Jake Camarda, Underrated Hero Of Bucs’ Win

Or did it?

Jake Camarda Was Sensational On Punts

Jake Camarda wears several hats as a part of the Bucs special team’s unit. His most obvious job is as a punter. He had four punts for 211 yards in a Sunday’s win over the Bears, which equates to a 52.8 yards per punt. Camarda was also able to ensure three of those punts ended inside the 20-yard line with the fourth falling into the end zone for a touchback.

Those punts were crucial to the Bucs winning the field position battle on the day over the Bears. Tampa Bay’s average starting position on the day was their own 28-yard line. The Bears’ average starting position was its own 22-yard line. But looking closely at the punts specifically and you get a true sense of Camarda’s impact as a punter.

His first punt of the second half was an absolute bomb as he crushed a 72-yard punt from the Bucs own 28-yard line into the end zone causing a touchback that forced the Bears to start on their own 20. He followed that up with punts on three consecutive punts from late in the third quarter to middle of the fourth quarter that made field position an absolute nightmare for the Bears.

Camarda’s second punt was from the Bucs’ own 29-yard line that bounced out of bounds at the Chicago 16. The Bears were unable to get anything going on the ensuing drive where they would have had to travel 84 yards to score a touchdown. Instead, they punted themselves following a three-and-out.

Camarda followed that up on the next drive with a softer shot that caused Bears punt returner Trent Taylor to call for a fair catch at his own 10-yard line. The Bears would score a touchdown on the ensuing drive, but had to burn almost four minutes of clock to do so in large part due to the 90 yards they had to travel thanks to the punter and the punt coverage team.

Camarda’s final punt of the day was his shortest, but perhaps his best. Punting from the Bears 44-yard line he was going to have to soften his approach. The Bucs selected the former Georgia Bulldog not just because he has a cannon for a leg, but also because he is excellent in these situations where he has to take a good bit off of the punt in order to maximize his outcome.

Camarda didn’t disappoint dropping his effort inside the 10 with some English allowing the kick to hit the ground with some backspin, so it didn’t keep bouncing forward into the end zone. Gunner Derrek Pitts Jr. was able to help cover the punt downing it at the Bears seven-yard line. On the following drive, backed up in his own end zone due to the excellent special team’s effort by Camarda and the Bucs coverage unit, Bears quarterback Justin Fields would throw a pick-six to Shaq Barrett on an attempted screen that would seal the game in the Bucs favor.

Camarda’s punting to start the season has resulted in him contributing one of the best marks among all punters in the NFL as measured by expected points added per punt.

Jake Camarda’s Heads Up Effort

In case you didn’t know, Camarda is one of, if not the most, athletic punter in the NFL. During the 2022 NFL draft process he opted to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine because he knew he would light up the stop watches. He did not disappoint.

The Bucs punter needed every ounce of that speed to save a would-be Bears scoop-and-score on a blocked Chase McLaughlin kick attempt early in the second quarter. That was an absolute hero play by Camarda.

Had Camarda not had a) the presence of mind to take off to recover the blocked kick and b) the speed to outrun Bears corner back Jaylon Jones to actually corral the bounding ball that play likely ends in six points for the visiting Bears. Instead, Chicago would lose 14 yards on the following possession and punt the ball away themselves.

The play wasn’t quite as impactful or as emotional as Shaq Barrett’s game-clinching interception for a touchdown, but it was still quite the big play on the day for Tampa Bay.