Bucs at Falcons: Most Impressive In Week 1

After Egbuka impressed throughout the offseason, making local and national headlines in the process, Sunday offered the first look at what he can do. The Bucs’ first-round pick passed his first test with flying colors. It was not the prettiest start for the Bucs  offense to open the game, but things began to open up when quarterback Baker Mayfield connected with him for a 30-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

If that was not enough, with the team trailing 20-17 with just over a minute left, Baker Mayfield connected with Egbuka for a 25-yard touchdown to make it a 23-20 game. He finished his first game with four catches for 67 yards and the two scores. As the second wide receiver on the depth chart behind Mike Evans, much has been expected about how Egbuka would contribute to begin the year.

When the team needed to respond and put points on the board, he answered. The opening act only points to how the season-long show will be a must-watch.

CBs Zyon McCollum and Jamel Dean Locking Up Falcons WR Drake London

The Bucs have seen their fair share of Drake London since London was drafted eighth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. In six games against Tampa Bay before Sunday, he recorded 42 catches on 52 targets for 569 yards and a touchdown. He went for 120+ yards in three of those games, including a 154-yard, one-touchdown performance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium last October. After being limited to just four catches for 34 yards later that month, the defense showed they could stop him.

That encouraging trend continued in this one. Michael Penix Jr. targeted London a whopping 15 times, but he was held to just eight catches for 55 yards.

It was a collaborative effort by cornerbacks Zyon McCollum and Jamel Dean, and it was impressive how they simply took him out of the game and forced Penix to find success elsewhere. In particular, McCollum really stood out by playing tight coverage throughout. After he got locked up on a three-year contract extension on Friday, he made sure to lock up the opposing No. 1 wideout on Sunday.

Bucs Offensive Line

The Bucs threw a curveball shortly before kickoff. In a move that caught everyone off guard, the team decided to start recently elevated Michael Jordan at left guard. That was one of three moves made, as center Graham Barton moved over to left tackle and left guard Ben Bredeson took over at center.

With all of these changes and it being a while since each of them played at those spots, it was not surprising to see the offensive line struggle to get in-sync early. As the game progressed though, one can sense why they made the last-second switch and kept offensive tackle Charlie Heck off the field. The run game didn’t hit the ground running, but the offensive line gave more time than expected for Baker Mayfield to drop back and throw. The big guys did well adjusting on the fly.

Zach Beistline

You might ask, why is the Bucs director of football research listed here?

Well, that is because he factored into Todd Bowles making an aggressive play call at the end of the first quarter. Faced with a fourth-and-1 on their own 36-yard line, the offense decided to go for it. Instead of running it, Baker Mayfield found wide receiver Mike Evans for a 6-yard gain. It was a risky choice, but one that paid off as the offense went on to move the ball downfield enough to score a field goal and get on the board.

It will be moves like these that will decide games. The tide started to shift after going for and converting on this play. After being criticized for not playing for the win enough in the past, I’m intrigued to see the influence Zach Beistline has on Bowles and this team going forward.

Bucs’ Run Defense

While the defense failed to contain Bijan Robinson as a receiving back, the run defense was stout. Having defensive tackle Vita Vea active and playing helped in this regard, but the whole front seven did its part to limit Robinson and Tyler Allgeier on the ground. Atlanta had 28 carries for just 69 rushing yards, good for just a 2.5 yards per carry average.

P Riley Dixon

Aiming to address the other specialist position after finding a long-term answer at kicker in Chase McLaughlin, Tampa Bay brought in veteran punter Riley Dixon.

The first impression after seeing him boot the ball? Dixon changes things in the quest to win the field position battle. He had four punts for 205 yards (51.3 yards per punt average), which included consecutive 61-yard booming kicks in the first half and putting his other two inside the 20-yard line. Going to go on record here and say they now have one of the best kicker-punter duos in the league.

WR/PR Kameron Johnson

Seeing a returner with the last name Johnson rip off a big punt return, you’d think it would be seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson. Although he seen as the primary punt returner at some point, it was Kameron Johnson with the big 54-yard return in third quarter.

It came at such a critical point with the game tied at 10-10. The field position flip allowed the offense to run a five-play, 32-yard drive and take the lead with a 10-yard Bucky Irving touchdown catch. Credit Kameron Johnson for providing that spark.