Bucs ILB KJ Britt and Lavonte David – Photo by Jeffrey Jones/PR
Bucks allowed over 500 yards in the air against the Falcons.
Consider that – 500 yards.
That’s over a quarter of a mile.
1 mile.
That is unacceptable by any definition of the word. By my count, over 40% of those yards came from the teeth of the Bucs defense in the middle of the field. On the first drive of the game, Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins found tight end Kyle Pitts on a seam route for a 32-yard gain, setting up Atlanta’s first score of the game.
In the second quarter, Cousins found receiver KhaDarel Hodge deep in the middle for a 22-yard gain that put the Falcons just outside the red zone. Darnell Mooney’s touchdown a few plays later was down the middle of the field. Hodge’s winning goal was also in the middle of the field. The list goes on. Prior to this matchup, Cousins was just 11-of-20 for 198 yards with a touchdown and one interception when targeting depths of at least 10 yards down the middle of the field. This week he certainly improved on that number.
The Bucs have a linebacker problem.
Bucks ILB KJ Britt – Photo Credit: Jeffrey Jones/PR
There are big holes in their defense, and it’s between the defensive line and the secondary. The Bucs linebackers have trouble moving in space.
KJ Britt has always had limited athleticism. Last year, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles addressed the shortcomings by using Britt on early rundowns and replacing Devin White on long downs and late downs where the Bucs were likely to face a pass. I tried to suppress it. This formula mostly worked, as Britt was in coverage for less than half of his 252 snaps, and played well overall.
Bowles looked to continue that formula this season, with Britt emerging as a starter early and then being replaced off the field by Sarvosia Denis. Through the first three weeks of this season, he participated in just 47% of coverage.
However, with Dennis injured in Week 4 and out for the rest of the year, Britt was forced to play on all three downs.
and it doesn’t work.
He is having trouble orienting himself in space. His limited speed puts him at a disadvantage in coverage and he lacks the feel to get a drop deep enough to prevent plays behind him. Like this.
Oh, hey. @kylepitts__ #TNFonPrime | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/AeKSqe4PES
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 4, 2024
Bucs ILB Labonte David and Falcons WR Drake Rondon – Photo courtesy of USA Today
But Britt is not alone in this problem. There is certainly much to his greatness, but Lavonte David’s once special ability to play in space and cover large areas of the field has come to an end.
He still has a good feel for the ball. But he can no longer be expected to obliterate the entire field as a dropbacker. He too was exploited for his unintelligent plays, showing diminished athleticism with slow turns and changes of direction.
These problems also manifest themselves in the form of missed tackles. Neither player is in the best position to make a tackle and is often left behind by ball carriers and receivers who pass or move around the two stiff linebackers. It happens often. Coming into this game, both players had missed tackle rates. More than 20%.
The Falcons watched the Bucs’ defense for the first four weeks and targeted Britt and David as tickets to an offensive explosion.
Tykie Smith’s first bad game of his career
The linebackers were bad, but it wasn’t just that. Tyke Smith, who was considered early on as the team’s best rookie candidate, had a disappointing performance for the first time in his career. He was targeted for two Falcons touchdowns, allowing an early score to Drake Rondon and a late score to Darnell Mooney after missing a tackle.
Smith himself was heavily targeted, allowing more uncontested catches than usual.
Falcons work fast! @kirkcosins8 find @DrakeLondon_ 6️⃣ minutes#TBvsATL on prime video
Also streaming now #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/6pK8eByEjK— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024
If Moony makes a move, we’ll all be tied together in ATL! #TBvsATL on prime video
Also streaming now #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/0IBE6TUfRb— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024
Safety provided Safety not provided
Bucs S. Kayvon Merriweather and CB Jamel Dean, Falcons WR Darnell Mooney – Photo by Jeffrey Jones/PR
Behind the Bucs’ second defensive line, safeties Jordan Whitehead and Christian Isien had little help. Whitehead was the starter that night, covering the seam from Kirk Cousins to Kyle Pitts, but then missed several tackles. Christian Isien also couldn’t beat several receivers and backs in space.
When you add it all up, the sheer amount of yards allowed after the catch would be staggering. Cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Zion McCollum finished the game with nine and 10 tackles, respectively, often cleaning up mistakes from Whitehead, Isian, Smith and the linebackers.
According to , Isien and Whitehead had a missed tackle rate of over 16% heading into this game. The focus of pro football. After this match, that number may have increased even more.
A series of failures in the middle of the field indicate a major problem that will not be easily resolved.
more questions than answers
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and FS Antwan Winfield Jr. – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Some of this will go away once Antwon Winfield Jr. returns from his foot injury. He is a good tackler and replacing one of the players on the field should help improve that area of his game. Winfield will also help staff that area in coverage, reducing the exploitation the Bucs defensive backfield currently faces. But who Winfield will replace will be an even more interesting story.
His immediate successor is clearly Christian Idzien. He has played the free safety position for Winfield. However, if you look at the best 11 defensive players, Idzian is certainly among them.
However, KJ Britt is not included.
The Bucs can’t take their second linebacker completely off the field and become a base dim defense. No matter how much Vita Vea and the defensive line try to stop him, the opponent will just send the ball straight down his throat. But Todd Bowles will need to find a solution to the obvious passing downs with Sarvosia Dennis out. David is no longer a plus player in that area, but he’s not necessarily a consistent liability either. However, the combination of him and Britt causes too many problems.
Is it a late dime look?
probably.
Bringing in Isien in place of Britt and moving Whitehead into the box may be the best option in the short term. The Whitehead issue is troubling, but given the history of each player involved in this mess, it’s the least likely to continue. And Isien provides playmaking and athleticism in the middle of the field. He can at least chase and tackle.
There is no silver bullet here. This problem can be alleviated to some extent, but it will likely continue throughout the rest of the season. And that will continue to be a problem for this team.
