Bucs Report Card: Baker Mayfield and Todd Bowles push Tampa Bay into the elite tier after the first six weeks

Defensive superlatives

MVP: DT Vita Vea

Vea is having the best year of his career, so far. He's been unstoppable in just about every game and he's doing it without his top running mate in Calijah Kancey. He currently has 2.5 sacks, which is just a half-sack out from the team lead and he's been the typical catalyst behind a strong run defense. It's suffice to say the Bucs defense falls off without Vea manning the middle.

Glue guy: S Tykee Smith

Smith has done nothing but fly around and make lowkey plays on all levels of the defense. He's not the flashiest guy, but he's always going to fill the stat sheet with solid contributions and effective performances. He's not just a box-stuffer - the plays he makes mean something. He sets the physical tone the Bucs want on the back end of the defense and it's only a matter of time before he starts making game-changing plays on a regular basis.

Biggest surprise: CB Jamel Dean

Man, Dean was this close to getting the MVP nod, as he's been absolutely stellar over the first six weeks of the season. He already has two picks, a sack, and a forced fumble on the year. Plus his coverage has simply been other-worldly. He's on track to have the best year of his career, which is a big surprise considering he almost lost his job with the Bucs over the offseason.

Biggest disappointment: The overall pass rush

Yes, the Bucs recorded six sacks against the 49ers, but the pass rush hasn't been able to get home like Bowles wants. It's the typical story we've been accustomed to over the last few years: plenty of pressure, but not enough sacks. The Bucs accrued just 10 sacks through the first five weeks of the season - that's not good enough and it has to improve moving forward.

Turning point of the last six weeks: Holding the 49ers offense in check

I'm not trying to make the win over the 49ers look like a season-defining moment, by any means. However, when considering the Bucs defense held Shanahan's offense and Christian McCaffrey in check, that's huge. The 49ers averaged 29.0 points per game in their previous four contests against Bowles' defenses and scored 19 points in Week 6. CMC averaged just 3.2 yards per carry and was held to 111 total yards - his second-lowest output of the 2025 season. Sure, the 49ers offense is injured, but the fact Tampa Bay got over the San Fran hump is easily the defense's brightest moment, so far.

Overall Grade: B. The off performances against the Eagles and Seahawks bring the Bucs' defensive grade down to a "B", but the unit is still very good and can hold its own against just about anyone.

2025 draft class superlatives

Overachiever: CB Jacob Parrish

Parrish has been simply great since he was drafted by the Bucs back in April. He flashed all throughout training camp and the preseason and it's totally translated onto the field during the first trimester. He's a physical, fast, feisty corner who is willing to do the dirty work and has had some good moments in coverage. It looks like the Bucs struck gold in the third round with Parrish.

Rookie we need to see more from: DL Elijah Roberts

Roberts continues to flash on a weekly basis and that's a crucial development for the Bucs defensive line, mainly due to Kancey's situation. He already has a sack, three QB hits, and a TFL on the season and played 50% of defensive snaps against the 49ers. As long as he's ascending, the Bucs need to continue to involve him in their plans.

Underachiever: CB Benjamin Morrison

Morrison has flashed when he's been on the field, but he hasn't been able to stay healthy pretty much the entire time he's been a Buc. Sure, that's not entirely his fault, but as a member of a draft class that's literally performing at a high level, he gets the nod here simply because he hasn't been on the field.

Overall Grade: A. You can't predict the injuries to Morrison and David Walker. Emeka Egbuka, Parrish, Roberts, and Tez Johnson have all been very good to great throughout the season and that's enough to warrant an "A", so far.

Coaching report card

Grade: A.

The only thing keeping the staff from receiving an A+ is the special teams unit, which has struggled during the first trimester.

Regardless, the staff has they navigated through all the injuries and they've managed to keep both sides of the ball performing at good-to-great levels on a consistent basis. It's hard to imagine any other team dealing with what the Bucs have dealt with, thus far, and being atop its respective conference. Right now, the Bucs are the best team in the NFC and it's because the coaching staff knows exactly what the hell it's doing.

Overall, there's a lot to like and Mayfield and Bowles have this team in the elite tier heading into the second trimester. We'll see if they can keep it up and stay in the race for the NFC's top seed over the next month-and-a-half.