By Thomas Mangieri
With the National Football League (NFL) season almost upon us, it is once again time for football to consume every fans’ weekend. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to improve from a successful 2023-24 season, which saw them win the NFC South and earn a playoff berth. The Bucs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round but ultimately fell to the Detroit Lions in the divisional round. The Buccaneers this season will hope to improve the final.
Week 1 will be the season opener at Raymond James Stadium, where the Bucs will face the Washington Commanders. The Commanders do not enter this season as a top team in the league, which they haven’t been for some time due to burning through 27 different quarterbacks since 2000. However, Washington is looking to change that this year, led by the dual-threat rookie, 2023 Heisman winner, and former Louisiana State University quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Commanders upgraded their defense and offensive line during the offseason— However, the Buccaneers are favored to win this game by over 3.5 points.
In Week 2, the Buccaneers will go on the road to take on the team that eliminated them from the playoffs — the Detroit Lions. Last season, the Lions were one of the top teams in the National Football Conference (NFC) and the NFL, making their first conference championship game appearance in franchise history. This has led to a lot of hype this year, with ESPN naming them one of the top 5 teams that could win it all this year. The Lions feature an explosive, gritty offense led by Pro Bowler Jared Goff that averaged 394.8 passing yards per game, which was third-most in the league.
After Detroit, the Buccaneers will return to Raymond James for a two-game homestand for Weeks 3 and 4, hosting the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Broncos are in a rebuilding stage after missing the playoffs last year and cutting Russell Wilson’s big contract. Their new starting quarterback is first-round draft pick Bo Nix, who had a lackluster preseason, and many people have turned on the young quarterback. The Buccaneers should handle the Broncos— the same can not be said for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles have one of if not the best offenses in the league with the new acquisition of former New York Giants standout running back and Rookie of the Year Saquon Barkley and also adding 2022 first-rounder wide receiver Jahan Dotsono from the Washington Commanders. Last year, the Eagles were a powerhouse until they lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13. These new offensive acquisitions may bring a Super Bowl back to Philadelphia.
Week 5, the Buccaneers head on the road to visit their first divisional rival this season with the Atlanta Falcons. The next time the Falcons face the Bucs, it will be Week 8 at Raymond James Stadium. The Falcons are a much different team and made a few important acquisitions during the offseason, the largest perhaps being the signing of former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Falcons had a lot of tools on offense last year in star running back Bijan Robinson and wideout Drake London. Another underrated player who hasn’t gotten much volume on the offensive end in the past years has been Kyle Pitts, which looks to change this year. The stats don’t lie, and Kirk Cousins is known for looking for tight ends a lot with nearly 27% of his passes targeting tight ends last year. Lots are saying this could be a breakout year for Pitts. The Falcons are shaping up to be a tough divisional opponent for the Buccaneers this season.
Week 6 the Buccaneers head to New Orleans to face off against another divisional opponent, the New Orleans Saints, who they will face again at Raymond James for their final game of the regular season. The Saints did not make much noise last year, finishing just above .500 with a record of 9-8 and missing the playoffs. The Saints haven’t changed much from the previous year team-wise, despite several pickups and a few injured players coming back from the injured list. The Saints are not the most competitive team in the NFC South and the Buccaneers should be able to handle them in both of their matchups this season.
The Buccaneers will host a top contender in the American Football Conference (AFC) in the Baltimore Ravens Week 7. Baltimore is another scary offense that can’t be described any other way than explosive, mostly with the help of the 2023 MVP and dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson, as well as wide receiver Zay Flowers. While their offense was strong last year, they have only added to it with the addition of running back Derrick Henry— adding a power-speed combo to the Ravens backfield that will be tough to contain. But the Ravens aren’t just an offense; they have one of the stronger defenses in the league as well, coming off of a historic season, becoming the first team to record the most sacks and takeaways and let up the fewest points in a single season, and winning an NFL-best 13 wins. The Ravens haven’t lost anyone of value and aspire to make it back to the Super Bowl after their exit in the AFC Championship Game last year. This will be another large test for the Buccaneers on both sides of the ball.
Week 9, the Bucs head over to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Last year, the Chiefs were nowhere near the best team in the NFL during the regular season. Despite the Chiefs having the worst roster that they have had with with Patrick Mahomes under center last year, they still figured out a way to turn it on in the NFL playoffs and take home the Lombardi Trophy. The Chiefs have made improvements this offseason, adding a lot of speed to their offense since drafting the fastest man in combine history in wide receiver Xavier Worthy. However, the Chiefs lost one of their anchors on defense last year, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, to free agency. While Sneed will be missed, the Chiefs defense should still be able to get the job done on defense with the help of defensive end Chris Jones and linebacker Nick Bolton. The regular season Chiefs can beat anyone but also struggle in some games as well if they’re not on their game. This should be an exciting and close game to look forward to this season.
