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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came back for a 16-15 win against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night. Let’s analyze some preseason overreactions from the game. Bucs Preseason Overreactions: Dominating Defense and Dazzling Daniels The Buccaneers improved to 2-0 in the preseason with their comeback win over Kansas City. Tampa Bay stormed back from a 9-0 halftime deficit, outscoring the Chiefs 16-6 out of the locker room. However, it’s not the score that typically sticks with people in the preseason. There were plenty of eye-opening storylines from the game that had nothing to do with the Bucs’ second-half comeback. Tampa Bay’s healthy offensive and defensive starters each played for two series. The units had far different results. Let’s dig into some bold statements following the Bucs’ win and decide if the claims are outlandish or on the money. Tampa Bay’s pass rush could be one of the best in the NFL The Bucs’ struggles to rush the passer were well-documented last season. They ranked 19th in the NFL in sacks in 2025 despite blitzing the third-most in the league. Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht overhauled the edge-rushing unit this offseason, drafting Reuben Bain Jr. and acquiring Al-Quadin Muhammed in free agency. Both players made their Bucs debuts on Saturday night. Bain Jr. made his impact felt immediately, helping force an errant throw from Chiefs’ starting quarterback Justin Fields on third down. He, along with Yaya Diaby, met Fields to cause the bad throw. A sight that Bucs fans hope to see often in 2026. Rueben Bain Jr. hump move turns into a pressure (via @BillyM_91)pic.twitter.com/KvRjujIvZK — Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 22, 2026 Overall, the Bucs’ starting defense, spearheaded by the pass rush, forced two three-and-outs. The Chiefs averaged 2.2 yards per play against the Bucs’ starting unit. Tampa Bay’s defense did not relent when the Bucs’ starters left the game. The Chiefs only averaged 4 yards per play and didn’t find the pay dirt all night. The Bucs had two sacks, an interception, and eight quarterback hits. Edge rusher Anthony Nelson was a standout performer for the Bucs’ defense, recording 1.5 sacks, including a strip sack in the first half. Nelson is entering his eighth season with the Bucs and has posted 21.5 sacks during that time. Even still, he will likely be a second-or third-string edge rusher. David Walker had another impressive performance, recording two sacks during his 20 snaps on the field. The top end of the Bucs’ pass rush impressed during its limited time on the field, and the edge-rushing room’s depth was also on display as the game went on. Verdict: Not an overreaction It’s time to worry about Zac Robinson’s offense As well as it went for the Bucs’ defense, it went just as poorly for Tampa Bay’s starting offense. The Bucs started with nine total yards on eight plays in their two drives on the field. Quarterback Baker Mayfield completed two of his four passing attempts for 10 yards in his 2026 debut. Overall, the Bucs’ offense averaged 4.2 yards per play on Saturday night. Tampa Bay has failed to reach 250 total yards in both of its preseason games. Zac Robinson was always going to have a limited playbook, no matter who was in the game during the preseason. However, Robinson was likely much more limited than he would have wanted with the starters due to the Bucs’ left tackle situation. Tampa Bay only had one left tackle available on Saturday night. Starter Tristan Wirfs and backups Benjamin Chukwuma and Justin Skule were all unavailable due to injury. Undrafted free agent Ben Rubelt played 60 snaps at left tackle, the most of any player on Tampa Bay. Robinson was obviously trying to protect Mayfield from any unnecessary hits when he was out there. The Bucs ran four times, rolled Mayfield out on a play-action bootleg, and did three screen passes in their eight plays with the starters. Let’s wait to jump to brash conclusions until they have a starting left tackle. Verdict: Overreaction Jalon Daniels will be the Bucs’ backup quarterback Once again, the Bucs’ offense sputtered until Jalon Daniels checked into the game. Daniels led the Bucs to their only three scoring drives in his first three series on the field. He completed nine of his 14 passing attempts for 71 yards and a touchdown, and he added 19 rushing yards. The Bucs’ offense was infused with life with Daniels on the field. He dazzled on Saturday night, escaping sacks, making big throws, and being in complete command of the Bucs’ offense. TOUCHDOWN TAMPA BAY ‼️ 📺: #KCvsTB on WFLA 📻: @98rocktampabay 📲: In-market on the Bucs app pic.twitter.com/Oj2cL0Mvn4— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) August 23, 2026 Veteran quarterback Jake Browning was far less impressive in his Bucs debut. He completed eight of his 11 passing attempts for 84 yards, but he was sacked three times. Browning and the offense only picked up two first downs in his three drives. While Browning and Daniels were playing against different levels of Chiefs defenders, the difference between how they led the Tampa Bay offense was palpable. Could Daniels overtake Browning after the Bucs signed him in free agency as what seemed to be the team’s obvious backup quarterback? Well, if Daniels keeps making an impact like this, the Bucs will have no choice but to keep him on their roster and likely make him the backup quarterback. Browning is only signed for one season, so even if Daniels isn’t technically listed as the team’s backup this season, they could see him as the backup quarterback of the future. Bucs Ring of Honor members Ronde Barber and Jon Gruden both seemed sold on Daniels as the Bucs’ backup when talking about it in the booth. Tampa Bay will have an elite rookie class Bain Jr.’s debut will get a lot of the headlines on Saturday night. He is one of the most anticipated Bucs rookies in recent memory and the odds-on favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. However, Bain Jr. wasn’t the only Tampa Bay rookie to see reps with the first team on Saturday night. Second-round pick Josiah Trotter started on Saturday night. While it was likely due to Sirvocea Dennis not playing because of injury, Trotter seems in line to take the starting spot at some point this season. He has impressed during training camp, and he helped the starting defense in its dominating performance against Kansas City. Miami rookie defensive back Keionte Scott also had some reps at the nickel corner position on the first couple of drives. Scott is the projected starting nickel corner for Tampa Bay, and he displayed his knack for finding the ball when he wrapped up Chiefs receiver Cyrus Allen on third down to force a punt. Rookie tight end Bauer Sharp has quietly been one of the surprises of the preseason. He played the most snaps of any Bucs tight end in the game and had two catches for 13 yards. Sharp has been targeted eight times in two games this preseason and could be in line to both make the roster and play a legitimate role on the Bucs in 2026. This class could turn out to make a huge impact on Tampa Bay in 2026. Maybe more than most rookie classes in the NFL. Verdict: Not an overreaction Kameron Johnson will be the Bucs’ secret weapon this season Third-year receiver Kameron Johnson was tied for the team lead with 56 receiving yards on Saturday night. The former undrafted free agent out of Barton College has been a guy that the Bucs’ coaching staff has raved about over the course of his NFL career. His speed and agility in the open field have been eye-opening in limited spurts on the field. Last season, Johnson got an opportunity to play more snaps at receiver in Week 6 against the 49ers due to multiple Bucs pass catchers being out with injury. He had four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. Johnson didn’t record a catch in the 16 other games he played. Johnson averaged 25.4 yards per kick return and 11.2 yards per punt return last season. He is slated to be Tampa Bay’s main returner in 2026. However, Johnson’s performance could point toward him being a potential big-play threat on offense. But the problem is, Johnson has quite a few quality players who will be getting targets before him. The Bucs’ depth at receiver will likely keep him from being a big part of Tampa Bay’s offense, barring major injury problems in the room. Verdict: Overreaction