Although the outcome of their Week One clash with the Bengals did not swing in the Buccaneers' favor, as turnovers sealed the team's fate on the road, a critical play shifted the momentum pendulum to the visiting team at Paycor Stadium in the second half. Rookie Josiah Trotter's pick-six in the third quarter brought the Bucs within striking distance, making it a seven-point game. Here is a look at the decision-making behind the play that jumped off the tape:
Pick-Six
From third-and-five with the ball at the 34, Trotter became the defensive catalyst. With the Bucs down 27-13 with 2:48 left in the third frame, he showcased his versatile skillset and made history in the process. Pre-snap, the Bucs were aligned in an A-gap pressure look with Alex Anzalone and Trotter lined up at the line of scrimmage. Anzalone served as the blitzer and fired through the interior. Conversely, Trotter dropped in coverage and was responsible for the third receiver. He studied Joe Burrow and saw that the opposing quarterback was looking to the strong side, so he side-shuffled and undercut the route, plucking the ball out of the air before Andrei Iosivas could get his hands on it. Trotter took off towards the end zone, punctuating the Bucs' efforts with a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown, becoming the first player in league annals with a pick-six and a sack in his NFL debut.
That same play was repped during practice the week leading up to the season opener and Trotter stayed inside instead of moving wide, resulting in the offense achieving success. With the lights on in a pivotal moment, he trusted his coaching, made the change and his in-game adjustment resurrected the visiting team, providing the jolt it desperately needed.
"In the game, someone sat down outside and we adjusted at halftime and we told him to get wider," described Inside Linebackers Coach Mike Caldwell. "He ended up trusting his eyes and trusting his technique and undercut the route. Then earlier in the week in practice, he dropped and he stayed too far inside. His adjustment in Week One was pushing wider underneath the route and the quarterback ended up throwing it. Basically, he stopped here [points to screen] in practice and the quarterback completed it there, and now, with him being able to see the quarterback, he was able to break and make it against the Bengals. I think him being able to self-correct and understand that he had the correction in practice and that he was able to apply that correction, was huge. He knew that he was too far inside in practice and he adjusted it and then in the game, same situation. Same play came up and he made the adjustment. He took the coaching from the practice field to the game field."
Trotter, the Bucs' second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, was highly touted for his ability to diagnose against the run and fill downhill. He wore the green dot as the Mike linebacker in Missouri's 4-2-5 base scheme and possessed a quick trigger, consistent tackle production, blitzing upside with closing burst, violent strikes and a voracious passion for the game. Trotter was primarily asked to play in the box, dropping shallow when he did and spying the quarterback. He was not responsible for dropping into deep zones and questions were raised during the pre-draft process on his coverage ability and route recognition. Pundits placed parameters on his skillset and on Sunday at Paycor Stadium, Trotter silenced those doubts.
"Really just going back in college and watching him in college, it was what he was asked to do in college," said Caldwell. "People do not understand that, and they get labeled a certain way and everybody in the league runs with it. Then, he heard it and he heard it over and over. I believe that it is a chip on his shoulder and he wants to prove to everybody that he is a complete linebacker and that he can do everything."
