Bucs are proving they have championship DNA but there are a few more twists and turns before they reach the final stage
The Bucs are 2-0 but there’s still work to be done.
It’s Week 2 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-0 for the fifth-straight year.
Not many teams have accomplished this feat. In fact, only five other teams have started 2-0 for five straight years dating back to the 1970 merger. Per Buccaneers Communications, the 1975-1979 Dallas Cowboys, 1987-1991 Chicago Bears, 1994-1999 Miami Dolphins, the 2010-2014 Houston Texans, and the 2013-2018 Denver Broncos are the aforementioned squads.
It’s obviously impressive, but what’s unique about 2025 is how the Bucs won their first two games of the season. Not only were they literal, last-minute, come-from-behind wins that probably took about 10-15 years off the lives of every Bucs fan on the planet, but they were victories achieved without guys like Tristan Wirfs, Chris Godwin Jr., Luke Goedeke, Calijah Kancey, Jalen McMillan, and so on and so forth.
The Bucs’ depth has really stepped up during the first two games of the season and it’s a very encouraging development for a Tampa Bay team with Super Bowl expectations. Championship teams have to have good depth – it’s plain and simple and it’s a been a proven formula for decades.
Through two weeks, it’s played key roles in the Buccaneers’ undefeated start not just on the field, but it’s also allowed Todd Bowles and the rest of the coaching staff to do their jobs instead of solve problems. That’s obviously a huge factor and we’ve seen it come to fruition in the form of back-to-back wins.
“I think, with the last two years and having all the injured players that we’ve had, and having to play with a lot of people, it gives the coaches confidence to just do their job and not worry about who’s playing, as opposed to who will be playing, and doing a great job of what they do well and concentrating on that,” Todd Bowles said Tuesday.
“And once we concentrate on that, we kind of forget about who’s playing. We just focus on what they can do best, and I think the team has bought into it. The coaches definitely know what they’re doing that way, and we kind of move that way, and that’s how we feel from a confidence standpoint.”
The NFL is a war of attrition and if the Bucs depth can help keep up the pace then this team is going to be in great shape once the starters return.
Todd Bowles admits the Bucs don’t have that killer instinct yet, but they’re getting there
Bowles talked a lot about developing a killer instinct over the summer and even though the Buccaneers have won back-to-back games in the final minute – he still doesn’t see it just yet.
“[They’re] showing a lot of grit and resiliency, right now,” said Bowles. “We haven’t had the killer instinct yet, but we’re working towards that.”
It makes sense, too. Sure, there’s a bit of a killer instinct that applies when a team comes back and wins a game in the closing moments. The instinct Bowles is looking for, however, is the one where the Bucs don’t allow Nick Chubb to break off a 25-yard touchdown run that puts the Houston Texans up by five points with just a little more than two minutes left in the game.
The killer instinct Bowles wants in that specific situation would be to strip the ball out of Chubb’s hands, recover the fumble, and then put the game away either via running the rest of the clock out or scoring a touchdown that basically renders a comeback impossible.
That’s what Bowles wants and he’s 100% correct in his desire. Closing games out like that is how you prevent the dramatic comebacks the Bucs have produced in 2025. Trust me, the Bowles doesn’t want to be the Atlanta Falcons nor the Houston Texans.
If the Bucs can start to develop in this fashion then they’ll take a big step toward reaching the final stage.
Bucs still have to work out some special teams issues and figure out how to produce takeaways
Chase McLaughlin has been the best and most reliable kicker in Bucs history over the last two seasons.
McLaughlin’s been anything but that in 2025, however, and it’s put the team in some bad spots. He missed a PAT and a field goal in Week 1 and then missed a field goal in Week 2. All were very makable kicks and all were in a dome – so there is no excuse for the errors.
The Bucs’ punt return unit really struggled, too. A blocked punt and a big return instantly led to 10 points for the Texans that included Chubb’s go-ahead touchdown. Who knows how the game plays out if the Bucs just do their jobs.
It’s crucial because the Bucs are going to be in a lot close games, regardless of opponent, as they navigate through their injuries. These kinds of mistakes can easily be the difference in a win or a loss and we almost saw that last night. If Baker Mayfield doesn’t convert that 4th and 10 then it’s very likely lights out for the Buccaneers and we’re talking about the special teams gaffes as opposed to the comeback win.
And then of course, the Bucs need to find ways to create takeaways. They got some sacks against the Texans, but now they need to take the ball away, as they have a giant goose egg through two games. That has to happen in order to take the next step.
If you’re serious like the Bucs are about winning the Super Bowl, then these things matter. And while they are showing they have the heart and resiliency to win a championship, there are just a couple of other things that need to be buttoned up before they can really make a charge at a third Lombardi.
