Bucs finally get the respect they should've received months ago heading into Week 3 against Broncos
Anyone who followed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason knew the team was capable of not only winning its fourth-straight division title, but also traversing a deep playoff run.Bucs general manager Jason Licht re-signed key guys like Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans and extended guys like Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tristan Wirfs. Those moves, […]
Anyone who followed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason knew the team was capable of not only winning its fourth-straight division title, but also traversing a deep playoff run.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht re-signed key guys like Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans and extended guys like Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tristan Wirfs. Those moves, on top of a strong draft class and solid free agent haul had the Bucs in very good position to keep their yearly postseason streak going.
Outsiders didn't feel the same way, however, and most went with the Atlanta Falcons as the sexy pick for the NFC South crown. Many are singing a different tune after the Bucs' big Week 2 win over the Detroit Lions, including Vegas.
BetMGM released its new win totals for the 2024 season and the Bucs are now projected to win 9.5 games instead of the previous 7.5. Only the New Orleans Saints saw a bigger increase, moving from 7.5 to 10.5 wins on the season. Of course another NFC South rival had to steal their thunder, but there are still plenty of questions surrounding the Saints and nowhere near as many surrounding the Bucs.
- Bengals 10.5 to 9.5
- Broncos 5.5 to 4.5
- Buccaneers 7.5 to 9.5
- Cardinals 6.5 to 7.5
- Chargers 8.5 to 9.5
- Colts 8.5 to 7.5
- Dolphins 9.5 to 8.5
- Eagles 11.5 to 10.5
- Giants 5.5 to 4.5
- Jaguars 8.5 to 6.5
- Panthers 4.5 to 3.5
- Raiders 6.5 to 7.5
- Rams 8.5 to 6.5
- Ravens 10.5 to 9.5
- Saints 7.5 to 10.5
- Seahawks 8.5 to 9.5
- Steelers 8.5 to 9.5
- Texans 10.5 to 11.5
- Titans 6.5 to 5.5
- Vikings 7.5 to 8.5
Right now, the Bucs have the 11th-easiest remaining strength of schedule, per Tankathon. Their toughest games include the Chiefs, the 49ers, the Cowboys, and the Ravens, despite the latter's struggles. The tough-on-paper-but-question-mark games include the Saints (twice), Eagles, Cowboys, Falcons (twice) and Chargers. And lastly, the Panthers (twice), Broncos, and Giants.
The Saints, on the other hand, are close to the middle of the pack when it comes to the difficulty of their remaining schedule, which ranks 18th from toughest to easiest. Their remaining games are the Bucs (twice) and Chiefs. Then it's the Eagles, Chargers, Packers, Falcons (twice), Browns, Raiders and Rams followed by the Giants, Broncos, Commanders and Panthers.
It's kind of a toss-up when it comes to just who has the easier path, but the Bucs are certainly the more proven team, at this point. Derek Carr and the Saints offense still has to string together more consistent performances, whereas the Bucs have simply picked up where they left off on offense, despite a new system. Both defenses are doing what they typically do, which is play at a high level, so it's a wash, there.
Either way, the Bucs finally have the proper attention they deserve. Now, it's about going out there and proving they deserve even more respect.
