For the better part of a year, they were the problem children in Tampa Bay. Not unruly. Not disrespectful. Just a little underwhelming when it came to making plays and winning football games.

The secondary was the easy place to start when it came to figuring out the cause of most losses in 2024. There were all those last-minute drives that doomed the Bucs in so many big games. There were the gaudy numbers put up by Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Kirk Cousins and others. There was a sense that the easiest path to beating the Bucs was controlling the ball by attacking the heart of the pass defense.

In their seven losses in 2024, the Bucs gave up an average of more than 300 passing yards per game. In their 10 victories, the number was 204 yards. The dots connect themselves.

It’s why two o

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