Five Things
October 13th, 2025
Tristan Wirfs and Ben Bredeson celebrate under the lights. The Bucs beat the 49ers yesterday to raise their record to 5-1, best in the NFC. (Photo courtesy Buccaneers.com.)
Good morning, Bucs fans, and welcome to Victory Monday! Not only is it great celebrating a Bucs win, this Victory Monday is to honor the best team in the NFC, your Tampa Bay Buccaneers, baby! Fill up that mug of coffee and maybe treat yourself to a cinnamon roll. It’s not every Monday you wake up to the best team in the conference, your Tampa Bay Buccaneers!
Battle For Homefield Supremacy
So after the Chiefs beat the Lions last night, only one team in the NFC has a 5-1 record. Every other team either has fewer wins or more losses. But 5-1 is the best record in the conference.
The Bucs have a tough game a week from tonight in Detroit. After that, the Bucs really only face three more teams that make Joe sit up straight and take notice: Bills, Rams and surprising New England.
So once the Bucs play Detroit, with the exception of the Bills, Rams and Patriots, the rest of the Bucs’ schedule is softer than a cheerleader’s arse. Joe doesn’t think it is impossible for the Bucs to finish 13-4. Not sure how likely that is, but it isn’t preposterous.
A week from tonight, the Bucs may be playing for homefield advantage throughout the playoffsd. In Week 7! How wild is that?
(FYI: The Bucs haven’t hosted an NFC title game since 1979.)
MVP Play By An MVP (Maybe)
With 4:21 left in the third quarter, the Bucs were clinging to a 20-19 lead. Just a few moments earlier, their lone healthy starting wide receiver was suddenly non-healthy. Emeka Egbuka left the game with a hamstring injury.
A pall seemed to be over the crowd at The Licht House.
It was 3rd-and-14 with the Bucs having the ball on their own 41. Baker Mayfield went back to pass and it looked like he got swallowed up by a pair of 49ers defensive linemen. But no, Mayfield escapes.
Mayfield jukes a defender and muscles his way up the left sideline for a first down. Barely.
Two plays later, Mayfield throws a 45-yard bomb out of a shotgun set to Tez Johnson right down the middle.
That score, and maybe the win itself, never happens without Mayfield playing Houdini. And that’s why he is the leading candidate for Offensive Most Valuable Player with a third of the season played.
Each game, Mayfield makes a key play or two that either seals a win or brings the Bucs back from the dead. Ore he pulls off a play like yesterday on third down.
Joe does not know if the Bucs have any wins without Mayfield this year. Maybe they have one win. But in each of the five wins, it took a special play from Mayfield for the Bucs to walk away winners.
That, to Joe, is the definition of an MVP.
Reserves Ready To Impact
Of course, Mayfield is not a one-man gang. Football is a team sport. And boy, did Mayfield get support Sunday.
Two guys and, indirectly, staff members, who deserve a game ball for yesterday.
Just think about it: The Bucs were down to their Nos. 6 and 7 receivers. Mike Evans was out. Chris Godwin was out. Emeka Egbuka was out. Jalen McMillan is out.
So Mayfield was leaning on veteran Sterling Shepard, who two summers ago was on the couch watching football like you and Joe, rookie receiver Tez Johnson, a seventh-round pick, and punt returner Kameron Johnson, who many (including Joe) were shocked even made the 53-man roster coming out of training camp.
(In the press box, when it was announced over the media PA system that Egbuka injured his hamstring, you could hear an audible, though not loud, moan from the Fourth Estate. Joe never heard that sort of reaction before. That’s because the news felt like a fatal dagger for the Bucs.)
Yet what happens? Mayfield throws touchdown bombs to both Johnsons. That’s your ballgame right there.
First, game ball to Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht for finding guys who fit on the team and produce.
And then, a game ball to Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard and his staff for having the two Johnsons ready to play and ready to make impacts. They developed these two enough and the Bucs and Mayfield had enough trust in them to make plays.
