Late-Season Bucs Collapse Predicted
July 8th, 2025
Joe wonders what Team Glazer will think of this production on programming it helps fund.
No, not Caillou on PBS.
Joe’s referring to Adam Rank’s latest for NFL Network. The longtime analyst and fantasy football maven took on the daunting task of picking every 2025 regular season game on the air.
The screenshot above reveals his Bucs picks.
Rank has the Bucs sitting with a 5-4 record after beating the Patriots at home, and then Rank sees Tampa Bay losing 5 of its next 7 games to enter Week 18 at home against the Panthers with a 7-9 record.
Per Rank, the season finale will be a meaningless game for the division-winning Panthers (9-8) and the Bucs will win to close their record at 8-9, tied with the Falcons.
Joe finds Rank’s Bucs prediction to be a clown call. There simply is no compelling reason to think the Bucs are a losing team.
However, Joe will note that Rank has the Bucs losing at home to the Cardinals and on the road at Miami. These are two games most Bucs fans are putting in the “W” column with little thought.
Joe is not in that camp.
Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is 12-4 at home over the past two seasons, and he’s won more games than he’s lost as a starter through his five NFL seasons. Those are not coincidences. If Tua is healthy against the Bucs, that’s cause for concern.
As for the Cardinals, they were a very dangerous, young eight-win team last season (including a “W” in Miami). Arizona also went defense-heavy in the draft, adding Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen in Round 1, a prospect Joe adored, along with another big-time playmaker in Round 2 with Michigan cornerback Will Johnson. And they paid a bundle in free agency for Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat.
July 8th, 2025 at 3:47 pm
I will be very surprised and the wind will be outta my sails if the Bucs are 2-3 through 5 games. 3-2 or 4-1 is my guess. Team usually starts out well and this is an improved squad.
Every season is different, every game needs to be taken 1 at a time, so certainly anything could happen but if we stay healthy and only win 8 or 9 games. Not sure how you retain the HC/DC. That’s a massive failure of a season for this roster.
July 8th, 2025 at 3:53 pm
There are no sure wins in the NFL. Every game is a battle. That said, this offense is way too good not to have a winning record this year. I’m sticking with my prediction of 12-5, division crown, and appearance in the NFC championship game. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Bucs hosted the conference championship game?
July 8th, 2025 at 4:03 pm
This guy predicted we’d go 6-11 last year.
July 8th, 2025 at 4:14 pm
“The 9-8 Division winning Panthers”
Do these people pay attention to the NFL or just watch highlights? The Panthers Defense gave up the most points EVER in a a season. They let the same Defensive Coordinator stay on and used their 1st round pick on a WR. I don’t recall any impact D players signing in FA.
I know anything can happen, but the Bucs improved Offense and Defense on paper. While Gizzard is an unknown, I don’t think he will cause the Bucs to lose more games this year than last.
July 8th, 2025 at 4:16 pm
The bigger issue is that he has Carolina at 9-7 going into the final game and winning the division. Carolina is improved from last year, don’t get me wrong. But talent wise, they are looking up at Atlanta and Tampa bay. How they are expected or believed to win the division is beyond me. This is an analyst just trying to say something bold.
July 8th, 2025 at 4:23 pm
8-9 and Bowles is toast!
July 8th, 2025 at 4:42 pm
Bucs could be very well 2-5 after week 7 as well as 5-2. everyone has the lions Offense taking a step back with the new Offensive Coordinator but not the Bucs?
Don’t sleep on Canales and the Panthers or circle those weeks as a W in July.
Dave Canales is more responsible for the Bucs offensive success than Coen or Bucs fans will admit.
Panthers won 5 in 2024 and were close in at least 4 more and that was with a ratty a$$ defense and a Second Year QB with a makeshift OLine and one go to receiver. T Mac is +1300 to Win OROY. Egbuka is @ +4000.
Ole Dave is probably dreaming of ways to burn teams when they stack the box on 1st and 10 because ‘he always runs it up the gut’.
July 8th, 2025 at 4:51 pm
If the Bucs go 8-9 then Bowles would get fired. There is no way he would survive that record this year with this team.
July 8th, 2025 at 4:52 pm
@Buc1987: Bowles just got an extension. That is a serious endorsement by the Glazer fam.
The only way the our beloved Bucs have a collapse is if there are a ton of injuries. This version of the Bucs has been built the right way.
