When and Where: Week 4 in Tampa, “Tampa Bay” is an actual bay
Last season: Finished the season with the 6th best point differential in the league, then lost on a last second field goal in the playoffs.
Added: Anthony Walker, Haason Reddick
Lost: Jordan Whitehead, KJ Britt
Players added or lost in order of snaps played last season.
Top draft picks: Emeka Egbuka, Benjamin Morrison
Biggest question facing this team: Can someone on this roster, particularly on defense, step it up in the postseason?
Over the last three seasons, the Bucs have won 8, then 9, then 10 games. Nice and steady progression, but not particularly impressive in the woeful NFC South. Over those three years, the NFCS has produced just one winning season that wasn’t by the Bucs when the Saints went 9-8 in 2023.
Over those three seasons, the Bucs only win in the playoffs was against the downward spiraling 2023 Eagles. In their three losses, they’ve gotten zero takeaways, given up at least 350 yards in each game, given up 8 total passing TDs, and sacked the QB just four times.
For all the credit Todd Bowles gets as a defensive mind, his defense isn’t getting the job done when it matters the most. Haason Reddick, who skipped voluntary OTAs, could help in 2025, and then be gone in 2026. Their top defensive draft pick, Benjamin Morrison, has already had two hip surgeries.
And the offense is probably taking a step back, at least early in the season, as Chris Godwin’s return date from a broken ankle is still unclear; and offensive coordinator Liam Cohen ghosted the team to take the Jaguars head coaching job and his replacement is 35 year old first time play caller Josh Grizzard.
One playoff win in three seasons should make this a make or break season for the Todd Bowles, plenty of coaches have been fired for less.
They’ll probably beat the Eagles though, because Todd Bowles has Jalen Hurts’ number. The only win Hurts has against him was Week 3 in 2023, when he had 2 TDs but also 2 INTs, the Eagles won because they held the Bucs to just 11 points.