Joe doesn’t know any other team in the league that could find themselves down to their Nos. 6 and 7 receivers and still get strong production from them. Impressive.
Defense Wins Championships
For three of the four quarters of yesterday’s game, the Bucs defense played absolutely lights-out defense.
Three sacks in the first quarter? Holy Flirkingschmidt, what got into this defense and Todd Bowles? Six sacks in the game, did Joe black out and wake up in some alternative universe?
Then in the second half the Bucs locked the door and threw away the key, only allowing San Francisco one field goal. Just one field goal!
How does that happen? That’s championship defense. That’s playoff defense.
Jamel Dean’s Best Game?
Joe knows many Bucs fans couldn’t wait to get rid of cornerback Jamel Dean. Joe was even on this bandwagon, not because Joe thought Dean was a bad cornerback (he isn’t) but because he was always hurt.
Dean got hurt again this year and missed a game (surprise!) but returned to the field yesterday. Boy, did he ever.
Not only did Dean get a rare interception (his second of the season), he also had a sack, the first of his career.
In fact, “this Joe” thinks Dean may have had his best game of his Bucs career. Let’s roll up onto the sidewalk and take a look: Dean had four tackles, a sack, a pick, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, a pass defensed and a forced fumble.
That’s a helluva day for Dean. Joe hopes fans are able to look in the mirror and admit, maybe it was a good thing for Dean to hang around.
The Buccaneers keep finding ways to win games. @DustinSwedelson says we need to treat them as the class of the conference when it comes to betting Tampa Bay futures.
To catch anything you missed on Cashing Out, go to: https://t.co/KJQiClQukO pic.twitter.com/PRiGyXFOJK
— VSiN (@VSiNLive) October 13, 2025
October 13th, 2025 at 6:37 am
Great news on this Victory Monday, but being an OG Buc fan I’ll keep my enthusiasm in check for now.
More often than not we spilt with the teams on our division, so I’m not penciling in wins against anyone just yet.
October 13th, 2025 at 6:39 am
Maybe just maybe for one week the I Hate Bowles group can put away their daggers and admit Coach did a heck of a job on the sideline.
October 13th, 2025 at 6:39 am
Great DLR reference, Joe!
October 13th, 2025 at 6:40 am
This was a significant win. Easy to win when you have all of your studs on the field. But what about when you’re is decimated? Well, next stud up! Yesterday’s game brought the studs out of the walls, no pun intended.
October 13th, 2025 at 6:41 am
Joe, of all things I appreciate about this site, pulling a David Lee Roth into a story might just be my favorite.
Shakespeare, eat your heart out.
October 13th, 2025 at 6:42 am
Dean had a great game and yes, I thought he would lose his starting position to one of the new corners. Thrilled to be wrong at this point of the season. Sure looks like the Bucs will need every WR and CB they have for the foreseeable future. Players play, coaches coach, and Licht’s team finds the talent. Firing on all cylinders!
October 13th, 2025 at 6:45 am
Joe said “Let’s roll up onto the sidewalk and take a look…” I can hear David Lee Roth’s voice via Yankee Rose!
You could have added “and Dean looked wild, wild, wild, wild!”
October 13th, 2025 at 6:49 am
Losing Fred Warner early in the game killed that 49ers team.
October 13th, 2025 at 6:55 am
Dean was very good in coverage as well.
October 13th, 2025 at 7:07 am
Contract year Dean is hungry
October 13th, 2025 at 7:09 am
Gottbucs- hmm yeah Bucs fans don’t want to hear it. Shuddup dude. Wanna compare injuries, we can do this all day. Niners fans comparing PEARSALL (lol) and Aiyuk to the loss of Evans and Godwin is completely mental. The Bucs are missing. The Bucs are missing more actual starters than the 49ers, and everyone wants to break out the tissue for them as if that’s the reason they lost. Don’t wanna hear it
October 13th, 2025 at 7:13 am
Dean had one of his best games. Good for him! He deserves a few accolades.
