been averaging less than 7 yards per punt return, so it was a timely contribution for Keith Armstrong’s special teams unit.

* Don’t look now, but Evans is on pace for 17 TD catches. He scored three times on Sunday, despite attracting plenty of attention in the red zone.

* It helps to be plus-4 in turnover differential as the Buc defense swallowed Fields whole, sacking him four times and posting three interceptions. Credit a relentless pass rush led by JPP, who finished with two sacks, 2 QB hits and a forced fumble despite not practicing all week. To say this guy is an athletic freak may be an understatement. Arians, who has been around plenty of special players, said Pierre-Paul is one of a kind.

* This Buc ground game is a gas, gas, gas. Fournette, Ronald Jones and Ke’Shawn Vaughn combined for 171 yards in 30 carries. Each back ripped off a gain of at least 15 yards and as a result, Brady attempted only 36 passes. That’s more like it.

* Speaking of No. 12, why was he still in the game early in the fourth quarter, throwing three times during a drive that ended with a Ryan Succop FG and a 38-3 lead? It was a risk, and an unnecessary one, involving Tampa Bay’s franchise player.

* With Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski sidelined and Scotty Miller still unavailable, Evans and Chris Godwin combined for 21 targets. They responded with 14 receptions for 187 yards and four scores. Just a little reminder about the incredible depth of weapons surrounding Brady.

* Many in the crowd arrived early, waiting two hours before kickoff for the gates to open. Chicago fans were plentiful and you could see a widespread migration to the beer stands as the opening quarter proceeded.

* The Bucs will head to the Superdome with an opportunity to open up at least a 2 1-2 game lead atop the NFC South before the bye week. They’re outscoring opponents by an average margin of 12 points per game and boast a plus-7 turnover ratio.

At this point, you have to like their chances to run it back.

Watch a home game in style!

In a suite — food and drink included!

All you have to do is test drive a vehicle this month at Bill Currie Ford one mile north of the stadium on Dale Mabry Highway. Make sure to say you want your name in the mix for the Best In Class podcast sweepstakes. It’s that simple. GM Sean Sullivan is fired up to watch a game with you in a suite and talk Bucs!!


Yes, that warranty includes USED vehicles!

15 Responses to “Ira Kaufman’s 10 Takeaways From Bucs-Bears”

  1. Rayjay1122 Says:

    I am so happy that I farted in the hot tub and it smelled Like Bromosas.

  2. David Says:

    The stadium would be a lot more filled with buccaneer fans if the ticket prices didn’t get so jacked up

  3. FirstTimePoster Says:

    Rayjay1122.
    I remember the good old days when the “Joes” would crap on craft beer in favor of garbage like Bud Light.

  4. JGhotier Says:

    The average score of the game during this latest 4 game win streak is 32.5-14.75….that’s a beautiful stat for a league where games are usually decided by one possession or one score. And it shows we are getting it done on both sides of the ball!

    Heck of an improvement by OUR defense after those first 3 games…and doing it w/ a banged up defense and depleted secondary.

    Let’s have RayJay FN rockin’ next week vs. the sleazy Saints y’all (but not while we are on Offense 😂)!

  5. QuebecBucs Says:

    Run it back?

  6. JimmyJack Says:

    Going into this game my biggest key was our OL going against a fierce passrush. After about 2 drives I kinda forgot all about that. Just basically expect them to get the job down.

    Theres no doubt about it Brady has gotten this line to an elite level. Hes reading the defense properly and setting them into the right protection……..You almost always see great QB with great protection. Probably because we never had a great QB in this town, but I never realized how much the QB has to do with it.

  7. SlyPirate Says:

    Next Week:
    THE SAINTS & WINSTON!!!

  8. Aceofaerospace Says:

    It’s great to be a lifelong Bucs fan.

  9. Buc1987 Says:

    “Don’t look now, but Evans is on pace for 17 TD catches. He scored three times on Sunday,”

    But Medicated Pete tells us alllllll the time Evans is no good and pretty much over-rated…pishhhh punk ass Pete. Pish.

  10. Im not tired anymore we Super Bowl Champs!! Says:

    I concur Joe. I didn’t understand our foundation of the Bucs still being in the game when we had a huge lead. In fact their was a play at the end of the game where some bears d lineman rolled into Brady’s legs. I told the guy in front of me I can’t believe he is still in the game. Disaster averted but that crap will only fly for so long. Protect the goat and unleash him in the playoffs. Go Bucs!

  11. adam from ny Says:

    the bucs are just that good…plain and simple…

    i expected a blow out…

    fields is a realtime scrub, as i mentioned before…

    average teams can’t compete with us anymore…

    everyone is getting comfortable in the system and settling in, not like last year when so much was new…

    this is becoming a difficult team to beat, and other elite teams are well aware the bucs are the creme of the crop

  12. MarkRIf Says:

    To me, the most important thing to take away from them s game is simply the way our OL handled their defensive front
    .That is all our offense required.

  13. B-Bro Says:

    Great game and I’m hoping for a similar game against the Saints & The Sinner

  14. orlbucfan Says:

    Typical great Bucs Defense and that outstanding punt return won this rout. Wonder if Richard Sherman is having a coaching impact on a banged up secondary? Wait until they all get healthy. Having a kickass offense is sweet icing on the cake. BTW, we’ve had great QBs here, Steve Young and Doug Williams. They played on putrid teams with stinko ownership.

  15. Perimeter Blocker Says:

    I spoke with a lifelong Bears fan that endured to the end. (True Fan). He said he dropped $3000 to come down for the game…. A thousand dollars per point… 😉