Entering their bye week, the 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in a four-game losing streak and with a 4-6 record. A team that felt like they were in the driver’s seat a few weeks ago now sit two games back of the division-leading Falcons, with Atlanta owning the tiebreaker with the Bucs as well.
An Electric Start
A season that started hot with huge wins over the Commanders, Lions and Eagles in the month of September had the Tampa Bay locker room and fanbase on their high horses, understanding what this team was capable of. Offensively, year two with Baker Mayfield, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans looked as if it could be the core of the best offense in the NFL. They were finding ways to win early on, so we know this team can and will find ways to win games in a league where it’s very tough to do so.
The first half of the entire season can be highlighted by a 51-point, 594-yard performance in New Orleans against the Saints. Baker Mayfield, despite his three interceptions, was throwing the ball all over the Superdome, and the break-out performance of Sean Tucker proved to the NFL that these Bucs have a true three-headed monster with their trio of running backs. Tucker won the NFC’s offensive player of the week in week six with his 192 total yards and two touchdowns.
Mid-Season Woes
Many hopes and dreams were crushed following the Saints game, when the Bucs welcomed the Baltimore Ravens in week seven. A game that slipped away from Tampa Bay, and understandably so, ended up being known for the game that Chris Godwin was ‘in too late’ and dislocated his ankle, ending the historic beginning to his 2024 season. With Mike Evans also getting sidelined for some time as well, this seemed like the beginning of the end for the solid start for these Bucs.
Falling to 4-3 after the Ravens game didn’t seem like the end of the world, even with the injuries to key offensive weapons Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. But what wasn’t expected for the Bucs to fall into a four-game losing streak. Competitive against some of the league’s best, but this Tampa Bay team has had control of games and could be aggressive- and win them.
It feels like it’s becoming a common theme, but these are the outcomes you get when you’re going up against teams like Kansas City, Baltimore, Atlanta and San Francisco. The fact that the Bucs have been competitive shows how they rank up, but their 1-4 record in one score games tells the story as to why the Bucs are sitting with slim chances of winning the NFC South entering their bye week.
Are They Able To Turn It Around?
With only one of the five different Buccaneers opponents having a winning-record, the Bucs are absolutely capable of winning five, or potentially all of their remaining games, similar to what they did in 2023. They would have to overcome the Dave Canales-led Panthers twice and the Los Angeles Chargers who have been playing well under new leadership, but with Baker Mayfield, anything feels possible for these Buccaneers.
The return of Mike Evans was projected to be week eleven and all signs point to that being true. His impact on this offense is immeasurable and will only boost the chances of these Bucs turning the final stretch of games into a historic one.
Yes, a 4-6 record is tough and sitting twelfth out of sixteen NFC teams doesn’t look good going into week eleven, but if there is a common understanding that this team is able to turn their fortunes around and start to find ways to win instead of losing, the sky is the limit for this Tampa Bay team. The tiebreaker is lost to Atlanta and the Wild Card path will be tough for the Bucs, but all they can control is starting to put wins on the board and see how the rest plays out- reaching a 10-7 or 9-8 record will give them a chance when it’s all said and done.
There isn’t a quitting bone in any of these Buccaneers players. With Baker Mayfield leading the locker room, it’s hard to imagine Tampa Bay not giving their 100% effort to get a win, even when playoff chances are slim or non-existent. Folks who call for the mid-season firing of Todd Bowles just don’t understand how it works in the NFL. His team hasn’t given up on him and he hasn’t given up on them, they understand the tough stretch of games they just endured and now it’s time to rest for the final stretch.
Under Todd Bowles oversight and Liam Coen’s high-powered offensive playcalling, Bucs fans shouldn’t completely tune out for the year. There will be more touchdowns, more wins and better days. Let’s not think too far ahead- as the coaching situation is a complex one moving forward, but with where this team currently stands and how they performed against some of the league’s top teams, we should expect to see a lot of good December football in Tampa Bay.
