Where Buccaneers Sit in First Power Rankings of 2026
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tumble down rankings after a disappointing season. Can the 2026 team improve its already mediocre standing?
Video Transcript
The Buccaneers got off to the best start of the Todd Bowles era and ended up with the worst finish of the Todd Bowles era.
And when you combine those things, you get a mediocre, if not slightly below mediocre, football team, and that's what the Bucs were in twenty twenty-five.
This is Joe Smeltzer for Bucs Roundtable.
The Bucs started six and two, which is far and away the best any Bucs team under Bowles had started.
But Tampa lost seven of its last nine games, and thus didn't win the NFC South for the first time since twenty nineteen.
And what hurts even worse is that if Tampa had finished three and six in the last nine games, they would have won the division and at least made it to the playoffs, but that didn't happen, and, Bucs fans want answers.
Obviously, the Bucs need to do a lot over the off-season.
They need to improve defensively, especially on the edge.
Baker Mayfield needs to be consistent for a full year at quarterback.
The Bucs need to get healthy, with guys like Bucky Irving and Mike Evans missing extended periods of time throughout the year.
And overall, the goal is to win a Super Bowl, and if you're not gonna win a Super Bowl, at least start the twenty twenty-seven off-season not ranked below the top fifteen in the power rankings.
This is Joe Smeltzer for Bucs Roundtable.
