Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Yarcho's Pick Six: Buccaneers Dominate Seahawks

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Oh. My. Goodness. For the second week in a row, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do what no one thought they could.

Are you kidding me?! The Buccaneers go into Arrowhead and beat a first place Chiefs team who had won 10 straight at home. Then the first place Seahawks come to town and the Buccaneers treat them like the Cleveland Browns? That’s what I’m talkin about!

In an emotional, must-win game, the Buccaneers and their fans showed up for a performance for the ages. No need to wait any longer, let’s Pick Six!

Six Topics Suitable For Discussion

1.) Where did this defense come from?! Six sacks, held Seattle to one third down conversion, and kept them out of the end zone for the entire game. In fact, 40% of the Seahawks’ points came on a safety thanks to a holding in the end zone. No matter what Seattle tried, Tampa Bay had an answer. It was absolutely amazing to see. Now, the big question is can they keep up this level of play? They’re going to have to in order to stay in the playoff hunt with San Diego, Dallas, and New Orleans on the horizon.

2.) Alterraun Verner. Simply amazing. This man lost his father Friday. All he did was go out there and play the game of his life. Nothing but respect and admiration for him, to do what he did, given the circumstances. Without his play, the Buccaneers do not win this game. Period.

3.) Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David haters can go back into hiding. They don’t make impact plays, huh? Ghosts in the fourth quarter, right? Lavonte David had his fourth forced fumble and first fumble recovery of the season when he jarred the ball loose from Jimmy Graham and returned it fifty yards. After a Jameis Winston interception, Gerald McCoy sacked Russell Wilson on third down, forcing a fourth-and-fourteen with under four minutes left. There’s your impact plays. There’s your fourth quarter, game on the line plays from your superstars. Now quit holding on to your false narrative.

4.) Mike Evans: Out of this world. He’s only the fourth receiver in NFL history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons, joining Randy Moss, A.J. Green, and John Jefferson. Oh, and he has ten touchdowns – most receiving touchdowns in the league. On top of that, he still has five more games to play. He abused Richard Sherman on more than one occasion, just imposing his will on the Seahawks’ defense. This kid is something special – and getting better by the week.

5.) Kudos to the fans. There were still too many empty seats, but this was the most full Ray Jay has looked this season and judging by the television broadcast, Seahawk colors were at a minimum. The crowd was loud, involved, and really made it feel like a playoff atmosphere. Keep showing up, Bucs fans. The Buccaneers are playing quality football against formidable opponents. Keep supporting them. Keep showing up, getting loud, and keeping opposing fans out of the stadium. They’ve earned it.

6.) How big of a run can they go on? Next week, they’re flying across the country to San Diego, then home for New Orleans, out to Dallas, at New Orleans, then finish off home against the Panthers. In all honesty, I didn’t see this win coming. Now, the Buccaneers are in great position to get at least four wins down the stretch if they continue to play like they did the last two weeks. Mike Smith has this defense clicking, Jameis Winston is playing out of his mind, and they have the best receiver in the league right now. At this rate, no one can stop them.

Six Numbers To Consider

4 – Players with 2+ touchdowns in one quarter against the Seahawks since Carroll became coach – now including Mike Evans

233 – Passing yards per game Winston needs to average to tie the Bucs’ record for most passing yards in a season

1 – Third down conversions by Seattle – they were 1/11

11 – Yards receiving allowed by Vernon Hargreaves III – a career low

5.5 – Sacks by Noah Spence, most this season by a Bucs player

3 – Players in Bucs’ history with three consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons – Joey Galloway, Vincent Jackson, and Mike Evans

Teams To Root For In Week 13

1.) Kansas City Chiefs: They’re at Atlanta, and a Falcons loss is big right now

2.) Dallas Cowboys: A win over the Vikings helps in the wild card race

3.) Arizona Cardinals: Washington is .5 game over the Bucs in the wild card race

4.) Pittsburgh Steelers: Giants may have the top wild card spot locked up, but tough schedule ahead

5.) Green Bay Packers/Cincinnati Bengals: Philadelphia’s opponents in week 12 and 13

6.) Detroit Lions: Keep those Saints behind the Bucs, give a little breathing room

Six Buccaneers Who Are Stepping Up

Nov 27, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Lavonte David (54) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Alterraun Verner (21) hit Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham (88) to fumble the ball during the second half of an NFL football game at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers won 14-5. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

1.) Alterraun Verner – With Jude out three more games, Verner continuing to perform like this gives the Bucs a big boost

2.) Doug Martin – He’s getting a little better every week. Only a matter of time before he busts off some long, vintage Martin runs

3.) Noah Spence – Now leads the team in sacks, has three forced fumbles, and is doing it while wearing a shoulder sling.

4.) Receivers not named Mike Evans – As a unit, it seems they continue to step up and help Winston out in crucial situations.

5.) Bradley McDougald – If he keeps playing like he did against Seattle, he’s going to be a force in the secondary for the rest of the season

6.) Lavonte David – Let’s hope this game wasn’t an anomaly. Lavonte needs to continue to play at this level for the rest of 2016. When he does, he’s a big difference maker.

Six Super Bowl Bets

1.) New England Patriots – Still the best…

2.) Dallas Cowboys – Ten wins in a row and no signs of slowing down

3.) Oakland Raiders – They could give the Pats a fight that New England doesn’t want

4.) Seattle Seahawks – Despite the loss, this is a damn good football team

12.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – One of the hottest teams in football right now. They keep it up, they’re going to be making some noise.

Six Final Words

Time To Play Meaningful December Football