July 8th, 2025 at 4:58 pm
11-6, the one game per season improvement trend continues
July 8th, 2025 at 5:24 pm
I’m sure Jason Licht has an end-of-the-year text ready to send, or better yet, see him on radio row when the Bucs are in the Super Bowl
July 8th, 2025 at 5:31 pm
I said 10-7.
July 8th, 2025 at 5:41 pm
LOL … Dying. It’s just not that hard.
2022 – 8-9
2023 – 9-8
2024 – 10-7
Does anyone see a trend? Here’s a hint: 8, 9, 10 … what comes next?
2025 – 11-6
July 8th, 2025 at 5:42 pm
10-7 is the floor.
12-5 is the ceiling.
I think 11-6 in regular season then makings some noise in the playoffs to finish 13-7 gaining confidence & feeling good about next year for a SB run.
July 8th, 2025 at 5:50 pm
Lt. Dan…didn’t Dungy just get an extension too before he was fired?
Gruden had a couple of years left on his contract too.
What about Schiano too?
July 8th, 2025 at 5:51 pm
So we’re going to do something we haven’t done in well I can’t remember. Bryce young was benched last year and this year he’s going to win the division LOL hilarious man ever year they say something crazy about our roster
July 8th, 2025 at 5:53 pm
It’s the time of year again. Every talking head and writer is throwing crap against the wall to see if after the season who got more to stick.
July 8th, 2025 at 5:55 pm
“Dungy was fired by the Buccaneers after the 2001 season. Reports indicate that he had sought a contract extension from the Buccaneers before the 2001 season, but they declined to offer one. The decision to fire Dungy came after the Buccaneers failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs for two consecutive years.
I stand corrected but Dungy was a much better coach than Todd.
July 8th, 2025 at 5:58 pm
“Yes, Jon Gruden was fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after receiving a contract extension. He was fired on January 16, 2009, after seven seasons with the team. This occurred after the 2008 season where the Buccaneers finished with a 9-7 record, but missed the playoffs. He had received a contract extension through the 2011 season in 2008.”
July 8th, 2025 at 6:01 pm
Again…Yes, it’s typical for coaches with contracts to continue to be paid a portion of their salary, also known as a
buyout, even after being fired. This was the case with Greg Schiano when he was fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013
July 8th, 2025 at 6:14 pm
Pretty sure this guy just flipped a coin.
July 8th, 2025 at 6:18 pm
I hate this time of year. These halfed arsed television personalities and their complete and utter ignorance. If you want to make a case the Bucs will falter that is fine, but then say Carolina will have a winning record and win the division. How does this dip spit have any credentials at all. This kind of stuff reminds me of the “Shock Jocks” on the radio twenty years ago. They talk complete and utter ignorance. If he were to say well injuries are pile up this year on offense they are due, and the defense is always hurt and banged up, the ok I’ll listen. I just find it so funny that when it comes to the NFL people listen to stupid rubbish like this and actually watch it. I know you have to watch this king of nonsense Joes I do get that. Unbelievable. Just turn lights off on the NFL network already.
July 8th, 2025 at 6:26 pm
holy cannoli………something smells really rank in here…
this guy is smoked out or something
July 8th, 2025 at 6:26 pm
never trust a man in a velcro beard !
July 8th, 2025 at 6:44 pm
All these armchair analysts are looking for is CLICK BAIT…
July 8th, 2025 at 6:52 pm
As regards Rank’s predictions Mr. Spock would have said, “fascinating!”.
Go Bucs!!
July 8th, 2025 at 6:55 pm
The Bucs were a losing team last year, until they got handed one of the softest portions of a schedule ever, where they played what, 7 teams in a row with a backup QB?
I’m actually feeling good about the Bucs this year, which I think means 9 or 10 wins, but those late Panthers games really do scare me as I think the Panthers are going to be vastly improved and hopefully the season isn’t coming down to the Bucs having to win both of those.
July 8th, 2025 at 7:24 pm
All conjecture at this point. Everybody is undefeated and the trash talking is flowing freely. I love the NFL because once the season starts, there is no hiding. You are what your record says you are. Can’t wait.
July 8th, 2025 at 7:24 pm
Rank is an entertainer. I enjoy his football stand up bit. I don’t take him as a serious analyst. Greg Cosell he is not.
July 8th, 2025 at 7:27 pm
Same way he had the Bucs winning only 4 or 5 last season 🤣 Rank don’t know Jack Spit .
July 8th, 2025 at 8:05 pm
This guy is a brainless clown