2026
2026 season · Weeks 1 to 8 · 3-5
Buccaneers defense
Every snap the Buccaneers defended, what it cost them and how they got there: the league ranks the player pages quote, where offenses find room, how this defense plays, and who plays in it.
- How good-0.16 EPA a play allowed, 2nd of 32, and 0.17 below what the offenses they faced usually manage (2nd).
- How they playThey blitz on 41% of dropbacks, the 4th-most in the league, and get pressure on 18%.
- Where offenses find roomOn the ground: 3.6 a carry, 8th, and runs outside right gain 6.3 a carry.
- Who hurt themDenzel Boston (CLE): 95 yards and +7.0 EPA on 7 touches, the most anyone has managed against them.
- Next upWeek 9 against the Bears, whose offense ranks 8th in EPA a play.
How good is itthe defense against the league, and game by game
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per playevery snap | -0.16 | 2nd of 32 | 95th | |
| Pass EPAper dropback | -0.16 | 2nd of 32 | 95th | |
| Rush EPAper designed run | -0.15 | 5th of 32 | 86th | |
| Success rateplays that gain enough | 39% | 3rd of 32 | 92nd | |
| Explosive rate20+ pass, 10+ run | 7% | 4th of 32 | 89th | |
| Yards per play | 5.1 | 7th of 32 | 80th | |
| Yards per carry | 3.6 | 8th of 32 | 77th | |
| Third downsconverted against them | 34% | 6th of 32 | 83rd |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sack rateper dropback | 5.5% | 24th of 32 | 27th | |
| Pressure rateper dropback, PFR | 18% | 30th of 32 | 8th | |
| QB hit rateper dropback | 12% | 27th of 32 | 17th | |
| INT rateper dropback | 4.1% | 1st of 32 | 98th | |
| Red-zone TD ratetrips ending in a touchdown | 50% | 11th of 32 | 69th | |
| Points per drivetouchdown 7, field goal 3 | 1.53 | 2nd of 32 | 95th | |
| Takeawaysper game | 1.9 | 2nd of 32 | 97th | |
| EPA against expectationallowed minus the offenses' usual | -0.17 | 2nd of 32 | 95th |
Each bar is the league's 32 defenses; the marker is the Buccaneers. Right is better for the defense, so a low EPA allowed sits right. The pressure rate is PFR's pressures (hurries, hits and sacks) per dropback. EPA against expectation compares each game with what that offense averaged in its other games, so a strong schedule is not held against them.
They held 6 of 8 offenses below their usual EPA a play. The biggest stop: Week 8 against the Falcons, 0.47 a play under their norm. The offenses they have faced average +0.01 a play elsewhere, the 10th-toughest schedule of offenses.
at CINL 27-330.00usual +0.14
vs CLEL 19-23+0.01usual -0.09
vs MINL 16-23-0.26usual -0.08
vs GBL 14-17+0.02usual +0.00
at DALW 24-16-0.03usual +0.11
vs PITL 19-26-0.20usual +0.00
at CARW 43-13-0.27usual +0.08
vs ATLW 16-0-0.52usual -0.05Where offenses find roomthe field, the run lanes, the positions and the situations
The soft spot is deep left: +0.90 EPA a throw against a league +0.35. The lockdown zone is intermediate left, -0.33 a throw (league +0.31). Completions against them run 3.1 points under expected, 4th-best in the league.
Every pass they faced with a charted air distance and side, sacks excluded. Green is a zone where they allow less than the league, red more. How often shows the share of throws against them there.
Offenses run for 3.6 yards a carry against them, 8th of 32. The leak is outside right: 6.3 a carry and +0.34 EPA (league 4.6, +0.01).
| Position | Targets a game | Yards a game | EPA per target | Fantasy points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 18.015th | 131.310th | -0.131st-toughest | 17.87th-fewest23.19th-fewest28.58th-fewest |
| Tight ends | 8.123rd | 56.121st | +0.059th-toughest | 9.412th-most12.111th-most14.811th-most |
| Backs, receiving | 6.023rd | 32.819th | +0.0215th-toughest | 12.12nd-fewest14.52nd-fewest16.91st-fewest |
| Quarterbacks | – | – | – | 11.63rd-fewest11.63rd-fewest11.63rd-fewest |
Who hurt them most
| Player | Team | Touches | Yards | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denzel Boston | CLE | 7 | 95 | 1 | +7.0 |
| Mike Gesicki | CIN | 7 | 78 | 1 | +6.9 |
| George Pickens | DAL | 13 | 130 | 1 | +6.4 |
| Tucker Kraft | GB | 8 | 45 | 1 | +5.9 |
| Christian Watson | GB | 3 | 47 | +4.9 | |
| Darren Waller | CAR | 2 | 50 | 1 | +3.9 |
Targets, yards and EPA per target by the receiver's position, ranked 1st for the toughest defense: the same numbers a receiver's This week panel quotes against this defense. Fantasy points allowed follow the scoring switch. Who hurt them ranks every opposing player by EPA on his targets and carries against this defense.
