Your 2018 Bucs Opponents
January 1st, 2018
Bring on the Browns!
It’s an interesting home slate for the men of pewter and Team Glazer’s ticket sales force.
With their last-place, 5-11 season, here are the 2018 opponents at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.
Eagles
Browns
Steelers
49ers
Redskins
Saints
Falcons
Panthers
And the road opponents:
Bears
Bengals
Ravens
Cowboys
Giants
Saints
Falcons
Panthers
Joe can envision the NFL schedule gods at work. Oh, please. Please give us Cleveland to kick off the season at home.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:05 am
Hopefully Dirk will be Cleveland ready if that happens… doubtful though.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:06 am
That is a good schedule, or toughest out of division games are at home. Joe I don’t want Cleveland in week 1, likely a new QB, and lots of new players makes the team much harder to game plan for, remember Tennessee ready? I’d actually prefer to kick of against a team we know, like a rematch with the Saints. Besides by week 12 the Browns will have packed up their season and be looking for a new coach.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:09 am
Joe talks like Cleveland is a guaranteed Win. Nothing is a guarantee when you are the tampa Bay Bucs. Not even fans showing up at the stadium.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:11 am
Joe
becareful what you wish for browns are no push over for a soft flat cancer93 led team. Therre are no sure wins or preferred oponents when you are Cleveland south on your best day…
January 1st, 2018 at 10:11 am
Looks like 12 losses this time, Cleveland Cincy and Chicago are the only teams we’d be favored, plus an upset or 2 and we have a great chance to get rid of Dirk and Smith next year
January 1st, 2018 at 10:11 am
4-6 wins next year.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:14 am
Thank God we don’t have a west coast game. That’s one guaranteed throat stomp I don’t have to watch next year.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:15 am
I said 5-11 last week
I still say 5-11
January 1st, 2018 at 10:15 am
Amen.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:19 am
I find all the schedule talk in the NFL humorous. So much turnover, coaching changes, draft, etc.. impossible to predict. Who would have guessed the Rams would be so good this year and that the Giants would suck out loud. Cleveland will be adding a ton of players thru the draft and who knows what may happen at QB for them. SF looks legit with Jimmy G so may be a tough out. End of the day, it’s the NFL so…
January 1st, 2018 at 10:22 am
I know this is a radical thought Bucs’ fans, but maybe … just maybe … we can fix enough of our problem areas to do better than we did this year. Significantly better I would hope.
Ball’s in Jason Licht’s court right now. Several of our ‘keepers’ are FAs now, and they should get priority for re-signing IMO. After that we’ve got some critical elements we need to improve, especially on defense. Free agency, the draft, trades … do whatever it takes to make this team competitive.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:25 am
The Browns are begging for the Bucs week 1.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:29 am
Everyone is forgetting that we are probably going to lose Winston for 6 games next season since a suspension is coming. : (
Good schedule but it’s a shame we are going to be missing JW for a couple games
January 1st, 2018 at 10:30 am
Bucs might be able to do a 9-7 with a new Defense and Defensive coordinator. But if they keep pressbox Smitty, they are sure to do like a 6-10 or 7-9 for the year. Thus ending the Koetter/Smitty reign of losing and Nothingness.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:35 am
We should be tougher against Division foes next year…..we have some winnable games…& no west coast travel….will have a bye week…..some tough home opponents but better to play them there than on the road..
