When Tom Brady announced his retirement shortly before the Super Bowl in February, it looked like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ window had closed. Brady made the Buccaneers immediate contenders, as the franchise won the Super Bowl in his first season after a 12-year postseason drought. Tampa Bay was even better in the regular season last year before falling to the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs, but it was going to be tough for the Bucs to return to the postseason if Blaine Gabbert or Kyle Trask was under center.
Fortunately, Brady changed his mind and announced that he was coming back to Tampa Bay after a little over a month. That led to the Super Bowl odds on the Buccaneers freefalling, and they are now the favorites to win the Lombardi Trophy out of the NFC. Tampa Bay has nearly all of its starters back, and tight end Rob Gronkowski could always return to the team at some point this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season Win Total
Over 11.5 Wins +106
Under 11.5 Wins -126
2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Schedule
| WEEK | MATCHUP |
| 1 | @ Dallas Cowboys |
| 2 | @ New Orleans Saints |
| 3 | Vs. Green Bay Packers |
| 4 | Vs. Kansas City Chiefs |
| 5 | Vs. Atlanta Falcons |
| 6 | @ Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 7 | @ Carolina Panthers |
| 8 | Vs. Baltimore Ravens |
| 9 | Vs. Los Angeles Rams |
| 10 | Vs. Seattle Seahawks* (in Munich) |
| 11 | BYE WEEK |
| 12 | @ Cleveland Browns |
| 13 | Vs. New Orleans Saints |
| 14 | @ San Francisco 49ers |
| 15 | Vs. Cincinnati Bengals |
| 16 | @ Arizona Cardinals |
| 17 | Vs. Carolina Panthers |
| 18 | @ Atlanta Falcons |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offense
This offense is loaded with talent, but there is some concern up front along the offensive line. Ali Marpet surprisingly announced his retirement at the age of 28, and Alex Cappa signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason. Ryan Jensen is a rock at center, and the tackles are solid, but there might be some growing pains with the guards.
That will likely hurt a ground game that didn’t have a ton of success in 2021. Leonard Fournette was the leading rusher with 812 yards (4.5 YPC) and eight touchdowns, but he only had five runs of 20+ yards. Tampa Bay hopes to have found a home run hitter in rookie Rachaad White, as White ran for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns in just 11 games with Arizona State last season.
Tom Brady and his talented receivers will ensure that the passing game remains sharp. Brady led the league in passing yards at the age of 44, and he will turn 45 just before the start of the season. The GOAT doesn’t have the arm strength he did when he was younger, but he is an excellent field general and decision maker.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin could both be 1,000-yard receivers on the Buccaneers. Both players reached the plateau in 2021, but Godwin is coming off a major knee injury. That will lead to Brady turning to Russell Gage, Cameron Brate, and Tyler Johnson for as long as Godwin is out.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense
Although the defense lost Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Jordan Whitehead, there is plenty of reason to believe that the Buccaneers will be even better on this side of the ball in 2022. Vita Vea is a menace in the middle of the defensive line, and Akiem Hicks has the potential to be a serious disruptor in a 3-4 front.
The linebackers are outstanding. Devin White, Lavonte David, and Shaq Barrett are three of the best at their positions in the NFL. There is zero depth behind those three players though, so the Buccaneers are hoping that all three players can stay healthy.
We saw injuries take their toll on this secondary last year, leading to Tampa Bay struggling against the pass for much of the season. The good news is that many of the back-ups saw a lot of action, and that should help with their play in 2022. The Bucs added Logan Ryan in free agency too, and he is a great ballhawker in the secondary.
Prediction
Tampa Bay is clearly the best team in the NFC South. The Buccaneers should get to 12 wins as long as they avoid injury provided Brady keeps playing at a high level. They do have a tough schedule through the first four weeks, but they shouldn’t go any worse than 5-1 in a division with two terrible teams.
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