The Buccaneers head back to Raymond James in Week 10 to face off against another powerhouse team, the San Francisco 49ers, as their last game before their bye in Week 11. The 49ers are one of if not the most complete teams in the league, with superstars on both sides of the ball, and are in conversations to make it back to the Super Bowl this year after a devastating loss in the big game last season. With All-Pro players all over the depth chart on offense, the 49ers also host one of the best defenses in the league as well with tons of All-Pros. Both sides of the ball have their fair share of good players but one game-changing player on each side. On offense, it would be the best halfback in the league in Christian McCaffrey, and on defense, it would be one of the best defensive linemen in the league in Nick Bosa. Bosa, despite having a down year in 2023, still finished top-20 in sacks with 10.5. With this lineup, the 49ers could prove to be the toughest NFC team that the Buccaneers will have to face this season.
Returning from their bye week, the Buccaneers will head up to East Rutherford, New Jersey, to play the New York Giants in Week 12. The New York Giants have added a lot this offseason but have also lost a large piece on offense in Barkley and defense in safety Xavier McKinney. However, that doesn’t mean that the Giants are significantly worse this season. The Giants made lots of improvements this offseason, including to their offensive line. The acquisition of edge Brian Burns to their already solid pass rush made an already solid defense that much better. The offense had some additions, too. While there is no replacement for the explosiveness of Barkley, the Giants picked up a solid running back in Devin Singletary and added to their wide receiver room with the addition of Malik Nabers, a top wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft. Ultimately, the Giants have the tools to win this season, but their success comes down to the productivity of quarterback Daniel Jones.
The Buccaneers will then head up to Bank of America Stadium to play another division rival, the Carolina Panthers, in Week 13, and they will see them again in Week 17 at home. The Panthers were the worst team in the NFL last year, finishing the season last in the NFC South with a record of 2-15. The Panthers didn’t make any large moves this offseason and have seemed to be focusing on building around their young quarterback, Bryce Young. However, last season was the floor for the Panthers, and the only way is up from there. However, the Buccaneers should be able to handle them in both times they meet this season.
The Buccaneers return home to face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14. The Las Vegas Raiders should be a solid team this year and have plenty of solid players on their roster. One of their best players would be defensive end Maxx Crosby, which the NFL listed as the 10th best player of 2024. The Raiders’ defense is their best quality, with it being ranked 9th in the league last year, and they have added to it this offseason. Adding cornerback Darnay Holmes along with defensive tackle Christian Wilkins are large upgrades, which will add a lot to this already solid defense. The main weakness of the Raiders is their quarterback. Gardner Minshew II is no starting quarterback on a successful team, which is disappointing because the Raiders have the potential to be a great team, but they just need to add that final puzzle piece in their offense. With that said, this should be an evenly matched game for the Buccaneers.
Week 15, the Bucs start their final road trip of the season, heading out to Los Angeles to play the Chargers. The Chargers are looking to make it back into the playoffs this year with their new head coach, Jim Harbaugh, who is fresh off his National Championship win with the Michigan Wolverines. The past few years the Chargers have been building around the solid arm of Justin Herbert and a defense with Joey Bosa and Derwin James as their cornerstones. The Chargers should be a good team that will have to compete in the solid division of the AFC West.
The Buccaneers play their final road game of the season in Dallas, taking on the Cowboys in Week 16. The Dallas Cowboys are another complete team that always dominates in the regular season but can’t quite seem to figure it out in the playoffs. While the Cowboys are a complete team with a solid offense, their defense is really where the team shines, with a defense widely considered one of the best in the league. The defense is led by one of the best linebackers in the league, Micah Parsons, and a great corner in Trevon Diggs. Their offense has great players as well with Dak Prescott at quarterback and newly extended wide receiver Ceedee Lamb. The thing about the Cowboys is that they haven’t made a ton of improvements during the offseason and are regressing their halfbacks, signing a 29-year-old Ezekiel Elliot. However, while new acquisitions would make the team better, the Cowboys are still a great team, and this will be no cakewalk for the Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers do have a bit of a tougher schedule this season and will most likely be fighting for a playoff spot with the Falcons this year. Beating the teams in their division and possibly having to beat a powerhouse NFC team like the Cowboys, Eagles, Lions or 49ers will be vital for the Buccaneers to make it to the playoffs this year. Hopes are high this year for Tampa Bay and the Bucs answered their first test, taking down the Commanders 37-20 on Sunday.
