Bucs defense shows signs of life in frustrating loss

The Buccaneers are still searching for their first win of the season, but Sunday's 23-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings finally gave Tampa Bay something positive to build on defensively. After two frustrating performances to start the year, the Bucs defense looked much more like the unit they expected this season. Minnesota finished with just 230 total yards, converted only two of its 15 third-down attempts, and averaged 4.2 yards per play. Tampa Bay also held the Vikings to just 78 rushing yards on 23 carries.

One of the biggest bright spots remains David Walker. Walker recorded a sack for the second consecutive week, bringing down Kyler Murray for a nine-yard loss on third down and forcing Minnesota to punt. He now has two sacks through the first three games of his NFL career despite seeing limited opportunities early in the season. Walker also became the first Buccaneer since Antoine Winfield Jr. in 2020 to record multiple sacks within his first three career games. After missing his entire rookie season with a torn ACL, Walker is quickly starting to look like someone Tampa Bay needs to find more snaps for moving forward.