The Buccaneers won their Week One matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Following the victory, we’re taking a deeper look at the team’s win.
Last Sunday, The Buccaneers were victorious over the stumbling Dallas Cowboys. I will be diving into the more advanced numbers behind that victory and how Tampa Bay has continued to build on last season allowing them to expose the weaknesses of a stagnating Cowboys team.
A Deeper Look At Multiple Buccaneers Following Week One
Tom Brady
The first player we are going to dive into is of course the GOAT himself Tom Brady. While he didn’t light up the stat sheet he did pick up right where he left off last year as the Buccaneers quarterback. His average time to throw was two and a half seconds identical to his average over all of last season. He also threw what is considered to be a bad pass on only eighteen percent of his throws staying consistent with last season’s numbers.
With the injury to Donovan Smith in the first half, Tampa Bay went with a rush-heavy attack so I wouldn’t worry about his production. It is bound to reach the levels of last season once matchups better allow for a more pass-heavy attack.
Leonard Fournette
Next up we have Leonard Fournette who had his best day on the ground since joining the Buccaneers let us just say I was not totally shocked that when I did my dive into the numbers it was because of a dominant game from the offensive line. Last season Fournette faced a loaded box (Eight or more defenders in the box) on 13 percent of his carries, gaining two point two yards before contact per carry and two point three yards after contact per carry.
Against the Cowboys, on the other hand, he faced a loaded box on nineteen percent of his carries, yet he gained a whopping three point nine yards before contact per carry while maintaining two point two yards per carry after contact. When it comes to the open field Fournette is a pretty average back but where he makes his money is his vision behind the line which can make his performance even more O-line dependent than running backs already are.
Shaq Barrett
Now it’s time to start the dive into the Buccaneers’ defense, starting with Shaq Barrett. Last season Barrett usually was credited with applying pressure on 2.2 pass plays per game which as crazy as it sounds is one of the better rates in the league. On Monday he had an insane performance getting pressure on six different plays, just being an overall disruptive force.
The Buccaneers Secondary
Buccaneers corners, Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis have been the top two cover corners for the team over the last three years. Davis was just rewarded for that with a large contract and Dean’s time is coming soon. They are only a part of the Gravediggers but cornerback is the part of the secondary you can best analyze from a statistical standpoint.
Last season Davis allowed a completion percentage of 57% with a passer rating of 83.2 when he was the nearest coverage defender. Against the Cowboys he had one of his better performances, allowing a thirty percent completion percentage and a thirty-nine point six passer rating. Jamel Dean last season allowed a forty-eight point five percent completion percentage and a fifty passer rating.
Against the Cowboys, he continued his good performance from 2021 and allowed a fifty percent completion percentage and a passer rating of fifty-six point two. Having both of these guys going one on one with receivers while our skilled safeties take away portions of the field themselves could bring a lot of success for the rest of the season if they stay healthy.
