The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have basically owned the NFC South for most of this decade. Think about it: they snagged a Super Bowl in 2020 and then reeled off four straight division titles from 2021 to 2024. That’s a serious run of dominance, right?
Last Year’s Epic Crash and Burn
Last season, it looked like they were cruising to a fifth straight NFC South crown. They were sitting pretty at 6-2, comfortably in first place. Then, boom, the injuries started piling up. Quarterback Baker Mayfield hurt his shoulder in November, and from that moment on, he and the entire team just weren’t the same. They went from hot to not, losing seven of their next eight games after that blazing start. They ended up 8-9, missing the division title purely on a tiebreaker. Ouch. That’s gotta sting, especially when you’re that close.
Why the Bucs Are Still the Play Despite 0-1
So, is now the time to bet on the Bucs to bounce back? The oddsmakers have them at +190 odds to win the NFC South again, and honestly, that looks like tremendous value. Yeah, they’re 0-1 right now, but guess what? So is every other team in that division. Tampa Bay is taking the field this Sunday as 9-point favorites, and it’s pretty safe to say they’ll be 1-1 in just a few days. Even in their Week 1 loss to the Bengals, there were some good things happening. If you dive into the box score, that game was absolutely there for the Buccaneers to win. The huge problem? Four Tampa Bay fumbles, all recovered by the Bengals, and one of them got scooped up and returned for a touchdown. That’s a total gut punch, but it also screams “unlucky” more than “bad team.”
The Rest of the NFC South Is a Mess
Looking around the division, the competition isn’t exactly sending shivers down anyone’s spine. The Falcons don’t seem like they’re going to contend, mostly because they’ve got some serious issues at quarterback. Then you have the Panthers, who actually won the NFC South last year, but they were still under .500 and got outscored by a massive 69 points overall. That’s not exactly screaming “dynasty.” And the Saints? They were a trendy pick coming into the season, but they’re already 0-1 and going into Week 2 as 8-point underdogs against the Ravens. This division is wide open, with no clear-cut great team at the top. Because of that, and considering the Bucs’ recent history and the state of the competition, those +190 odds for Tampa Bay are absolutely worth making a play on.
This Sunday, the Bucs are favored by 9 points. Expect them to get back on track and show everyone why they’re still the team to beat in a division that’s totally up for grabs.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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