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The 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t look like they’d be the eventual Super Bowl winners midway through the season. But after a late bye week, the team got on the same page and then ran the table. Much can be said for Tom Brady switching teams and winning yet another Super Bowl, but there’s no doubt the Bucs championship was a team effort as the defense was a huge part of their success. And with management bringing back every Super Bowl starter in 2021, it’s impossible not to like them one again to lead the way this season.
2020 record
11-5, 2nd in NFC South
2020 defense
Points: 21.6 points per game, rank 7th
Yards: 5.1 yards per play, rank 6th (tied with 1 team)
Football Outsiders ranking: 5th
2020 offense
Points: 30.8 points per game, rank 2nd
Yards: 6.1 yards per play, rank 6th (tied with 1 team)
Football Outsiders ranking: 3rd
2021 DraftKings Sportsbook odds
Super Bowl: +600
AFC/NFC Champion: +300
DIVISION: -170
Win Total: 12 (Over -110, Under -110)
Offseason moves
The biggest moves the Bucs made this offseason were signing their own players, keeping their Super Bowl winning team completely intact. The biggest outside acquisition was probably running back Gio Bernard. Bernard seals up one of the few weaknesses on the team, which was lack of a strong receiving back.
Biggest question entering training camp
Health will likely be the biggest question for a stacked team on both sides of the ball. Tom Brady had off season knee surgery, so his health is worth watching, but with a 17 game season, injuries will be the biggest roadblock for the Buccaneers.
What needs to happen for the Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl?
Injury luck. I’m beating a dead horse here, but they’ll need to keep the offensive line and Brady healthy first and foremost. After that they could lose some players here and there and still be in the hunt.
2021 Outlook
It’s hard not to have sky high expectations for a team that won the Super Bowl after signing a new quarterback during a pandemic that kept the team from practicing together for much of the offseason. We didn’t see them really get on the same page offensively until the last quarter of the season. It would make sense for them to now be on the same page and roll through the season as long as they can keep their key players healthy.