Elite Defense For A Game
July 19th, 2025
Shutouts still happen.
Something you don’t see much of any longer in the high-octane, pass-first, apologize-second, light-up-the-scoreboard league the NFL has become.
That’s a glorious shutout.
And as much as many complain about the Bucs pass defense — including coach Todd Bowles — the Bucs defense has risen and posted a shutout in the past two years.
Only 10 teams have seen their defenses record a shutout since the beginning of the 2023 season, and the Bucs are one of them.
It was the final game of the 2023 season. The Bucs needed the defense to stand tall and it did. At the Stinking Panthers. Baker Mayfield was hurt and Joe could argue he shouldn’t have played.
It was clear Mayfield couldn’t throw the ball well that day. So the Bucs needed a stout defense. A playoff berth was on the line. Lose and go home. Survive and advance.
How good did the defense play that day? Of all people, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka got a sack-fumble to help seal the 9-0 win.
So yes, in recent history, the Bucs have demonstrated they can play lockdown defense.
years since last defensive shutout
1 – DEN, GB
2 – CLE, MIA, TB, DAL, JAX, LAC, NO, MIN
3 – SF, NE
4 – BUF, TEN, IND
5 – CAR
6
7 – LAR, DET, PHI, BAL
8 – ARI
9
10 – SEA
11 – CIN
12
13 – ATL, LV
14 – PIT, KC
15 – CHI, HOU
16 – NYJ, NYG
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30…— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 6, 2025
July 19th, 2025 at 11:58 am
Well…..let’s not forget Antoine Winfield’s heroics, either. And, 2023 Bryce Young was the worst QB in the league at that time. Canales helped him a lot last year, but it’s not like Todd’s defense did that against anyone even mediocre.
July 19th, 2025 at 12:09 pm
Interesting article Joe. Got me wondering why our Bucs’ defense only had ONE game last year (Giants) in which we allowed single digit points (beta the Giants 30-7). Next lowest number of points that we surrendered was 13 points to the Raiders.
Bucs’ defense did MUCH better in 2023, having 3 regular season games & 1 playoff game in which we kept opponents scoring down to single digits. Admittedly thre were quite a few personnel changes from 2023 to 2024, but still going from giving up 325 points in 2023 (#7 ranking) to surrendering 385 points in 2024 (#16 ranking) is quite a change.
Defense did lose a few players after the 2023 season: Devin White, Shaq & Carlton Davis for starters. Also lost Ryan Neal, but replaced him with Jordan Whitehead (neither set the world on fire?). Also had Winfield miss half the 2024 season & Dean miss a few games also.
Personally think it was a combination of several factors that caused 2024 to go south, with injuries probably being the most pronounced.
July 19th, 2025 at 1:23 pm
Pretty sure that a coach from the Parcells tree that’s obviously in good standing doesn’t have the game pass him by… especially when active. I mean pro football is pretty sophisticated but it’s still football. Give him the talent with health and Bowles will give you a good game plan. Doesn’t mean that the game isn’t geared to offenses (e.g. underthrown balls and PI calls every freaking game) but still by and large Bowles is a good DC and imo an improving head coach.
July 19th, 2025 at 1:53 pm
Don’t drink the water in New York. Obviously somethings been wrong with it for 16 years.
July 19th, 2025 at 2:01 pm
…or Cleveland. Or Chicago. Or Jacksonville. And Miami’s water quality looks pretty bad as well.
July 19th, 2025 at 2:58 pm
That shutout is deceiving. The Panthers had a TD called back for a penalty, the Bucs looked awful in general, and the score should’ve been 17-9 Panthers…
July 19th, 2025 at 3:01 pm
Bwahhahaha!
July 19th, 2025 at 4:50 pm
That was a great defensive shutout.
Shows how elite the defense can be in a Bowles scheme.
July 19th, 2025 at 5:36 pm
Holding the high flying Detroit offense to 16 points (their lowest points total in all 17 games) was absolutely a “lockdown” performance by last year’s Bucs defense.
Sirvocea Dennis played a big role in that stellar defensive effort if I remember correctly. #8 would soon after be lost for the season and that plus the loss of Winfield for basically the whole season (and Whitehead also missing games and playing like crap) – oh and having to field Funderburk and Hayes for multiple games – sunk our pass defense for most of the year….
Lack of a consistent pass rush certainly didn’t help the “situation” with the back 6/7 either….
All those problems should be resolved this year with Winfield and Dennis healthy, Smith replacing Whitehead at SS, the additions of Morrison and Parrish to the CB room and bringing in Edge rushers Reddick and Walker.
July 19th, 2025 at 5:58 pm
Pickgrin you’re right, that was a solid defensive game all around, one of the best all year. Holding the Chargers down while beating them senseless was a great game as well. I remember wondering who the hell #8 was flashing all over the place until I saw his jersey. That was when I took notice of him and said the Bucs had someone and then he went down. Health will be key, always is.
July 19th, 2025 at 6:16 pm
he’s a great defensive coach who calls a good game plan except for blitzing the rams on that last play in the playoffs and dropping d line players into coverage besides that great coach
July 19th, 2025 at 7:23 pm
The shutout stat is an overrated one. Some defenses that have gone a long time without one have been superior to the Bucs over the same period of time.
The 9-0 win over the Panthers was a good one, but let’s not confuse the 2023 version of Bryce Young as anything but a poor man’s version of Josh McCown in a down year.
July 19th, 2025 at 8:05 pm
Realistically the Washington game at the start of last year was the only one where our defense could perform as designed. Yes, rookie quarterback and first game jitters. But the first four games showed what the team COULD be. The rest of the season was a scrambling act.
Hop Defense Rules can see this and drill down on the first game scheme and play.
July 19th, 2025 at 8:57 pm
Would be very interesting, at least to me, to know what schemes we employed and how often per game. And if/when it changed over the course of the season. I suspect injuries dictated scheme changes to a large degree but I have no evidence of that.
Not sure where you’d find stats like that though 🤔.
Joe’s, do you know any sources for that kind of thing (that doesn’t cost$)?
July 20th, 2025 at 2:42 am
You play to the game. Hello?!
— Herm Edwards, famous rant
July 20th, 2025 at 7:21 am
Man Joe!
I wa just thinking about the days when Sapp would lose is mind if we gave up a shutout late. Love to see that.
Go Bucs!