National Football League

Bucs, Carlton Davis wants to show they're better than Texans loss: 'A nightmare come true'

Published Nov. 8, 2023 3:20 p.m. ET

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Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis was the closest defender on C.J. Stroud's final three touchdowns Sunday, including the game-winner with six seconds left in a humbling 39-37 loss. While he wasn't the only problem defensively, he understands the criticism being thrown at Tampa Bay's secondary.

Stroud set an NFL rookie record by throwing for 470 yards and five touchdowns Sunday, 325 coming in the second half. He made the Bucs look bad enough that Hall of Fame corner Ronde Barber called it "embarrassing" and that "they looked like the worst secondary in football."

It stings, coming from a former Bucs cornerback who's still around the team, but Davis didn't argue with the assessment.

"It would only hit home if it wasn't true," Davis said. "But it's true, right? We played like dog crap. That's a performance that you have a nightmare about. It's like a nightmare come true. So anything concerning our performance negatively, probably it's right."

The Bucs enforce a 24-hour rule after games, asking players and coaches to move on from one game, good or bad, to focus on the next. So Monday, the defensive backs watched the second half of the Texans game, and Davis held his hands up to his face, as you might watching a horror movie.

"We watched the film together, and (it was) so nasty, just the worst to even watch," Davis said. "I didn't even want to watch it. I almost wanted to close my eyes. But it's a part of life. It happened. You have to own up to it. We're not going to shy away from what happened. We're not going to shy away from attacking. We're not going to stop trying to be the best defense."

The Bucs had defensive problems before Sunday's collapse. After a 3-1 start in which the defense played a major role, they've lost four straight to fall to 3-5, and in those four games, they have the worst pass defense in the NFL. They've given up the most yards, the highest passer rating and nine touchdowns against a single interception (by a defensive lineman).

Tampa Bay is tied for third in the league in turnover margin, but they've done so despite their starting secondary — Davis and fellow corner Jamel Dean, plus safeties Antoine Winfield and Ryan Neal — not catching a single interception yet this season. Now they'll face another talented rookie quarterback in Tennessee's Will Levis, who threw for four touchdowns in his debut two weeks ago to beat the Falcons. 

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Levis had no touchdowns and an interception in his second game, losing to the Steelers last week, but the Bucs don't care who they're facing. They want another chance to show they're better as a defense.

"We're either going to fold like a lawn chair, or get up and keep moving," Davis said. "That's where I'm at: I want to get up and keep moving and fight again."

Bucs coach Todd Bowles has explained that some of the coverage mistakes were communication errors — an awkward assessment for a defense that's had much of its back end together since the team's Super Bowl championship season in 2020. That shared experience should lead to players knowing not only the scheme but where to expect teammates to be, but that hasn't been how things played out in the last month.

Bowles said Monday that the "communications" answer is sometimes a polite way to avoid a harsher truth: that individual players simply need to play better, and coaches need to do a better job of preparing them for that challenge.

"It's really not all communication, some people are just busting, and it's just as simple as that," Bowles said. "We're saying communication, and we're putting a bow on it, but certain people (need) to play better. It's really that simple. It's not even really a communication issue for the most part, and it wasn't yesterday. We just (need) to play better. We can say it's communication all we want (but) some things don't even require communication, it requires playing better. Things they've done a million times, and they've just got to do it."

Sunday marks the midpoint of the 2023 season. The Bucs have the same record (3-5) they held a year ago and managed to salvage an NFC South title at 8-9 last season. They still have four of their six division games ahead of them and are within one loss of the Saints and Falcons in the standings with nine games to play.

Playing well this week means moving on from a crushing loss Sunday. That was a difficult thing for Davis to do, but a necessary part of the process if the Bucs are going to change the direction of their season.

"Everything was wrong. It's hurtful to watch, to replay in your head, especially knowing the caliber of player I am, the standards that I have," Davis said. "It's one of the worst things that can happen. It's the brutal truth of playing corner. Whenever you're not on point, it's for the whole world to see. It could be all the marbles. That's just the position I play. I take it with pride and love what I do. I'm going to get better and I've moved on past it. I just want to get that nasty taste out of my mouth."

Greg Auman is FOX Sports' NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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Greg Auman