Against the Chiefs in Week Nine, Buccaneers' nose tackle Vita Vea and three-technique Calijah Kancey put on a clinic. Both spearheaded the defensive effort and consistently collapsed the pocket around Patrick Mahomes. The formidable tandem set the tone inside Arrowhead Stadium and helped stall drives.
On the game's opening drive, Vita Vea dropped Mahomes for a 10-yard loss to push Kansas City out of field goal range on third down and he added a second sack later in the first half. Vea currently leads the Bucs with 5.0 in 2024 and his 5.0 sacks are the most among nose tackles this season – 2.5 more than the next closest nose tackle based on StatsPass position designations. In the Week Nine matchup, Vea also led the team with a career-best 10 tackles, in addition to three quarterback hits. His counterpart, Calijah Kancey, produced his first career multi-sack performance. Kancey now has 3.0 sacks on the season and 7.0 in his career.
"This was probably the best game I've seen Vita play since I've been here," stated Head Coach Todd Bowles. "[He] dominated inside, not just in the pass game but in the run game as well from tackle to tackle. Calijah got off the ball as well, tackling [Patrick] Mahomes and getting him out in space was unbelievable. We tried to push the pocket and not let him up too many times so the ends – their job was kind of to get to the depth of the quarterback and kind of stop so we could push the pocket, and they did a good job at that and Vita and Calijah kind of cashed in. I think those two guys being healthy have started to come into their own."
The dynamic duo have created a rapport and are playing their best football of the season. Vea is physical at the point of attack and caused disruption in the interior against the Chiefs. With elite athleticism, Vea created push and flushed Mahomes off his landmarks. With rare power, Vea overpowered the middle of Kansas City's line and pressed blockers off his frame. He sits atop the hierarchy at his position and produced one of his best games as a pro on Monday night. Kancey showcased the first-step quickness that made him a first-round pick in 2023 out of Pittsburgh. He exploded off the line versus Kansas City and displayed his lateral movement skills and outstanding contact balance. With an advanced pass rush repertoire, Kancey gained leverage in key moments to spur the Bucs' defense in primetime.
"They are talking more amongst themselves, and they are setting each other up to do things that we have not seen before," said Bowles. "They are helping each other get sacks and are working together, so that looks good."
