The Bucs were favored to win 1 game this season – now they’re heading to the playoffs

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — It appears as though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got the last laugh.

Following former Buccaneer and star quarterback Tom Brady’s retirement, the national media lashed out at the Bucs, favoring the team to win only a singular game during the 2023-24 regular season.

However, much of those doubts fizzled after the Bucs silenced analysts and fans with a Week 1 20-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings – a matchup many thought would result in a Bucs loss.

In fact, earlier this year, when DraftKings Sportsbook released their odds for all 17 regular season games, Vegas did not have faith in Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay team.

When the odds were first released, bettors thought the Bucs would only pull out a win against the Carolina Panthers (-1) at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 3 (which the Bucs did win). On top of that, DraftKings also had the New Orleans Saints winning the NFC South with +115 odds.

Now, the Bucs are laughing all the way to the bank – and the playoffs after defeating the Carolina Panthers 9-0 to clinch the NFC South and a playoff berth, making it the third consecutive year Tampa Bay has won the division.

With Sunday’s must-win victory, the Bucs also matched a franchise record by reaching the playoffs for the fourth straight season. While this may come as a surprise to fans and analysts alike, the Buccaneers, Mayfield, and head coach Todd Bowles knew what their team was capable of.

“It’s very simple without looking, really diving in and talking to people who’ve been at camp, who have watched reps in practice and in the preseason games and watched [Mayfield’s] efficiency and how it works hand-in-hand with (offensive coordinator) Dave Canales,” Bucs’ Insider Dan Lucas said earlier this season. “It would be very difficult to say, ‘If you’ve seen all that, that this team is doomed.’ I don’t see how that’s possible.”

Despite the Buccaneers hitting some rough patches and struggling to find a win after their Week 5 BYE, key players stepped up, including rookies.

Last season, Tampa Bay had one of the oldest rosters in the NFL; Now they have one of the youngest and inexperienced rosters in team history, but that didn’t stop the rookies from making impactful plays.

“Some of the names you don’t know yet, but you will,” Bucs’ head coach Todd Bowles told Lucas during his sit-down “Bucs with Bowles” interview. 

And, boy, did the rookies make their names known. Just a few that have been impactful this season are: wide receiver Trey Palmer, guard Cody Mauch, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, linebackers SirVocea Dennis and Yaya Diaby, and safeties Christian Izien and Kaevon Merriweather.

Mayfield also showed out this season, possibly finding himself a home in Tampa Bay. During the regular season, he went 344/534 for 3,907 yards, with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Additionally, during the Bucs’ Week 15 34-20 over the Packers in Green Bay, Mayfield became the first visiting quarterback ever to have a perfect passer rating (158.3) at Lambeau Field.

Here’s a look at the Bucs 2023-24 game predictions vs. the actual outcome: