The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have essentially just accomplished the impossible. Not only is the team not bad without Tom Brady and several other key players on both sides of the ball-the Bucs are actually good.

At 3-1 after the first quarter of the season, the only loss on Tampa's resume is against the defending NFC Champions. Can you really hate on that?

No, this Buccaneers team hasn't just defied expectations. They have shattered them and proven themselves as one of the better teams in the NFL. What a time for Bucs fans.

Tom Brady gone? One of the best offensive lines in the league has lost most of its best players? Mike Evans left at half? Several defensive starters were missing? Playing against one of the best defenses in the league?

None of that matters.

The Buccaneers dominated the Saints, dictated the game, and upped their win streak over their rivals to three in a row.

Not bad for a team that came into the season in the Caleb Williams conversation.

It felt like everything went right for the Bucs when it mattered. Baker Mayfield completed 78% of his passes, the rushing attack was marginally better than last week, wide receivers stepped up, and the defense held the opponent to no touchdowns.

What more could Todd Bowles want?

Sure, you may have to overlook a bad pick by Mayfield and a few missed rushing lanes, but that is going to happen. What really matters is how this team bounces back and leans on its identity (i.e. the defense), and that identity came in strong.

Whether the quarterback was Derek Carr, Taysom Hill, or Jameis Winston, the Bucs put pressure on the quarterback, generated turnovers, and forced the offense into a conservative brand of football that wasn't going to score points. Again, Bowles has to be thrilled.

At 3-1, the Bucs are at the top of the NFC South by themselves and look like they have the gas to keep that going throughout the season. Sure, the schedule gets tough in a few spots, but the division looks very bad, and finishing above .500 is very much on the table if Tampa can keep this up.

Some people may want to see the Buccaneers win a game against a truly good team before they jump on the bandwagon too fast, but 3-1 at this point in the year speaks for itself.

The Bucs are a good team. Argue with a wall.

Buccaneers struggle in tough Week 3 loss

It sure wasn’t pretty.