I’m seeing 8-8….until I see who we pick up in FA & Draft & if Grimes resigns.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:36 am
Defense Rules
dude it’s the bucs they have not won a meaningful game in 16 years what in the hell makes you think this is the magical off season where they actually get it… not going to happen… this franchise will never win a meaningful game until they stop trying to recreate a failed past and get rid of the leaders of the losing culture led by captain blowout cancer93 the undisputed face of the basement years
January 1st, 2018 at 10:37 am
Im sure koetter will make a head scratching call with 2 min left in the first half of the first game that will cost us points. Btw, can tampa bay kickers make frigging extra points????…..wtf, why are we the only team in the league that the kicking gsme is fkn Russian roulette
January 1st, 2018 at 10:37 am
Winston is NOT getting suspended you fools. this gold digging skank has NO facts nor credibility especially represented by that loser attorney who has proven she has no credibility.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:39 am
I would rather have the Browns mid season or later. When a win can mean something.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:40 am
Kyle Says
“Btw, can tampa bay kickers make frigging extra points????…..wtf, why are we the only team in the league that the kicking gsme is fkn Russian roulette”
Murray missed one extra point this year. That’s pretty darn good. Pay attention, buddy.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:41 am
Defense rules…….lolololololollolol. this is a buccaneer blog, you know this right, you may be looking for patriots.com
January 1st, 2018 at 10:41 am
@tmaxcon
Do you really think innocence matters to Goodell? It surely has not mattered in the past.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:43 am
Bonzai, i saw the miss yesterday buddy. Ive seen missed kicks from murray in 3 straight games buddy
January 1st, 2018 at 10:44 am
11-5 you heard it here first. Fire the cannons!!!
January 1st, 2018 at 10:45 am
Bonzai your like the bucs, apprecite mediocrite i see
January 1st, 2018 at 10:46 am
@Buccaneer Bonzai
Exactly
Unless Winston pays off this person to go away, he is going to be suspended
@tmaxcon your the fool for not thinking this is going to happen
January 1st, 2018 at 10:50 am
Damn. I mean I’m upset that the season sucked, but I’m a fan. I’m stoked to see us turn this thing around next year. Sounds like some other people are more interested in being right.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:52 am
Why is this such a big deal? Many defensive coordinators prefer seeing everything from up high rather than on the sidelines.
I go back and forth as to whether or not it’s the players or the coaches. Thankfully I’m not paid to figure this all out because it would be really tough. I still think this is one of the most talented Bucs roster since the Super Bowl but it would seem in hindsight the team is talented in the wrong spots.
I would be perfectly fine if all Jason Licht did was draft and/or sign line men on both sides of the ball this off season. That plus a corner back.
January 1st, 2018 at 10:52 am
bobbybucs and bonzi
this is the weakest case without merit the nfl has to deal with it…. winston will NOT be suspended and will not have to pay anyone off.
I am always right you should know that by now… see glennon, mccoy, vjax, martin, dotson, mcodonald etc…. i am never wrong….
January 1st, 2018 at 10:56 am
0-13-3, tie the browns, bengals n bears, the bucs will set another record w ties and cleveland breaks their losing streak w a tie
January 1st, 2018 at 11:00 am
I wouldn’t discount Cleveland. They have a boatload of great picks this year.
January 1st, 2018 at 11:02 am
2-14. Unsless we finally address that defense
January 1st, 2018 at 11:03 am
I want the Browns early…before those top pick rookies can kick it up to NFL level play, and gain some confidence.
January 1st, 2018 at 11:04 am
Looks like 6 maybe 7 wins.
January 1st, 2018 at 11:09 am
Cleveland vs Cleveland South. That outta make record ratings!
January 1st, 2018 at 11:13 am
Unfortunately, the Browns aren’t that bad this year. I know the record says different, but their stats weren’t bad.
January 1st, 2018 at 11:20 am
Winston will pay the driver off like he also paid off the women in college so he should be back . Hope he works on decision making and accuracy in the off season.
January 1st, 2018 at 11:37 am
I LOVE articles like this for one reason. Right after you read it, you read the comments…
Anyone who predicts the Bucs record in the comments before coaching changes, cuts, free agency, the draft, etc. immediately outs themselves as knowing absolutely nothing about football.
Now I know exactly which commenters to never listen to a single word from. Thanks, Joe!
January 1st, 2018 at 11:50 am
After seeing Mariah Carey last night, I have been inspired to have my own sweet sweet fantasy! Get the 2000 ravens defensive staff together! Ryan as dline coach. Del Rio at linebackers. Marvin Lewis as d coordinator (if fired from Cincy). Donnie Henderson as cb’s. Move Duffner to safeties and smith to assistant head coach, who handles everything from the box.
