Bruce Arians explains Bucs blitz over Cooper Kupp capture

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Cooper Kupp drilled through the Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary on Sunday to set up a game-winning field goal that sent the Los Angeles Rams to the NFC Championship Game.

The decisive final offensive play left many wondering what exactly the Bucs were thinking when it came to defense.

Why did the Buccaneers blitz?

With 27 seconds remaining and no timeouts, the Rams needed a big win from their own 44-yard line to hope to end the game 27-27 in regulation. Instead of backing into a zone to defend the ball deep, the Bucs gambled on a blitz, leaving defenders one-on-one with safety Antoine Winfield Jr. responsible for defending football’s most productive receiver.

Kupp did what he did all season. He sprinted past a coaster Winfield on a post road and carried a deep ball from Matthew Stafford perfectly placed over the Bucs’ secondary. The 44-yard gain allowed Matt Gay to win the game and end Tampa Bay’s season.

Arians blame execution, communication

After the game, head coach Bruce Arians defended the call of the game. But there appeared to be communication and execution issues. Not everyone who was supposed to blitz did.

“Some guys didn’t blitz,” Arians told reporters. “I don’t know if we didn’t get the call – it was a total blitz. We should have been under a ton of pressure.”

The Arians did not give names. But linebacker Lavonte David appeared to miss the blitz memo. He confirmed to reporters that there was a communication problem on the play.

“It’s an unfortunate situation,” David said. “Some people got the call, some people didn’t. That’s what it is. … It sucks to lose like this after fighting back.”

What the tape shows

Graphical analysis shows six Bucs defenders attacked Stafford while four retreated into men’s coverage. David, meanwhile, played in a shallow area with no Rams receivers nearby. The Bucs basically played with 10 effective defensemen on the play.

The story continues

Here is the real-time game again showing David out of position.

But what about the play call?

While Arians and David’s explanations piece together what went wrong in the play’s execution, neither answers the original question: why did the Bucs blitz in the first place? The decision drew widespread criticism for the Arians and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, including from former Bucs quarterback Shaun King.

It’s a question that will persist in the offseason at Tampa Bay.

Cooper Kupp ran free through the Bucs’ secondary in the game’s tiebreak. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Reuters)

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