When Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason, most people bookmarked them for the NFC championship. After half of the regular season was over and Antonio Brown was set to join, people started putting them down for Super Bowl LV. That’s when the struggles surfaced and the Buccaneers started to lose. Beginning the season at 6-1, they now sit at 7-5. Now a question has arisen. The Buccaneers have an extremely talented team. So who, or what is the reason for their struggles in the second half of the season? Many pundits such as those who have the Bet.co.za account, are equally as concerned.
The Buccaneers have talent
If there are any so-called “Superteams” in the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers certainly might be it. They have three number one receivers on offense. That’s right. Three. What about their running backs? I’m glad you asked. Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones make up a talented backfield. Jones leads the rushing group with 820 yards and an average of 5.1 yards a carry. Oh, and who replaced turnover machine, Jameis Winston, at quarterback? Tom Brady of course. Oh, and I almost forgot, they have Rob Gronkowski at tight end.
You would then be led to think that it’s the Buccaneers’ defense that’s holding them back and preventing them from winning big games. However, the Buccaneers have 34 sacks and 14 interceptions to go along with 10 fumble recoveries this year. That’s indicative of a pretty good defense. They do have a good defense actually. With Shaqil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Ndamukong Suh leading the way for their pass rush, they have a strong front four. Devin White is a stud athlete in the middle of the field and boasts five sacks so far this season. They also have playmakers on the backend, led by Carlton Davis who has four interceptions so far this year.
So why are the Buccaneers only 7-5? Why do they seem to struggle in big games? Let’s take a quick review of their games so far this season. You can find more similar info by checking the Bet co za app.
Season Overview, First half
They opened the season with a 34-23 loss to the New Orleans Saints. It was not as close as the score indicates. Following that loss, the Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers 31-17. They proceeded to dismantle the Denver Broncos and won 28-10. Then they won a shoot-out game with the Los Angles Chargers 38-31. On a short week, they lost a close game to the Chicago Bears 20-19. Following the ugly loss, the Buccaneers then took out their frustration on the Green Bay Packers and beat them senseless, winning by a score of 38-10. The buccaneers then annihilated the raiders, putting up 45 points and allowing only 20.
Through the first seven games of the season, the Buccaneers were 6-1 and looked like a juggernaut. However, the second half of the season, at least so far, has proven to be much more difficult.
Second Half of the Season
The Buccaneers won a close one against the New York Giants 25-23. It was not a good sign that the game was so close against such a bad team, but it was dismissed as a hiccup, not a sign of the state of the team. However, that narrative changed when the Saints won again, 38-3 on Sunday Night Football, absolutely tearing the Buccaneers’ offense and defense apart. It was by far the worst game of the season by the Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers turned it around the next week and beat the Panthers 46-23, routing them in the second half. after the blowout win, the Buccaneers lost a close game on Monday night football against the Los Angeles Rams, 27-24. Tom Brady was intercepted on an overthrown ball to end the game. Finally, in a much-anticipated game against the Kansas City Chiefs, they lost for the second straight week, the third loss in 4 weeks. It was a close game at the end but seemed like it was only because the Chiefs had stopped trying after putting up 21 points in the first quarter. The Chiefs quit playing around and converted on second and third down to run out the clock and win the game 27-24. The score indicated it was a close game. It was not.
Why do the Buccaneers struggle in big games?
After starting the first half of the season at 6-1 the Buccaneers now have a record of 7-5. Taking a closer look at their schedule, it’s easier to understand why. All of their losses were big games. The first Saints game was one of the premier games to begin the season. The second loss, to the Bears, was on Thursday Night Football. Their third loss, to the Saints again, was on Sunday Night Football. The loss to the Rams was on Monday Night Football. and the loss to the Chiefs was a nationally broadcast game on CBS, once again a premier game of the week.
So, why do the Buccaneers struggle in Primetime? All of those aforementioned games were against good games, minus the Bears. Throwing the Bears game out as an anomaly because it was a Thursday game, the Buccaneers struggle against great teams. And it isn’t like the Buccaneers aren’t talented. They have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL and are led by six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. However, I believe that’s part of the problem. Tom Brady has looked old this season and has not consistently been on the same page with his receivers. He has thrown eleven interceptions this season, three more than last year. And he still has five games to go. There are two other problems with the Buccaneers, but they could be folded into one.
The biggest problem on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bruce Arians. Arians is the Buccaneer’s biggest problem. When you look at the games lost, they are all against great head coaches, again excluding the Bears game as an outlier. Two games against Sean Peyton, both blowout losses. The game against Sean McVay, Loss. the game against Andy Ried, loss. What do these games all have in common? Great head coaches. Two are destined for Canton, and the third is making his case. In all of those games, the Buccaneers were outcoached, not just outplayed. And in part, the play comes from great coaching, because great coaches know how to help their players excel. They know how to keep their team focused, and they know how to bring their team back together when the team is down emotionally and mentally.
Arians is not a great coach, and as such, he cannot get the best of his players when he needs it most. His players cant get the best of him. The Buccaneers have all the talent they could ever want. But they don’t have the right coach. That is why they struggle in big games and against great coaches.
Final report on Tampa Bay
The Buccaneers are a talented team. There is no denying that. They have some veterans who have seen it all and played in the biggest games. The reason they have struggled so much in the biggest games is that Bruce Arians is not a great head coach. He is a good one, but not a great one. As such, my conclusion is that the Buccaneers cannot win the Super Bowl. I don’t think they can win the NFC Championship either. Because of their head coach. There are still five games left in the regular season, so it remains to be seen if the Buccaneers can fix some of their struggles. Maybe they can. But as long as Bruce Arians is their head coach and he will be, for at least the rest of this season, the Buccaneers have a ceiling, and that ceiling does not reach the Super Bowl.
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