January 1st, 2018 at 11:58 am
Tony from Los Angeles
clearly you are new bucs fan unaware of the traditions and guarantees you can accept as a buc fan…
first of all everyone will get all excited about free agents and draft picks…
we will all talk potential playoffs
gmc will do something completely selfish or idiotic a week before training claiming it’s his year while wearing a wonder woman suit… whether it’s a pathetically depressing news conference like last year or a doll playing rant… he will be a camera hound and once again let the fans down with piss poor play when it matters most. 8 years not a single meaningful win.
next will come a training camp where a few will take fire but disappear by week 4… bucs will start slow most likely giving up 40 at home to cleveland and their rookie qb which will be the first nut punch…
by week 6 buc fans are brutalized by the incompetence and making excuse for the stars who underperform . and draft talk begins
by week 8 it’s officially on to next year and the draft is the only relevant topic.
it’s a buc life under glazer clowns. no hope
January 1st, 2018 at 12:11 pm
Wouldn’t be something if we played cleveland and they were 0-10 and the Buccs old unthinkably record on the cusp of being broken in front of the Tampa faithful. Hard to fathom…but interesting to think about.
January 1st, 2018 at 12:11 pm
@Tmax…. your predictions for next year are so damn accurate!! You forgot one thing though. The three little piggies AKA the Glazer boys will continue to not care because the value of the Bucs will have gone up. That’s all they care about is money. The fans be damned.
January 1st, 2018 at 12:14 pm
tmax…don’t forget the “out of the backside” predictions.. like 13-3, 12-4, ect… and a clean sweep of the division. Amazing the difference that one big completed pass makes, as well. Undefeated, baby…. the “resiliency” of Buc Fan.
January 1st, 2018 at 12:14 pm
I’d rather open with the Skins at home. Would like to see a Sunday 4pm game against the Steelers early, about Week 3, to max TB Fan turnout, but doubt it giving our standings. Better than average shot of T-Day in Dallas. Would rather make THAT our Thursday game this year. Hope to do Bears in CHI in October or earlier.
January 1st, 2018 at 12:16 pm
Outside the Browns, that home schedule is pretty tough, well assuming the Redskins get a deal done with Cousins. The 49ers won 5 in a row to end the year including being 6-2 in the second half of the season. What a job Lynch has done there so far.
Anyways the road schedule is a bit easier.
Quickly though I’m seeing a 7-9 type season, but we have 9 months to go- so things will surely change.
January 1st, 2018 at 12:24 pm
Roy…wouldn’t want to play the Giants in NY in December, or the Ravens at their home in Dec. either.
January 1st, 2018 at 12:27 pm
Rod…can you give me the seven? I’m seeing like four or five….Bears, Browns, Bengals and a couple of division games…yes…I’m the eternal optimist.
January 1st, 2018 at 12:42 pm
Mark… I see the Bucs winning the Eagles, Browns, Redskins, Saints games at home, then Bengals, Giants and Falcons on the road.
The Bucs have had the Eagles number since 2002, so they just win that game somehow. The Bucs also seemingly always spilt with the Saints and Jameis owns the Falcons. The Giants should be a W, but if Manning doesn’t retire maybe not. The Bucs also historically are awful in Chicago so I don’t see a W there.
That’s my thinking off the top of my head, I think it’s a fair summary based off right now.
January 1st, 2018 at 12:42 pm
I can see us eating 6 W’s next year with JW getting suspended
January 1st, 2018 at 12:51 pm
Agree on most. But think the Eagles are much better than in the past, and among the Bengals, Washington and Giants, one or two could get us. …but maybe. Can’t afford to lose to Cleveland, and they should be much better.
January 1st, 2018 at 1:50 pm
Glazers are happy with 2 guaranteed sellouts…maybe even 2 more if the Browns and Redskins show a pulse. Usually decent crowds for the division games. They don’t need to worry about the w’s…they win every day, week and year.
