Todd Bowles has never been afraid to bring pressure, but the Buccaneers' Week 1 coverage numbers show he wasn't nearly as aggressive with man coverage behind those pressures against Cincinnati. According to coverage data following the first week of the season, Tampa Bay played zone on roughly 65% of its defensive snaps while using man coverage around 30% of the time.
That made zone the clear foundation of the Bucs' plan against Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins. Tampa Bay also used a high rate of single high safety looks. The Bucs played with the middle of the field closed on roughly 70% of their defensive snaps, one of the higher rates around the league in Week 1. Rather than consistently asking its corners to follow Chase and Higgins in man
coverage, the Bucs were able to mix their looks and keep defenders working with help around them. Zyon McCollum had an especially strong afternoon, with Chase finishing with only two receptions for 12 yards.
What didn't change was Bowles' willingness to send extra rushers. Tampa Bay blitzed on roughly 46% of its defensive snaps, putting the Bucs among the league leaders in blitz rate after one week. That meant Bowles was still creating pressure with additional rushers while relying heavily on zone concepts behind them. Burrow completed 25 of 35 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown, but Tampa Bay also intercepted him once when rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter Jr. dropped into coverage and returned the pass 38 yards for a touchdown. The Bucs finished with only one sack, which also came from Trotter on a blitz. Still, Week 1 offered an early look at how Bowles plans to use a secondary that has been revamped and made more athletic, relying on younger players to take leaps.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs defensive coverage rates show mixed bag in week 1
