Tampa Bay's defense followed up a five-sack performance against the Jets in the opener with another four against New Orleans last Sunday, marking the most times they've ever been able to drop Drew Brees in a single game. That marks the first time since the third and fourth weeks of 2011 that the Bucs have had at least four sacks in two consecutive games. No, Tampa Bay isn't going to finish the year with 72 sacks, but the ability of the front seven to get pressure on the quarterback from a variety of angles looks to be real.

Last year, Doug Martin set a Buccaneer rookie record with 1,454 rushing yards; meanwhile, new free agent acquisition Vincent Jackson just missed the team's single-season mark for receiving yards with 1,384 while also leading the NFL with an average of 19.2 yards per grab. It's possible that both will find a way to eclipse those enormous numbers in 2013. So far, Martin is on pace to rush for 1,672 yards and Jackson is on pace to snare 1,848 yards worth of receptions. A full-season prediction after just two games is obviously premature, but there's no indication that either of these two offensive dynamos are slowing down.

The effects of Darrelle Revis, the sublime cornerback the Buccaneers acquired from the Jets in a blockbuster spring trade, are often best quantified by the absence of numbers. Quarterbacks fear throwing passes in his direction and receivers who get him as a shadow rarely put up big numbers. It's a bit early to find numbers that directly show Revis' impact in Tampa, but there are some that give the general idea. For instance, according to the defensive efficiency rankings cooked up each week by Football Outsiders, the Buccaneers' defense ranks fifth in the NFL in stopping opposing #1 receivers and first in stopping opposing #2 receivers. Most of the damage done against the Bucs through the air so far has been by the tight ends.

So far, Tampa Bay hasn't emerged as a big winner or loser in the turnover-differential statistic that so closely ties into wins and losses. Not only are the Bucs even in that category through two games, but they've had exactly two takeaways and two giveaways in each of their two games so far. What is encouraging is that, if the Bucs' differential does start to trend upward, that could have a huge effect on what the team is trying to accomplish. With the turnovers they have had, the Bucs have scored three touchdowns, for a total of 21 points. On their four giveaways, on the other hand, they've allowed just one touchdown and seven total points.

So far, the Buccaneers' defense has proved to be the most difficult to score against once the ball gets inside the 20-yard line. Through two games, Tampa Bay leads the NFL in red zone defense, which is ranked according to touchdowns allowed per possession. Only one of the six opposing incursions into the Buccaneers' red zone has ended in a touchdown. One very notable drive got no points at all last Sunday against New Orleans, when a rousing goal-line stand just before halftime kept the Buccaneers within a field goal of the lead.

Last season, Michael Koenen was one of the league's best at producing touchbacks on kickoffs, which made him a very valuable asset in terms of avoiding long kickoff returns. The Buccaneers ranked 26th in the NFL in net punting, however, which meant there was room for improvement in that part of the field-position battle. A proven NFL punter in terms of both distance and accuracy on angled kicks, Koenen was a good bet to get those numbers up in 2013, and so far he has. His outstanding net average of 46.3 yards per punt ranks sixth in the entire NFL. Oh, and Koenen is still killing it on kickoffs. So far he has kicked off eight times, and the only two that have not gone deep into the end zone for touchbacks were the two that followed either a penalty or a safety and were kicked from the 20 instead of the 35.

The Buccaneers' run defense ranked first in the NFL in 2012 (the first time that has happened in franchise history), but has "slid" to 12th in the league through the first two weeks of this season. Is that indication of a slight drop-off in this area of the game? Actually, no. The Buccaneers are allowing 82.5 rushing yards per game so far, which happens to be an exact duplicate of their 2012 defensive average. The lower ranking is merely an indication that a lot of rushing attacks around the league have yet to hit their stride. Tampa Bay is allowing just 3.4 yards per carry, which is actually a touch lower than the 3.5-yard figure with which they led the NFL last year.

In addition to Koenen's good work, the Buccaneers are also doing a better job than their opponents at covering return men and running kicks back. With Eric Page handling almost all of the returns, the Bucs rank 15th in punt return average and fifth in kickoff return average so far this year (they were 19th and 30th last year, respectively). Page already has a punt return of 28 yards and a kickoff return of 30 yards. Meanwhile, the Bucs are tied for sixth in the coverage of punt returns and rank 12th in the coverage of kickoffs.

The great Tampa Bay defenses of the mid-'90s to early-'00s always had a group of rangy, athletic, playmaking linebackers, from Hardy Nickerson to Derrick Brooks to Shelton Quarles. The future looks bright at that level of the defense once again, as the current starting trio of Lavonte David, Mason Foster and Dekoda Watson are making big plays all over the field. David, Foster and Watson have combined to become the first-ever trio of NFL teammates to each have an interception and a sack after just two games. David already has 2.5 sacks, in fact, and Foster took his interception against the Saints back 85 yards for a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter on Sunday.

Again, the only "statistic" that matters at the end of the season is win-loss record, and the Bucs' 0-2 start means they'll have to work harder to get enough Ws to make the playoffs. Statistically, just one level down from Ws and Ls is points, both scored and allowed. While the Bucs' offense hasn't yet found a rhythm, the defense has succeeded where it counts, allowing just 17 points per game so far. That figure ranks eighth in the NFL.