January 1st, 2018 at 1:52 pm
And yes…anyone that is wasting time trying to figure out our record on January 1st has wasted everyone’s time
January 1st, 2018 at 2:17 pm
The Bucs are easy to predict
It don’t take a genius to predict stench
January 1st, 2018 at 2:44 pm
@Kyle
Sorry to break it to you, but before this last game, he had only missed FIELD GOALS. Not Extra points. (for the bucs)
Go ahead. Check.
January 1st, 2018 at 2:50 pm
SAME OLD BUCS….WILL LOSE MOST OF THEIR GAMES, BUT WILL WIN THE LAST ONE TO LOSE THE THIRD OVERALL PICK AND DROP TO 7 AGAIN!!!! IDIOTS
January 1st, 2018 at 3:08 pm
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HOME GAMES
Eagles = LOSS
Browns = WIN
Steelers = LOSS
49ers = WIN
Redskins = WIN
Saints = WIN
Falcons = WIN
Panthers = WIN
And the road opponents:
Bears = WIN
Bengals = TOSS UP
Ravens = TOSS UP
Cowboys = LOSS
Giants = WIN (rookie QB)
Saints = LOSS
Falcons = LOSS
Panthers = LOSS
AS-IS, right now I’ve got us with 8 wins, 6 losses and 2 toss up games … however, I could see the Eagles coming back down to earth and the Steelers maybe even having a new young QB if Roethlisberger retires as he’s talked about, which would give us 10 wins, 4 losses and 2 toss ups …
Anyways, I like the schedule … I would have preferred to have the Browns and Steelers on the road and the Bengals and Ravens at home as I could see us easily going 3-1 against the AFC North that way, but as is, we may be lucky to go 2-2 and 1-3 isn’t out of the realm of possibility, which could kill our playoff chances unless we smack our division around …
Let’s get it … I wish free agency and the draft were in February and that next season could start in March!
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January 1st, 2018 at 3:10 pm
I want the Cowboys on THANKSGIVING in Dallas!
January 1st, 2018 at 3:47 pm
Hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. As a veteran Buc fan I will be cautious, having the hook ripped out of my mouth too many times. I wished for Gruden but hope Koetter becomes Belichick…
January 1st, 2018 at 3:56 pm
Maybe it is a waste of time for you Greg… but Tmax was pretty close last year, compared to most and I was saying we might get swept by our division…wrong on that but pretty close. And I’d bet that was a lot closer to what the real record was than you predicted the day the season began. Just saying.
January 1st, 2018 at 3:58 pm
mark… The Bucs are in the Eagles head, look at the last time they played in Philly when the Bucs destroyed them. Since the Bucs shutdown that dump of a stadium in Jan 2003 have the Eagles won? There was some terrible Bucs teams in there that played some really good Eagles teams, including the Ronde Barber game where he scored 2 TDs and Bryant kicked that 62 yard to win the game – that was an awful Bucs team that still beat a good Eagles team.
The Eagles played a cupcake schedule this year so I don’t buy their record – they played a total of 3 playoff teams the entire year, meanwhile the Bucs played 9 games against playoff teams this year. The Eagles for their great record won exactly ONE more game against playoff teams than the Bucs did.
Also speaking of cupcakes, the Titans only beat one playoff team this year, the Jags. Man give the Bucs these soft schedules and Dirk would look like a good coach.
Finally the Bears, who had an even more difficult SOS % versus the Bucs, well they only played 7 games versus playoff teams – their SOS is inflated by playing the Eagles. Poor Bears, they got beat by the Bucs because of the 4-way tie and the strong SOS % they draft behind the Bucs.
January 1st, 2018 at 3:58 pm
Nut…sweeping the division at home? 49ers and Redskins? At least two “iffy” games among them.
January 1st, 2018 at 4:00 pm
It will be funny if the Bucs opener is at home against the Cleveland Browns. And the Browns beat them to end their losing streak.