Their biggest third-down edge is third-and-4-to-6: offenses convert 23% against a league 44%. They are stingiest in 3rd down (-0.47 a play, league -0.04) and weakest in 1st down (+0.02, league +0.01).
| Situation | Plays | Allowed | League | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st down | 196 | +0.02 | +0.01 | +0.00 |
| 2nd down | 145 | -0.17 | +0.01 | -0.17 |
| 3rd down | 100 | -0.47 | -0.04 | -0.43 |
| 3rd and 1 to 3 | 30 | 57% | 61% | −4 pts |
| 3rd and 4 to 6 | 22 | 23% | 44% | −21 pts |
| 3rd and 7+ | 48 | 25% | 27% | −2 pts |
| Red zone | 61 | -0.12 | +0.03 | -0.16 |
| Two-minute drill | 43 | -0.19 | +0.00 | -0.19 |
| When they lead | 221 | -0.20 | +0.01 | -0.20 |
| One-score game | 279 | -0.16 | -0.01 | -0.16 |
| When they trail by 9+ | 41 | -0.07 | +0.03 | -0.10 |
EPA a play allowed, or for third downs the share converted (a first down or a touchdown). Green is better than the league for the defense. Score states are from the defense's side.
How they playpressure, the box, what offenses try, discipline
They send extra rushers on 41% of dropbacks and average 4.6 rushers; 59% of dropbacks see four or fewer. They allow -0.32 EPA when they blitz and +0.06 when they do not.
They put 6.9 defenders in the box on runs, eight or more on 21%. Into a light box (six or fewer) runs gain 3.8 a carry; into eight or more, 4.3.
Offenses lean on the run against them: 1 points under their expected pass rate on early downs in a neutral game. Play action gains +0.23 EPA against them on 20% of throws; screens -0.19.
20 defensive penalties for 148 yards, 12 of them first downs, the 13th-fewest. They miss 11% of tackle attempts by PFR's count, 29th-best.
The defenderswho plays, and what each one has done
David Walker leads the pass rush with 8 pressures and 4 sacks on 32% of the snaps.
| Player | Snaps | Pressures | Sacks | QB hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50Vita VeaDT | 71% | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 16 | |
| 94Calijah KanceyDT | 63% | 5 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 91A'Shawn RobinsonDT | 46% | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 22 | |
| 97Al-Quadin MuhammadLB | 43% | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 51David WalkerLB | 32% | 8 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 22 | |
| 98Anthony NelsonLB | 26% | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | |
| 56Rakeem Nunez-RochesDT | 25% | 1 | 5 | ||||
| 95Elijah RobertsDE | 22% | 1 | 2 | 11 | |||
| 92Elijah SimmonsDL | 15% | 2 | 5 |
Alex Anzalone plays 99% of the snaps with 41 tackles and 1 sacks.
| Player | Snaps | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Pressures | Targets | Rating allowed | Missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34Alex AnzaloneMLB | 99% | 41 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 39 | 96.1 | 7 |
| 45Josiah TrotterLB | 80% | 67 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 72.2 | 3 |
| 0Yaya DiabyLB | 53% | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 66.4 | 1 |
| 3Rueben Bain Jr.LB | 44% | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 65.7 | 1 |
| 52Christian RozeboomLB | 13% | 11 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 73.7 | 3 | |
| 8SirVocea DennisLB | 12% | 12 | 1 | 1 | 158.3 | 1 |
Tykee Smith is the hardest to complete a pass against: a 75.3 passer rating on 36 targets.
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Catches allowed | Yards | TD | Rating allowed | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27Zyon McCollumCB | 100% | 39 | 24 of 39 | 244 | 1 | 82.9 | 2 | 9 |
| 23Tykee SmithSAF | 95% | 36 | 17 of 36 | 233 | 3 | 75.3 | 1 | 2 |
| 25Jacob ParrishCB | 78% | 41 | 23 of 41 | 283 | 1 | 79.0 | 2 | 13 |
| 22Keionte ScottCB | 63% | 31 | 22 of 31 | 177 | 2 | 102.3 | 4 | |
| 31Antoine Winfield Jr.SAF | 61% | 7 | 4 of 7 | 70 | 87.8 | |||
| 5Ifeatu MelifonwuSAF | 39% | 7 | 3 of 7 | 35 | 69.3 | |||
| 21Benjamin MorrisonCB | 21% | 17 | 11 of 17 | 88 | 77.6 | 2 | ||
| 29Miles KillebrewSAF | 2% | |||||||
| 38Kevin KnowlesDB | 0% |
Tackles, sacks, QB hits, TFL, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles are nflverse's weekly stats; pressures, targets, catches and yards allowed, passer rating allowed and missed tackles are PFR's charting. Snap share is the season average of defensive snaps.