October 13th, 2025 at 7:24 am
Dean has a ‘passer rating allowed’ in the teens
October 13th, 2025 at 7:49 am
So far, the Bucs and Jags have played 3 common opponents, Hou, Sea, SF.
The Bucs scored 20, 38, and 30 against those opponents respectively. The Jags have scored 17, 20,, and 26 against the same opponents.
Guess the Bucs will be looking for another OC this off-season.
October 13th, 2025 at 8:03 am
StickenUp4Centers- something doesn’t compute. Coens Jagazzes managed to put up 12 yesterday against the same Seattle team that Friz hung 38 on just last week!
October 13th, 2025 at 8:04 am
Griz- not Friz
October 13th, 2025 at 8:09 am
Johnson and Johnson were awesome along with Dean, Vildor, White, Vea, and so many more.
October 13th, 2025 at 8:12 am
813BUCBOI Says
October 10th, 2025 at 9:37 am
DEFENSE WILL HAVE 2 INTS AND 4 SACKS!!!!!!
BUCS WIN 31-10
5-1!!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
************************************************************
i was pretty close!!!!!!
5-1!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 13th, 2025 at 8:13 am
Remember when there were idiot fans who thought Kyle Trask should be starting over Baker Mayfield?
Pepperidge Farms remembers.
October 13th, 2025 at 8:35 am
I came here to give props to Jamal Dean. Fantastic game.
October 13th, 2025 at 8:37 am
Also…..
Jason Licht needs to sit down with Grizzard during the bye week to see if they can extend his contract a minimum of one year, but as long as possible Convince him he’s not ready to be a head coach!!!!!!!
October 13th, 2025 at 8:42 am
Remember when the same two idiots would bash Bowles even after a win.. yeah me too!
October 13th, 2025 at 8:43 am
I like the way Baker pointed out in his post-game press conference that they won playing ‘complimentary football’. And yesterday was the perfect example of that IMO. Defense rose up first with that pick, giving the offense the ball at San Fran’s 12-yard line. A TD followed & the Bucs never looked back.
But that same defense also added the exclamation point near the end with Dean’s pick. 49ers were within 1 TD of tying it until then. Then the defense really slammed the door shut.
And in-between, our offense … minus our starting RG & starting WR for a lot of the 2nd half … just kept methodically plucking away. An interesting stat from the game is that the Bucs got 19 first downs, but were only 3-for-8 on 3rd down conversions (no 4th down conversions). Tells me that we were doing extremely well on our 1st & 2nd down plays.
I was heartened to hear one of the announcers mention that Baker is now like ‘a coach on the field’. No question; he’s not only ‘matured’ as a QB in this Bucs’ system, but he’s also become a bonafide franchise QB IMO. To me, those are the few who can bring out the very best in ‘lesser talent’ and win with it. Very few in that category. Baker’s now one of them.
October 13th, 2025 at 8:49 am
I didn’t know whether to laugh or curse whenever Vildor picked off that pass and then couldn’t seamed to get on his feet! Luckily the O bailed him out by scoring in 2 plays…so had to laugh about it!
October 13th, 2025 at 9:10 am
Big praises to surprising New England coached by fellow graduate of Walsh Jesuit High in Stow Ohio just North of Akron Mike Vrabel.
October 13th, 2025 at 9:14 am
Expect Johnson and Johnson to file a breach of trademark lawsuit.
October 13th, 2025 at 9:20 am
Baker has been amazing for sure. How many guys, regardless of talent, could follow the GOAT and his SB win for the Bucs?
I’ll always appreciate Tommy Boy’s contribution that ONE year, but that’s based soley on winning! And I get that winning is the point.
But I also like to be entertained by more than just winning. There is NO comparision as to which QB has been more ENTERTAINING.
Baker is now the man in Tampa!!!
