Tom Brady was kept upright for the first time in the 2022 regular season, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line did not give up a sack in their 21-15 Week 5 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Not allowing the Falcons to record a sack during the game is a step in the right direction, and the Buccaneers needed to seize the opportunity of a “get-right” game against a rebuilding Falcons. Tristan Wirfs spoke after the game about the performance of his offensive line unit.
“We let them get to Tom [Brady] early, you know, he doesn’t like that,” Wirfs said. “He’s an old man, and we’ve got to do our best to keep him safe. A lot of us would like to see that right off the rip, and I know Luke [Goedeke] would want that one back,” Wirfs said of his offensive line. It is no secret amongst Buccaneers fans that Goedeke had struggled to get his footing, as the rookie was thrust into a starting role when Aaron Stinnie tore his ACL and MCL during the preseason.
He’s an old man, we’ve got to do our best to keep him safe.” Tristan Wirfs said of his offensive line today. #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/1Nc21bXJC3
— Channelside Sports Network (@chsidesports) October 10, 2022
Heading into today’s game, the Falcons were 31st in the NFL in pass rushing, only sacking the opposing quarterback eight times and registering 21 quarterback hits. At the same time, the Buccaneers were 21st in pass blocking. Holding the Falcons to zero sacks and limiting QB hits to just four is a small win for the offensive line. The line will have another opportunity to progress forward as they play the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are struggling on both sides of the ball and looking to answer an array of questions.
