Bucky Irving and teammates celebrate his fourth-quarter touchdown that sealed the winning score. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)

What an absolutely fun win yesterday. Joe loves it when the Bucs offensive line imposes its will upon a defense and just pounds them into submission. So belly up to the bar and grab your cup of java. Victory Monday is here!

Back in the Playoff Race

First, let’s get the big picture ramifications out of the way: The Bucs are a half-game out of first place in the NFC South landfill. Who woulda thunk it after losing their first four straight, as well as losing their first four home games?

Joe still thinks the Bucs have to sweep the division. They’re 2-0 so far with four more division games. Going 6-0 in the division would give the Bucs all the division tiebreakers.

Having six division wins would give the Bucs at least seven wins for the season. Joe still believes the Bucs will have to have eight, minimum, to take the division title. So at least, the Bucs must pick up a win outside the division, if you believe the Bucs can win the division.

One of those teams could be the sadsack winless Chargers, who the Bucs host Dec. 6. Not only are the Chargers lousy, they have to fly cross country and play at 10 a.m. in Tampa on their body clock time.

The Bucs have their work cut out for them if they hope to win the NFC South landfill and make it back to the playoffs.

An Identity Is Forming

This is starting to turn into the Father Dungy’s Bucs. Hey, at least they won games and got to the playoffs.

The Bucs’ defense is stingy. That’s great. And the Bucs simply excel playing smashmouth football.

Former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996) noted on his Instagram feed after the game that teams that play tough defense and can run the ball behind a stellar offensive line are dangerous.

So,in Beckles’ mind, the Bucs can rise up and slap an unsuspecting team around.

Joe is pretty confident that is the identity of the Bucs: The Bucs will suffocate you on defense and knock your [unit] off on offense, running down your damn throat whether you like it or not.

The Return Of The Offensive Line

Remember when all the folks were howling about the Bucs’ offensive line just a few scant weeks ago? Well, right tackle Luke Goedeke does.

Yesterday after the 16-0 bludgeoning of the Dixie Chicks, Evan Closky of WTSP-TV Channel 10 spoke with Goedeke in the locker room. Closky insinuated to Goedeke that the offensive line worked through its problems and had turned the corner.

Goedeke didn’t really like that. He is a pretty cooperative dude. But he did say, in a rather forward tone, he’d like to sit down with any Bucs fan claiming the offensive line sucks and have them point that out what they’re doing wrong to him while watching film.

That offensive line is a freight train right now. Because of that, and the proven success in three of the last four games, Joe believes the Bucs are going to go the Father Dungy route and throw passes only if they have to.

And yeah, Joe would take Baker Mayfield over Trent Dilfer any day.

Initial News Promising For YaYa Diaby

The only ugly thing Joe can think of yesterday was when it was announced in the press box that Bucs outside linebacker YaYa Diaby suffered a knee injury and his return was questionable, later downgraded to “out.”

Joe wanted to puke. Diaby just had the best game of his career a week ago, getting three sacks, and free agency was just a couple of months away. Now he has a knee injury?

As Joe noted yesterday, when Joe saw YaYa outside the locker room, Joe didn’t notice any glaring limp and YaYa wasn’t using anything to help him walk.

No crutches. No cane. Nothing.

Joe spoke to YaYa and when Joe asked how much time he thinks he will miss, YaYa said, “I shouldn’t.”

If that really is true, boy, the Bucs and YaYa dodged a bullet. YaYa had a nice start to the season like most defensive starters. But there were no sacks until last week when he put that midget Carolina quarterback on his backside three times.

Let’s hope that was a sign of YaYa turning the corner. If he can heat up, look out for this defense.

Bucky Just Wants To Play

A lot of chatter yesterday was the weather. Joe laughed. If the weather really was a major problem Sunday, wait until next week. November in Chicago has some of the worst weather. Nasty storms. Cold. Really windy.

A nasty November day in Chicago makes yesterday look like beach weather. Joe was starting to become bummed out with the weather being such a major talking point. Are the Bucs really that soft? That mentally weak?

Well, Bucky isn’t one of them. He proved he’s a mudder yesterday.

Then after the game, Bucky told the local pen and mic club he can’t remember the last time he ever checked the weather before kickoff.

You play in the elements, Bucky said. Rain, sleet, snow, mud, doesn’t matter. And your opponent does too, he added. So Bucky didn’t want to hear anyone use the downpour yesterday as an excuse to play bad football.

That’s a winner’s mentality right there.

WATCH: "Me and Jessie [Bates] were out there playing in the mud."

While #Bucs QB Baker Mayfield did not complete a pass, he did throw down an impressive block on #Falcons safety Jessie Bates.

It got Luke Goedeke fired up: "He almost took him back to his locker room." pic.twitter.com/ngJsJQ3E6B

— Mark Skol, Jr. (@markskoljrTV) November 1, 2026