In common Week 1 fashion, both the Buccaneers and Falcons needed to shake off the off-season rust, and it could’ve been either team’s game as they traded blows.
However, Tampa Bay emerged victorious in a critical division road game with some late heroics and a little bit of luck as the Bucs defeated Atlanta 23-20 Sunday.
The Bucs got some critical contributions from several fresh faces, some rookies and some veterans, as they overall showed more good than bad. They didn’t get absolutely shredded by
Michael Penix, Jr., who was making just his fourth start, and they again stuffed the run at an elite level as they’ve consistently done under Todd Bowles.
Let’s give some season-opening shoutouts as we exhale and recollect for next week and Monday Night Football against the Houston Texans.
Offensive Top Performer: WR Emeka Egbuka
Though plenty of people got caught doing the shocked Pikachu face after Tampa selected Egbuka 19th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, it’s proven to be the smartest move GM Jason Licht could’ve possibly made given Chris Godwin’s recovery and Jalen McMillan’s neck injury.
Arguably the cleanest receiver evaluation in the entire draft, Egbuka came in with elite production (Ohio State’s all-time receptions leader) and character, and he’s earned nothing but praise from everyone in the building. He proved it was well-deserved Sunday by scoring two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with barely a minute remaining in the game.
He finished as the team’s receiving leader on a day where QB Baker Mayfield (and new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard) clearly needed to get up to speed and Mike Evans faced plenty of bracketed coverage — Egbuka caught 4 passes for 67 yards and the scores. The future seems to be shining bright for No. 2.
Finally, the offensive line needs props. It came out just before kickoff that the Bucs opted for a completely new starting configuration. Center Graham Barton kicked out to left tackle(!!), Ben Bredeson went from left guard to center, and newly signed Mike Jordan started at left guard. This was a risky gambit when everyone just assumed Charlie Heck would take over for Tristan Wirfs at left tackle. However, it worked out as Baker got sacked only once and largely had the time he needed for most of the game. We’ll see how it works against a much better Houston front, but early returns were encouraging.
Defensive Top Performer: EDGE Haason Reddick
When Egbuka got picked, most originally assumed that selection would go toward pass-rushing reinforcements. While the team did address that later on via Day 3 picks David Walker (who unfortunately tore his ACL in training camp) and Elijah Roberts, brass made it clear they trusted in their only major outside free agent signing — edge rusher Haason Reddick.
The near 31-year-old had a tumultuous 2024 with the New York Jets that saw him barely play, so he was a bit of an unknown commodity. It’s just one game against a compromised Atlanta offensive line starting its third-string tackle, but Reddick looked quite good.
He recorded multiple pressures and the team’s only sack, which came at a vital time. With the Falcons threatening for the first time in the red zone, Reddick sacked Penix Jr. on third down to force a field goal attempt. Frequently, the Bucs would need to resort to blitzing in those situations the last couple seasons given the lack of proven 1-on-1 winners. If Reddick can do that consistently, the Bucs’ defense will be much better off for it.
Zyon McCollum, who received a healthy contract extension just a few days ago, played very well. He totaled 10 tackles and nearly had two interceptions while helping to limit top Atlanta target Drake London to just 55 yards on 8 catches. He got dinged up with an apparent arm injury late in the game but came back in to finish. He was much improved last year, so further development and fully assuming CB1 duties would be a huge win.
Finally, Antoine Winfield Jr. needs recognition. Injured most of last season, Winfield looks much refreshed, and he made his presence felt with 4 total tackles and an incredible pass breakup on Atlanta’s final drive that would’ve put the Falcons within Tampa’s 5-yard line at the least had it been completed.
Special Teams Top Performer: PR Kam Johnson
As massively disappointing as Chase McLaughlin’s very-bad-no-good day was, other elements of the special teams stepped up to create some pivotal advantages.
One such play came from second-year player Kam Johnson. Widely considered a long-shot for the roster because of injuries that cost him most of last year and almost all of preseason, Johnson snuck onto the squad thanks to his special teams juice — which he readily put on display Sunday.
Johnson logged a 54-yard punt return, which marked the team’s longest in nearly 10 years since Bobby Rainey returned one 58 yards in October 2015. By comparison, the biggest one Tampa got last year was…17 yards. The return positioned the Bucs for a crucial touchdown.
Riley Dixon, also making his Bucs debut, looked to stabilize the team’s punter woes and did so very well. He punted four times and averaged 51.3 yards, including a long of 62 and two that pinned Atlanta inside their 20. If he can continue that standard, the Bucs will be in much better shape than all of 2024.
