Bruce Arians fully expects Buccaneers defense to see the same game plan Cowboys used throughout 2021 season

The Cowboys exposed a weakness Arians vows to correct

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense gave up 451 yards to the Dallas Cowboys in Thursday night's victory, the second-highest total the defense has allowed since the start of last season. Dallas exploited a weakness in Tampa Bay's defense, dropping back to pass 59 times and throwing for 403 yards.

Dallas used a bevy of short passes to keep Tampa Bay off balance, which led to Dak prescott getting explosive plays downfield. Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians won't be surprised if other NFL teams attempt the same. 

"Oh, there's no doubt. No doubt, brother," Arians said to reporters Friday. "You've got to put the fires out each week, you know? They had a nice plan but still the game comes down to situational football and we won situational football. We'll see the same things. They had a nice plan defensively, too, but I think we're a bit farther along offensively now. But yeah, we're going to see screens, screens, screens – throw it out there and see if you can make the tackle."

The Buccaneers converted in the red zone on 3 of 5 attempts (60%) while the Cowboys were just 1 of 4 (25%). Tampa Bay converted both its goal to go situations while Dallas missed its lone opportunity. Greg Zuerlein missed a 31-yard field goal attempt and an extra point -- leaving four points on the board for Dallas -- while Ryan Succop made his lone field goal attempt (the game winning 36-yard kick with two seconds remaining) and all four of his extra point attempts. 

Dallas is the first team since the 1996 St. Louis Rams to put up 450 yards and have four takeaways on the road ... and lose. Tampa Bay did win situational football to steal a victory at home, but there's plenty to clean up going forward. 

"We still play great red zone defense," Arians said. "When you're playing that first one, people have a long time to prepare for you. We adjust extremely well. I think the depth helped with those injuries that happened during the game. 

"We'll see all those little short passes and, again, we've got to do a better job tackling."

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