October 13th, 2025 at 9:38 am
5-1 with Probably WINS against Aints (2x), Panthers (2x) AZ and Miami
Puts them at 11 Wins
No chance to beat Rams, Bills or Lions
Toss up games where either team could win Patriots, ATL
10 or 11 wins is where they finish which is the Todd Blows ceiling with a bottom of the league pass defense
October 13th, 2025 at 9:40 am
He got burned early on a crosser and stopped running but with that stat line you just have to give a hat tip to Jamel this game. That’s what we’ve been hoping to see from Winfield and it hasn’t been happening for him. Keep it up (and stay healthy) JD!
October 13th, 2025 at 9:41 am
Not sure what Joe wrote this but love the David Lee Roth lyric in the story. a la Yankee Rose. And I agree that Dean had a helluva game.
October 13th, 2025 at 9:41 am
it was an all around really good game for the bucs. score 30 allow under 20. it was their best win of the season all around in my book.
bunch of sacks, 2 int, on the D side, long ball, some decent runs when needed, otten doing his part on the O. no glaring issues on special teams.
nobody plays perfect football, you just have to good and win. the bucs were in control all game even when it was close.
October 13th, 2025 at 9:45 am
Great game yesterday! Great win!! One quick observation… SF lost one of their best players, Wagner, to injury and could not overcome that! The Buc’s lost one of their best players,EE2, to injury and thrived!! Next man up!!! Get it done!!
October 13th, 2025 at 9:58 am
@Gofortheface30
Not comparing injuries, just pointing out something that happened during the game that was a factor.
October 13th, 2025 at 10:03 am
I wish the Bucs didn’t renegotiate Dean’s contract. He has played up to his value so far this season and would have likely been good value next year. Can’t have enough corners.
I’m so glad our little Johnson’s have great big balls.
October 13th, 2025 at 10:26 am
For those still talking about Todd’s defense he does what’s needed for the team it seems like people get mad and don’t understand that the offense stalls out sometimes to yeah the other teams kill our defense threw the air but don’t always score idc if they get yards I care if the other team gets touchdowns
October 13th, 2025 at 11:01 am
It was never a good idea to get rid of Dean. Unless it was for a 3rd round or better pick before the draft. You don’t just get rid of starting caliber CBs, especially after the injuries to that unit last year, when you are a playoff caliber team chasing a SB.
Dean looked great. Impressive win yesterday, short bodies and Baker not really baking until 1/3 of the game was over.
Dean, Lavonte and co… on 4th down going forward, feel free to knock the ball down instead of picking it unless 6 points is potentially in your future. Damn, speaking of David, real shame that fumble was overturned. Fumble and recovery was gonna be nice for Lavontes stats.
October 13th, 2025 at 11:03 am
Another fact that needs emphasis is the camaraderie and good character all these players have. Bake stresses the point of being humble and no divas or headcases in their locker room. He learned it the hard way. Kudos to Licht, Greenberg, the scouts, the front office, Bowles and all the coaches, and finally, the players. Simply wowsers!! One game at a time. Still, what’s wrong with hosting another NFC Championship right here in central FL? And winning it? I was at the 1979 one.
October 13th, 2025 at 12:50 pm
Friggin great win Todd and the boys !!!
Good call @813BUCBOI 👍🏼
I was convinced Tez would get his 1st TD and I felt the sacks coming. Hoped like hell we’d win the turnover battle 🤞🏼
October 13th, 2025 at 5:37 pm
#6 Thing.The defense in this game didn’t consistently swarm to the ball and actually looked lazy a couple of times. Not the front line though. Gotta exclude them. They hustled throughout.
October 13th, 2025 at 6:19 pm
You should never overlook your Division Opponents. Thats a bit shortsighted.
October 13th, 2025 at 8:37 pm
Hey “smarter than Joe” the falcons are currently up 21-7 on the bills. You seriously think the Bucs have no chance against them? This Bucs team can beat any team in this league!! They won’t win em all but they can go toe to toe with anyone!