Entering their bye week, the 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in a four-game losing streak and with a 4-6 record. A team that felt like they were in the driver’s seat a few weeks ago now sit two games back of the division-leading Falcons, with Atlanta owning the tiebreaker with the Bucs as well.
An Electric Start
A season that started hot with huge wins over the Commanders, Lions and Eagles in the month of September had the Tampa Bay locker room and fanbase on their high horses, understanding what this team was capable of. Offensively, year two with Baker Mayfield, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans looked as if it could be the core of the best offense in the NFL. They were finding ways to win early on, so we know this team can and will find ways to win games in a league where it’s very tough to do so.
The first half of the entire season can be highlighted by a 51-point, 594-yard performance in New Orleans against the Saints. Baker Mayfield, despite his three interceptions, was throwing the ball all over the Superdome, and the break-out performance of Sean Tucker proved to the NFL that these Bucs have a true three-headed monster with their trio of running backs. Tucker won the NFC’s offensive player of the week in week six with his 192 total yards and two touchdowns.
Mid-Season Woes
Many hopes and dreams were crushed following the Saints game, when the Bucs welcomed the Baltimore Ravens in week seven. A game that slipped away from Tampa Bay, and understandably so, ended up being known for the game that Chris Godwin was ‘in too late’ and dislocated his ankle, ending the historic beginning to his 2024 season. With Mike Evans also getting sidelined for some time as well, this seemed like the beginning of the end for the solid start for these Bucs.
Falling to 4-3 after the Ravens game didn’t seem like the end of the world, even with the injuries to key offensive weapons Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. But what wasn’t expected for the Bucs to fall into a four-game losing streak. Competitive against some of the league’s best, but this Tampa Bay team has had control of games and could be aggressive- and win them.
It feels like it’s becoming a common theme, but these are the outcomes you get when you’re going up against teams like Kansas City, Baltimore, Atlanta and San Francisco. The fact that the Bucs have been competitive shows how they rank up, but their 1-4 record in one score games tells the story as to why the Bucs are sitting with slim chances of winning the NFC South entering their bye week.
Are They Able To Turn It Around?
With only one of the five different Buccaneers opponents having a winning-record, the Bucs are absolutely capable of winning five, or potentially all of their remaining games, similar to what they did in 2023. They would have to overcome the Dave Canales-led Panthers twice and the Los Angeles Chargers who have been playing well under new leadership, but with Baker Mayfield, anything feels possible for these Buccaneers.
The return of Mike Evans was projected to be week eleven and all signs point to that being true. His impact on this offense is immeasurable and will only boost the chances of these Bucs turning the final stretch of games into a historic one.
Yes, a 4-6 record is tough and sitting twelfth out of sixteen NFC teams doesn’t look good going into week eleven, but if there is a common understanding that this team is able to turn their fortunes around and start to find ways to win instead of losing, the sky is the limit for this Tampa Bay team. The tiebreaker is lost to Atlanta and the Wild Card path will be tough for the Bucs, but all they can control is starting to put wins on the board and see how the rest plays out- reaching a 10-7 or 9-8 record will give them a chance when it’s all said and done.
There isn’t a quitting bone in any of these Buccaneers players. With Baker Mayfield leading the locker room, it’s hard to imagine Tampa Bay not giving their 100% effort to get a win, even when playoff chances are slim or non-existent. Folks who call for the mid-season firing of Todd Bowles just don’t understand how it works in the NFL. His team hasn’t given up on him and he hasn’t given up on them, they understand the tough stretch of games they just endured and now it’s time to rest for the final stretch.
Under Todd Bowles oversight and Liam Coen’s high-powered offensive playcalling, Bucs fans shouldn’t completely tune out for the year. There will be more touchdowns, more wins and better days. Let’s not think too far ahead- as the coaching situation is a complex one moving forward, but with where this team currently stands and how they performed against some of the league’s top teams, we should expect to see a lot of good December football in Tampa Bay.
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