January 1st, 2018 at 4:08 pm
NFLNut – I’m certainly not putting the 49ers down as a win, they finished the season 6-1 winning 5 straight, John Lynch has put them in an excellent position to be a good team next year. Amazing the turnaround he’s done there, I’m certain he’s selling them on the 1996 Bucs team that had been hopelessly bad for years and but closed that season 5-2, then opened ’97 5-0 and made the playoffs. That 49ers game just seems like a game the Bucs will have a problem with. Also when do the Bucs ever win in Chicago? It’s like Philly winning in Tampa, it doesn’t matter what the team records are, some things just never change. Finally the Bucs should win at least one of those division games on the road, probably the Falcons as Jameis owns ATL and would be 4-1 versus them if the Bucs had a good kicker – even his his loss to ATL he left the game early with an injury but had thrown for like 280 yards and 3 TDs and zero turnovers.
January 1st, 2018 at 4:32 pm
Not funny Lakeland…pathetic.
January 1st, 2018 at 6:39 pm
Everyone (most) here said 9 to 11 wins this year and we crap the bed so seeing everyone here today say 4 to 6 wins next year tells me the Bucs finally snap their 11 year playoff drought next year.
January 1st, 2018 at 7:46 pm
Nice Try Tailgater… but the world doesn’t work that way.
January 1st, 2018 at 9:09 pm
6-10
Garbage in
Garbage out
January 2nd, 2018 at 3:31 am
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Rod Munch,
I agree the Bucs might win one road division game, but they also may lose one home division game … I just figure they’ll go 3-3 in division to break even and their best odds are the home games.
As for the Bears … you have a point but I still think we’ll beat them … we slaughtered them this year and the Bears just fired their coach, so while they could have a big turnaround, Trubisky could also struggle learning a new system … either way, I think it’s a “W”.
As for the 49’ers … I don’t take them seriously … yet. Of those 5 straight wins to end the season, only ONE was remotely impressive to me and that was the game they eeked out against the Titans. Other than that they beat the Bears, the Texans (QB’d by TJ Yates), the Rams backups and the Jags right after Jacksonville heard they had made the playoffs and didn’t care … I’m simply not sold on the 49’ers at all.
As for Jimmy G himself … I am sold, at least to an extent, on him personally. He’s a gunslinger and put up a great completion percentage and yards per game in those 5 games … albeit against some pretty bad defenses … however he also threw for just 6 TDs and 5 INTs, so that would translate to a season of just 19 TDs and 16 INTs which isn’t good at all … we’ll see what happens though … I definitely believe in Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system and I am THRILLED that the 49’ers dropped in the draft as I did not want to see them get SAQUON BARKLEY … I want that kid in the AFC, hahaha!
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January 2nd, 2018 at 4:20 am
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I’m starting to wonder if we should trade down, even if Chubb is on the board …
I honestly think we could pick up and additional 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks if we traded the #7 pick to the Dolphins for their #11 pick and threw in our 5th, both 6ths and our 7th as I think Miami is ready for a new face of the franchise QB (Mayfield or Lamar Jackson) and to move on from Tannehill.
I also think we could pick up another additional 2nd and 3rd round pick from the Redskins if we swap our new #11 pick for their 13th pick (especially as they will now the Cardinals and Bills will be willing to trade with us as well) as it seems almost guaranteed they will lose Kirk Cousins and will need a new QB (Mayfield or Lamar Jackson, whichever the Dolphins don’t take).
We would then have the #13 pick, THREE 2nd rounders, THREE 3rd rounders and TWO 4th rounders … and could draft as follows:
First Round:
Quenten Nelson, G
Second Round:
Orlando Brown, OT
Billy Price, C
Ronnie Harrison, S
Third Round:
Best DE available
Best RB available
Best DT available
Fourth Round:
Best CB available
Best Player available
The above would give us THE MOST TALENTED YOUNG OFFENSIVE LINE IN THE LEAGUE with Donovan Smith and Orlando Brown at the tackles, Quenten Nelson and Ali Marpet at the guards and Billy Price at center … that would be a nasty O-Line and could be the best in the league within 2 years!
We’d also have a new running back (Derrius Guice, Sony Michel, Damien Harris?), a new DE, SS, CB and DT … and if we can add just one starting quality DE and CB in free agency, we would be a LOADED and WELL-BALANCED TEAM!
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