TAMPA, Fla. — 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 of Tampa Bay’s first three draft picks were spent on cornerbacks. It’s why the Bucs made their biggest free-agent splash on pass rusher Haason Reddick. It’s why Monday night’s game against the Lions looms so large.

The pass defense has been better this season. At least in some ways. More interceptions. A higher sack rate. A slight reduction in yards per game (244 to 231), although an increase in yards per pass attempt (7.1 to 7.6).

But the Bucs haven’t faced many potent offenses. One of the few times they did — in Seattle — Sam Darnold completed 28 of 34 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns. And now here comes Jared Goff, who started Sunday tied for the NFL lead in touchdown passes and was second in passer rating.

Is the pass defense ready for this?

“It’s coming. It’s coming around. It’s not where I want it to be,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “We give up about two or three plays a game, whether we fall down or whether we bust (coverage). That’s getting lower and lower. It’s coming along. Those guys are understanding it better. They’re communicating a lot more. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s far better than what it was last year.”

There were legitimate reasons for the struggles last season. Antoine Winfield Jr. missed eight games, Jamel Dean missed five and Jordan Whitehead missed five. Even so, the Bucs were motivated to bring in Benjamin Morrison in the second round and Jacob Parrish in the third. Tykee Smith was moved from nickel to safety to replace Whitehead, and Parrish began the season at nickel.

So while the look might be a little different, the personnel is pretty familiar. Between corners Zyon McCollum and Dean, and safeties Winfield and Smith, the Bucs have four players who were in the system last season.

“I think those guys have worked together now for quite a while, understanding schematically what we are trying to do,” said pass game coordinator George Edwards. “Coaches have really done a good job of helping them with the communication and getting them to realize that it is not just you that is out there. You guys have got to communicate with each other and make sure we are on the same page. All of those guys are putting extra focus in that area.”

It also needs to be understood that this is not just an issue in the secondary. The pass rush matters. So does coverage from inside linebackers Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis, which has not been good. Pro Football Focus has David No. 46 and Dennis No. 54 out of 54 qualified linebackers in pass coverage.

Is that a reason to be concerned going into the Detroit game? Only if you’re being realistic.

The Lions have a potent running game, but that only makes Goff more dangerous. He doesn’t have a ton of passing yards, because the Lions do not need to rely on the pass. Of the 20 quarterbacks to have started six games this season before Sunday, Goff was tied for 19th in pass attempts. On the other hand, he was first in completion percentage (75.9%) and seventh in yards per attempt (8.0), just ahead of Baker Mayfield.

Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have not played huge roles in the passing game, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Lions use more swing passes to counter Tampa Bay’s elite run defense.

“They do a great job of self-scouting themselves,” Bowles said. “With the two great running backs, you can’t key them because they’ve got the great receivers on the outside as well, along with the tight ends. It makes it a very hard challenge. Everybody has got to do their job, everybody has got to be disciplined.”

The pass defense ultimately cost the Bucs in 2024. And it got away with some letdowns in Seattle this month.

If you want an accurate picture of how things will unfold in 2025, watching the secondary and pass rush against Detroit on Monday night will be another clue to the puzzle.

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