The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continued their unprecedented run atop the NFC South final season, profitable a 3rd straight division crown. Earlier than 2022, the franchise had by no means even gained back-to-back division titles.
We’re within the golden age of Buccaneers soccer and listed here are three the reason why the period ought to lengthen by way of 2024.
1. The gang is again collectively
The Bucs succeeded in preserving their greatest free brokers this offseason, re-signing quarterback Baker Mayfield, huge receiver Mike Evans and security Antoine Winfield Jr.
Mayfield, a former No. 1 total choose by the Browns, had his greatest season within the execs final 12 months. He threw for a career-high 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns. In December, he posted the primary excellent passer ranking by a visiting quarterback at Lambeau Subject, which opened in 1957.
With one other 1,000-yard season in 2024, Evans can tie Corridor of Famer Jerry Rice for many consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards (11).
Winfield was a first-team All-Professional choice in 2023 and completed sixth within the Related Press Defensive Participant of the Yr voting. He had 122 tackles, three interceptions, 12 go deflections, a league-leading six pressured fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries.
2. Protection has elite expertise on each degree
Along with Winfield Jr., defensive lineman Vita Vea and linebacker Lavonte David give the Bucs three playmakers at each defensive degree. Per Professional Soccer Focus, Vea was graded because the Fifteenth-best inside defensive lineman out of 130 and David was twenty fifth out of 82 linebackers in 2023.
In line with PFF knowledge, Vea had 39 complete pressures, together with the postseason. His missed deal with price (4.7%) was the second-lowest amongst 47 inside linemen with no less than 600 complete snaps. David had 134 tackles, his most since 2015 and was credited with 70 stops, which PFF defines as “tackles that represent a ‘failure’ for the offense,” the third-most amongst all linebackers.
3. They have been the NFC South’s greatest for the previous three seasons
To be the most effective, the remainder of the division should beat the most effective, which it hasn’t performed since 2021. Tampa’s demise post-Tom Brady was drastically exaggerated and the staff truly fared higher in 2024 than throughout Brady’s swan music, profitable another recreation within the common season and advancing additional within the playoffs, its fourth postseason look in a row.
Tampa Bay survived the league’s worst run offense over the previous two seasons and its first-round number of inside offensive lineman Graham Barton would possibly assist kick-start the dashing assault’s turnaround. That might make the Bucs more durable to topple within the NFC South.
They’ve by no means reached the playoffs for a string of 5 consecutive seasons. However till one other staff takes the division crown from them, the Buccaneers are who everybody else is chasing.
