Stars Shine Even In The Darkest Of Night
October 5th, 2025
Be honest. You were like Joe.
When the Seahawks had the ball with the game tied in the final minute. You thought Seattle was going to get into field goal range and kick a game-winning field goal as time ran out.
Come on. Come clean. You were in full dread like “this Joe,” weren’t you?
Everyone in the Lumen Field thought so. The crowd roared and stomped to such a degree, the press box was shaking. Joe felt the vibration. Others sitting near Joe did, too.
And then, when the Bucs needed it the most, needed someone, anyone to make a play, for the love of Lee Roy Selmon, leave it to arguably the two best players on defense, Lavonte David, who should someday be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield.
Winfield came flying in on Sam Darnold, who looked like Payton Manning today. He threw for 341 yards and four touchdown passes. The Bucs had no answers.
Until the end.
It only took one.
Winfield flew into Darnold and David, who Joe spoke with after the game, is convinced Winfield affected Darnold’s throw.
“I think it was tipped,” David told Joe. “I believe so. Not sure.”
It was. Someone buy Logan Hall a hat for that big noggin. Darnold’s hurried pass (thanks to Winfield) glanced Hall’s helmet and obviously affected the trajectory.
And old man Lavonte was there to clean up the mess.
That play changed the game, no question. And Joe thinks the Bucs stole a win as a result. The Bucs did not play their best. They were not healthy. The defense was a sieve — until the end. But they rolled into the Great Northwest, the polar opposite of the country, came in and stole a win against a good team in their crib with the crowd, as Al Michaels would say, at full throat.
Damn, the Bucs have been riddled with injuries like Joe cannot remember. And here they are 4-1.
Let’s have a drink!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:04 pm
Redemption for stealing and dropping Vitas’ pick in Houston. Pad that HOF resume king
October 5th, 2025 at 8:05 pm
Great win! Was thinking about the rough D performance, but would we say Seattle’s defense is terrible? They got carved up too.
Way to go again Baker and boyz!!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:05 pm
Broooooooo! Go Bucs F’yeah 4-1
October 5th, 2025 at 8:06 pm
Game was like Balboa vs. Creed too, no defense just punches everywhere
October 5th, 2025 at 8:07 pm
Seattle penalties doomed them as well. This was another nail biter. Everyone thought it would end with a Seattle FG.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:07 pm
Great win guys! Ill catch the replay when i get off work tonight.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:07 pm
Logan Hall actually had an impact for the first time in his career
October 5th, 2025 at 8:07 pm
David was having a rough go today until he was needed to make a play. Leading by example with Winfield doing his part. Great players find a way to be around the ball. Remember Winfield had an INT called back earlier. Enjoy the flight home guys! Then figure out a way to get some edge pressure and sacks for next week!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:08 pm
It definitely wasn’t Reddick who stepped up. Bucs need a pass rusher off the edge. Reddick looks like a one trick pony who tries to win with speed every play.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:08 pm
Also, the Logan Hall roughing the passer penalty was total bullspit!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:09 pm
Where is the Grizz hater?
October 5th, 2025 at 8:10 pm
We can go toe to toe with any team. 2-2 in October would be sweet.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:11 pm
Lambchop – you’re spot on. Total BS. Hall even held him up at the end of the play.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:12 pm
3-0 on the road so far. Winning on the road is big for playoff teams. Winning anywhere shows the true mindset of a team!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:14 pm
Seattle’s defense is brutal against bad offenses. Not so much vs. ones who are good. Same as last year.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:14 pm
Defense was absolute trash, 1 lucky play doesnt change that. But we are used to trash defenses under Super Todd.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:14 pm
This was a rollercoaster ride of a victory!
There was some magic at work on that interception. Antoine blitzing Darnold like that and LaVonte picking up the INT… you pray for stuff like that to happen.
I don’t know what to make of our defense right now.
YaYa had that INT in his hands.
Antoine with his play that was called back because of a penalty against Zyon. (Not sure that was really P.I.)
LaVonte letting the one tackle slip through his hands for a touchdown.
But, we won!!
I’ll cop to it Joe.
I was sitting here with a sense of dread right before LaVonte’s INT. Lol.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:15 pm
It was like Ali -Frazer !
October 5th, 2025 at 8:16 pm
Ugly win but in the NFL you take ‘em all. Biggest surprise is that we were physically pushed around in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:17 pm
10000% I was.
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than right. We got lucky af, our defense still sucks. Make no mistake.
You, the media, should be grilling Bowles nonstop about his pathetic Swiss cheese defense and abysmal special teams that continued their unforgivable performance today by allowing 3 different punt returns of close to 50 yards each.
Our offense was awesome though. EE is a baller! As is Mayfield
October 5th, 2025 at 8:19 pm
No one wants to hear it, but our defensive backs are pretty good. The vast majority of the night they had good coverage. The other team is also an NFL caliber team and they made a lot of good throws and great catches.
The was 35 points are not on the defensive backs, it is because the four man pass rush was absolutely nonexistent. Sam Darnold stood there like a statue with all day to throw all night until they finally got a blitz through at the end and got a game-winning interception
October 5th, 2025 at 8:20 pm
Ill admit LVD missing that tackle on the Seahawks’ last TD got me thinking he’s losing a step. But so glad he held onto the ball for this INT.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:20 pm
Why did Parrish get called for Pass-Interference, when the reciever literally ripped his sleeve off?
