The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were right there last season. They tied with the Detroit Lions for sixth in the NFC but lost the tie-breaker for the final playoff spot in the conference. The Bucs were overshadowed a bit the last two seasons with the play of division mates Carolina and Atlanta, but they’ve been trending upward under the direction of Dirk Koetter, who led them to their most wins in six years. The NFC South has put a team in the Super Bowl in each of the last two seasons and Jameis Winston has the Bucs on the right path this year.
Super Bowl 52 Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
New England Patriots +310
Dallas Cowboys +1000
Seattle Seahawks +1100
Green Bay Packers +1200
Pittsburgh Steelers +1300
Atlanta Falcons +1500
Oakland Raiders +1500
Kansas City Chiefs +2000
Denver Broncos +2500
New York Giants +2500
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +2800
Carolina Panthers +3000
Houston Texans +3000
Arizona Cardinals +3500
Minnesota Vikings +3500
Indianapolis Colts +4000
Tennessee Titans +4000
Baltimore Ravens +4500
Philadelphia Eagles +5000
New Orleans Saints +5000
Cincinnati Bengals +5500
Los Angeles Chargers +6500
Miami Dolphins +6500
Detroit Lions +6500
Washington Redskins +6500
Jacksonville Jaguars +8000
Buffalo Bills +9000
Chicago Bears +12500
Los Angeles Rams +15000
San Francisco 49ers +30000
Cleveland Browns +30000
New York Jets +30000
Key Factors For Winning the Super Bowl
Offensive Production – The Panthers were the highest scoring team in the NFL two seasons ago and last year the Falcons scored the most points in the league. Those teams represented the NFC in the Super Bowl. There is a pattern emerging here and for the Bucs to get in the Super Bowl picture, they will need to produce more points. The offense has its gunslinger in Winston, who has improved his numbers in each of his first two seasons. He threw for nearly 4,100 yards and upped his completion percentage to nearly 61 with 28 touchdowns last season. But even with those numbers the Bucs scored just over 22 points per game. The Bucs needed more weapons and they added DeSean Jackson, O.J. Howard and Chris Godwin to join Mike Evans and Cameron Brate.
Kicking Game – Many questioned the move last season and those doubters together told the Bucs “I told you so.” Tampa moved up in the 2016 draft to select placekicker Robert Aguayo, who had an outstanding college career at Florida State. However, that never translated to the pro game and after an exhibition tilt where he missed a field goal and an extra point, the Bucs said adios to Aguayo. He was working on a short leash anyway after making just 22 of 31 field goals in 2016 for the lowest percentage of any kicker in the league. And his longest make was just 43 yards. The coaching staff lost faith in Aguayo and the job was handed to veteran Nick Folk. With the Jets last season, Folk converted 27 of 31 field goal attempts and will be an upgrade to the position.
Secondary Needs To Be First – The offense looks to be in good shape with the offseason additions, now it’s up to the defense to get the Bucs over the playoff hump. It was a middling unit last season and the Bucs were torched by some of the better offenses around the league. Oakland gained 626 yards and Atlanta chewed out 461, and those were in consecutive games. There should be more continuity with the group now that coordinator Mike Smith is back for a second season, but the lineup of QBs on the schedule will make any DC cringe. The Bucs have tilts with Eli Manning, Tom Brady, Carson Palmer and Aaron Rodgers, not to mention the division games against Drew Brees, Cam Newton and Matt Ryan. The weakest part of the D appears to be the secondary. Brent Grimes is the top corner, but he’s 34. Vernon Hargreaves improved as the year wore on and Ryan Smith is moving from safety to corner. The group will need plenty of help up front to be effective in the passing game.
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