Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8 wins – 9 losses, NFC South champions, fourth in the NFC
If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the NFL for more than two decades: when a franchise lines up Tom Brady as quarterback at the start of the season, it’s bound to be among the league’s favorites. This was the case for the Buccaneers at the start of this 2022 exercise. And beyond the mere presence of the seven-time champion, the Floridians were advancing with certainty. A title in 2020, a good run until the Divisional Round in 2021 and above all a workforce that looked good.
And then the season started and the (many) questions arose. Did Tom Brady do well to come back? Is Todd Bowles the man for the job to replace Bruce Arians? Has the defense lost its solidity? So many questions that have peppered the year of the Buccaneers. Problem, little response has been made. Except that this weekend the playoffs start and that doubt is no longer allowed.
How did they get there?
Hardly. It’s the least we can say. It’s simple, Tampa Bay is the only team with a negative record qualified in the playoffs this season. Above all, it is only the 6th franchise in this case in the history of the NFL. The Buccaneers have indeed benefited from a historically weak division. Todd Bowles players only had to win 8 games (for 9 losses) to finish first in the NFC South.
The season had finally started rather well with two victories in the first two games, in Dallas and then in New Orleans. And then things went wrong with worrying setbacks against the Packers, Pittsburgh or even Carolina. Finally, Tampa came out in the money-time thanks to two crucial victories in week 16 (@Arizona) and in week 17 (vs. Carolina).
The key player: the offensive line
More than a player, it’s a whole squad that will have to perform. First because there is a good chance that Tom Brady will raise his level of play during the playoffs. It is certainly no longer the quarterback of his (very) good years, but he has proven that he still has enough left under the hood to perform. And when the pitcher ramps up, everyone has to follow, especially in knockout games. It must therefore imperatively be in the best conditions to launch.
This season already, Tampa is the team that has collected the fewest sacks in the NFL (22). The offensive line is also the squad best rated by PFF in the passing game (90.5). But this franchise also needs the ground game. In this sector, it is much more complicated. If the offensive line is not the only responsible for the lack of productivity in the race (76.9 yards / game, 32nd in the league), it is not entirely foreign too. With a lot of movement (and injuries) this season, the front 5 doesn’t have many certainties going into this playoff campaign, but holds a crucial role if the Buccaneers are to go far.
Why are they going to go all the way?
Quite simply because Tampa Bay has three elements that many franchises envy them: experience, talent and Tom Brady. First, because this franchise has come out of a title and a Divisional Round in the last two seasons. The core of the team is still there and this workforce knows what it takes to get to the end. Then, because even if everything didn’t go as he wanted this season, the roster is full of talented players. Mike Evans, Vita Vea, Lavonte David, Chris Godwin… to name but a few remain leading players in their position in the NFL.
Finally, because Tom Brady is rarely eliminated in the playoffs easily. Last year is also the perfect example with a match that was considered lost against the future reigning champions and which was finally played in the very last moments.
Why won’t they go?
It smells like the end of the cycle with full nose on the side of Florida. For two years, the workforce has changed very little and the level of play has dropped significantly. You only have to see the defense, an essential factor in the title in 2020, which has now returned to the ranks with 21.1 points conceded (13th in the NFL). Todd Bowles does not seem to have made the transition with Bruce Arians. The coach did not advance his team. Far from there.
On offense it’s not much better with a squad that works intermittently. Some strokes of genius are still there, but over the duration of a season (or a match), the average level remains low. Finally, even if Tom Brady continues to prove that he is far from being burnt out, he is no longer quite the Tom Brady of New England either.
Injured players
It can’t be said that injuries have spared the Buccaneers this year. There are countless players who missed games during the regular season. Not sure that we should however take the list of injured this weekend to get an idea. Todd Bowles had put a lot of players on rest (Mike Edwards, Julio Jones, Vita Vea…) to prepare for the approaching Wild Cards match.
One thing is certain in any case, Shaquill Barrett will not participate. The Bucs’ top pass-rusher injured his achilles tendon in late October and won’t be back. Finally, there is still a doubt on the offensive line with the injury of Robert Hainsey in the center position and the return of Ryan Jensen who is still awaited. The advantage is that this game being Monday Night Football, everyone has one more day to heal and prepare.
Prognosis
The Buccaneers would not be the first to experience a lackluster regular season before overcoming all the stages in the playoffs. The Bengals last year, for example, came out of 18 weeks of competitions made up and down before reaching the Super Bowl last year. But conversely, there was still a palpable dynamic, the feeling of a team under construction with bases on which to rely. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, this workforce is more like a wall that is slowly crumbling.
Playing against the Bucs will never be fun in the playoffs, but not sure they have enough certainty this season to beat the big teams in this conference. Starting with Dallas next Monday.
Photo: Tiffany Amisse in Munich for DNA of Sports.com
