Didn’t see me?

Was it a mirage? Or was it a peek into the future?

Joe loved how the defense came out and balled out on Saturday night, smothering the Chiefs.

Yeah, no Pat Mahomes. Joe gets it. But still, the Bucs held last year’s Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to only four yards rushing on two carries.

That’s something, isn’t it?

Brooke Cersosimo, typing for NFL.com, believes the play of the Bucs’ starting defense may have made KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles crack a smile.

To Todd Bowles’ delight (if there is such a thing), the Bucs received [strong] results from their defensive starters, forcing backup QB Justin Fields and the Chiefs’ offense into back-to-back three-and-outs. Making his highly anticipated debut was first-round edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., who played just six snaps but showed his explosiveness and strength to blow by Chiefs right tackle Kahlil Benson on a Reggie White signature hump move before exiting the game with the rest of the starters.

And Joe finds it funny while folks were ooohhhing and aaahhhing over Rueben Bain, YaYa Diaby was this-close to a strip on the same play. That’s what got Joe’s attention.

If that is what we can expect from the Bucs’ edge rush, the Bucs defense should be so much better than the choking dog it was after last year’s bye.