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Believe me when I tell you the Tampa Bay Buccaneers claiming
ownership of the NFL’s 32nd-ranked passing defense was not lost on us
here. Now having finally acknowledged that piece of information, it has done
little to dissuade from my sentiment that Nick Foles made a breakthrough on
Sunday.
What’s in a number anyway? The Buccaneers may be dead last
in passing yards surrendered at 311.9 YPG – 22 full yards more than the next-closest
– but do they legitimately have the worst pass defense in the league? I contend
they do not.
One reason so many yards have come at the expense of Tampa’s
secondary is because opposing offenses are often left with no other choice. They
might be at the bottom of the pile versus the pass technically speaking, but
the Bucs are currently flying their flag on the peak of the mountain when it
comes to stopping the run.
News
Tampa Bay is number one against the run, allowing 78.2 YPG –
a full 12 yards more than second-best. They hold opponents to 3.3 yards per
carry, also tops. When the ground attack is that ineffective, naturally it
forces offenses to take a pass-oriented approach, so wouldn’t you know it,
Tampa Bay has faced the highest number of pass attempts at 518, or essentially
40 per game.
Their stingy run D was in full effect against the Eagles, limiting
Bryce Brown and Dion Lewis to just two yards on 13 carries, or an unheard-of
0.15 yards per carry. That makes the afternoon Foles had all the more
impressive. He did it with absolutely zero aid from the threat of the run.
Let’s look at a more encompassing number, something that might
reflect the actual quality of the defense being played: opponents’ passer
rating. By no means is it a perfect stat, but by taking into account completion
percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns, and interceptions, we should gain a
better understanding of true effectiveness.
It turns out seven clubs are yielding more efficient ratings
than the 92.4 being posted against the Bucs, including two in triple digits. Tampa
Bay isn’t more susceptible to the pass than Kansas City or Oakland; those teams
simply get beat by such a wide margin, typically there is no need for opposing
quarterbacks to throw the ball with the same frequency. Everything is working
in concert.
Three more defenses have opponents’ passer ratings above 90,
while another group of four is within four points of the Bucs. Clearly they are
entrenched in the bottom half of the league when it comes to defending the pass,
but can we at least drop the narrative that they’re the worst? Please, they
have plenty of company.
Okay, establishing that Tampa doesn’t have the worst pass defense
after all, only to turn around and admit they still aren’t any good might not be
the most convincing argument. Then again, if Foles can hang 380 on these guys
in a pinch, what’s stopping him from lighting up a bunch of those other teams?
I suppose only time will tell.
But wait, there’s more! Even forgetting the discussion about
where exactly the Buccaneers fall in the realm of porous secondaries, their
pass rush certainly wasn’t making life easy for Foles. The kid was under
pressure all day. The end result: six sacks, 13 hits, and by my count, at least
20 hurries on his 60 or so dropbacks.
Those totals were largely a function of Philadelphia’s disaster
of an offensive line, but the reality is Foles had to operate behind that group
while the Bucs were all too happy to dole out a beating. He handled it well
though, never backing down – moving the pocket, taking subtle steps to avoid
the rush, stepping up, breaking the pocket when necessary, or getting the ball
out quickly.
You can’t teach this kind of presence. Foles extended
multiple plays with his footwork and awareness when he wasn’t merely buying
himself an extra inch or split second. It doesn’t matter how lousy the
defensive backs are if the quarterback doesn’t have time to loose.
The Buccaneers aren’t some awful football team. They’re 6-7,
any bid to reach the postseason likely ended, but because Nick Foles and the
Eagles finished it. None of which is to say this one win, no matter how long we
polish it, means he’s suddenly destined for greatness. All this is saying you
shouldn’t dismiss the significance of his performance over one faulty number.
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