October 5th, 2025 at 8:21 pm
Having a drink!
And let’s look at it from another perspective. With the penalty on AWJ’s pick and the ball going through Yaya’s hands, Seattle was lucky to be close.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:23 pm
Never seen a fan base that is so critical, even when the team wins. And I live in Philly. To be 4 and 1 in the NFL is not easy. Yet people whine and cry and call the head coach all kinds of not so clever names. Very child-like mentality. I will enjoy the win and be thankful we are a leading NFC contender.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:24 pm
The walking wounded survivors
The cardiac Bucs
The don’t quit simple
October 5th, 2025 at 8:25 pm
Two good defenses carved up by two very sharp offenses. The defense that makes a big play or two wins. That was the Bucs, on the road.
This is a game voters might remember come MVP time. Baker was flawless all game.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:26 pm
I would say a child like mentality is whining about someone elses opinion who isnt satisfied with a lucky victory.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:26 pm
Here’s to ya, Joe. Raise your stein. Prost!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:27 pm
One of the Joes thinks turnovers are overrated. I say turnovers can win games.
Game ball to McLaughlin for his touchdown saving tackles!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:30 pm
If we could just get a pass rush we would be set. There were some clear break downs but a lot of passes completed where our backs and safeties were right there to bring the player down.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:31 pm
No such thing as a lucky victory. Victories are earned by players who don’t quit. Couch potatoes have trouble understanding that.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:32 pm
The cooter family must be so upset right now , all their predictions were wrong
October 5th, 2025 at 8:33 pm
When you have Baker you got a chance. Nerves of steel.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:34 pm
Right not lucky at all. I am sure we drew up the play to have the QB throw right on top of the linemans helmet to go right into our guys hands. Great call Super Todd!
Cute fantasy though.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:43 pm
D line bad in run and pass. No pressure Vea no tackles too much to ask from second and 3rd level of D. Special teams too many rrreturn yards.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:43 pm
Let’s not forget Chase!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:44 pm
Croch Fan you and Ironlung the Co Presidents of the Bowels hater club.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:46 pm
This game should have been put away with the Winfield pick, but the zebras wanted to impact the game more than the players and called a ticky tacky penalty at best. Winfield and LVD stepped up to right that wrong!
October 5th, 2025 at 8:46 pm
Thank God, we are in a crappy division.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:48 pm
Ir was appropriate considering refs bailed out Seattle with a lame late flag on the int before that. Pretty sure it was within 5 yards and if was super late.
October 5th, 2025 at 8:50 pm
Great chess match move by Bowles!!!!
He waited until the end to bring his famous exotic blitz!!!!!
GREAT CALL BOWLES
GO BUCS
October 5th, 2025 at 8:51 pm
AMI_Chris Says:
October 5th, 2025 at 8:46 pm
Thank God, we are in a crappy division.
______________________
uh you do realize that we’ve only played one game against a team in our division, so we beat three teams from other divisions.. right?
October 5th, 2025 at 9:04 pm
Baker was incredible … again. That’s now FOUR 4th qtr comebacks this season, and he’s THE reason our Bucs are 4-1.
I’m flabbergasted by what I saw from our defense today. For the first 28 minutes of the game, they were world-beaters. Shut out the Seahawks no problem. Then that Seattle TD in the last minute of the 1st half let them grab the momentum, and from then on our defense just held on, by their fingernails.
What really helped the Seahawks in the 2nd half though was the great field position provided by our Special Teams. I counted 3 runbacks on kickoffs that were each roughly 50 yards (thankfully one of them was called back for a penalty). That was just as frustrating as our porous defense.
But hey, we won. Thanks to Baker (again) and the offense today.
October 5th, 2025 at 9:08 pm
Yep. Hand Raised.
October 5th, 2025 at 9:12 pm
Thankfully Hall was in the right place at the right time because David was burned again sorry
October 5th, 2025 at 9:35 pm
Now imagine this team with Evans, Irving, McMillan, Goedeke, Dean, and Morrison all back healthy. If this team gets and stays healthy, they can beat anyone, anywhere. Let’s just keep it rolling. I want to see more and more of the deeper pass plays hitting. That will just open so much up in the middle and short field areas and getting those big chunks plays are huge.
October 5th, 2025 at 9:54 pm
The Defense was terrible the second half. But the late blitz was genius by Bowles and the Defense delivered when it was most needed.
This was a loss before they even boarded the plane and yet somehow, they won.
All I read all week was some crap about Seattle having rest and whining about the OC.
October 5th, 2025 at 10:03 pm
Hopefully Morrison comes back soon parish ain’t it on the outside.
October 5th, 2025 at 10:28 pm
Who can doubt Baker any more? I used to but don’t now. He’s earned our support but we’re not like his athletic supporters who think we were supposed to think he was great because they said so. He’s been fantastic since early last year and like it was said is the reason we’re 4-1. We can complain about the defense and special teams because we have that right as fans but why now? That was a fantastic win! The boys made us proud!