Most Bucs Fans Getting What They Expected
November 24th, 2025
Members of Team Glazer huddle with Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht before last night’s game.
The Joe typing here isn’t swallowing all the prevailing Bucs gloom and doom whole.
Why? Because it feels fraudulent.
Don’t get confused. The Bucs played heartless, checked-out football last night in a big primetime game. It was revolting and worthy of scorn, fury and a loss of fans’ trust.
However, to be shocked by what was witnessed does not make a lot of sense. Heck, Joe predicted a convincing Rams win. And to stray so far from one’s season assessment doesn’t feel fair.
Joe is referring to how fans considered this Tampa Bay season three months ago. That’s exactly when Joe polled fans to ask how many wins they expected in the 2025 campaign. Those August 23 poll results are shown in the graphic below.
An 11-win season was the most popular choice. And Joe would wager a lot of money that most fans that projected the team to have 11 wins figured the Bucs would have a 6-5 record after losing to the Rams last night. And that is the Bucs’ current record.
A cool 28 percent of fans picked the Bucs to win 10 or fewer games.
The remaining 32 percent of fans expected a big season, picking 12 or more wins. For those fans, Joe knows their hopes and dreams were crushed completely last night. And Joe feels terribly for you.
Yes, the Bucs played like a horrid, direction-less football team last night. This is a morbid Monday. But the schedule says the team is on track to win 11 games whether your brain lets you go there or not.
If Teddy Bridgewater starts at quarterback Sunday for injured Baker Mayfield, Joe expects the Bucs to beat the floundering three-win Cardinals and their backup QB. Joe has little faith in Bridgewater after seeing him look non-competitive last night, but smart people chose him over Kyle Trask and many others, so Bridgewater deserves a clean slate and a week of practice as the top dog — if he’s needed.
The fog is thick, but the sky hasn’t fallen.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:20 am
It’s not the record – it’s how they lost.
Coaching blunders in the NE and Buffalo games – the same kind we’ve seen since Bowles was gifted the job.
A total no show game against the Rams – also a movie Bucs fans have seen before (Kirk Cousins….).
It’s obvious this coaching staff isn’t good. Top to bottom.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:22 am
I would be shocked if they win 3 more games. Free fall…
November 24th, 2025 at 8:24 am
I think we lose every game at this point.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:28 am
If the defense continues to play as they’re playing (and there’s no reason to think they won’t) NO game is considered easy or even winnable. No way they win 11. Cashed easy free money from taking the Rams and laying the points. Definitely taking Arizona this week as the shock of not having Baker smacks them in the face.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:29 am
You are just flat wrong. Once an engine seizes it takes major repairs to get it started and we have neither the mechanic nor the parts to get that done.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:31 am
“Don’t talk about – playoffs?! You kiddin’ me? Playoffs?! I just hope we can win a game!
Jim Mora
GO BUCS!!!!
November 24th, 2025 at 8:32 am
Don’t worry Buc fans – Todd Bowles will be back next season to continue guiding this team to another mediocre season in the weakest division in the NFL.
What a joke.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:32 am
Teddy is a super nice awesome guy.
He looked like he was doing a walk through last night. No urgency, no fight, no sense of let’s do this.
It was almost like he was told, don’t let anyone else get hurt and we’ll regroup next week. We can’t just leave now we have to put on a show for a little bit longer.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:34 am
The opening drive , the Bucs were successful running the ball and then Grizzard calls a stupid deep ball to a double covered Egbuka which led to a 3rd and long and killed the drive. Then he mixed in some stupid sideline behind the line of scrimmage passes that fooled no one, then he took out a successful Tucker and put in the less effective White –
The play calling had no flow except for the first 6 or 7 plays – inept offensive game plan
November 24th, 2025 at 8:36 am
They COULD still make the playoffs but that’ll be a butt whooping and another first round exit. Even when healthy I don’t have a ton of faith in this team mainly because of the defense just constantly getting gashed for.big plays.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:37 am
I would be shocked if we win any more games this year
November 24th, 2025 at 8:37 am
I don’t get the drama here. It was expected. I was surprised the Rams didn’t score 50 on us. They spared us the huge embarrassment.
All is as predicted 6-5
Now starts the road to the playoffs. What makes it foggy is Baker’s injury.
In the past 3 games we got ataste of the lost decade. With Baker injured the promising season might become the lost season. Let’s see what this team is made of.
LFG!!!!!
November 24th, 2025 at 8:38 am
Hire Lane Kiffen before it’s too late.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:39 am
Brissett will throw for 400 yards and 3 td’s against this putrid defense. And with the Oline play, Bridgewater will be sacked multiple times and be lucky to finish the game.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:39 am
No chance we get to 11 wins. I blame Ira for going on mad dog sports radio lastcweek. He said Bucs qbs don’t get hurt. I could feel the end of our little run.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:39 am
I believe everyone was thinking the Offense would continue to do well and the defense even if slightly improved would lead the Bucs to 11 wins. Not really sure how the D is worse than last year and the injuries have completely stalled our offense. Doesn’t look good for digging their way out of this whole. Although they’ve done it late every year.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:41 am
6 full seasons and 11 games into a 7th in charge of the defense here is what fans can expect from Todd Blows cover no one scheme
15th in yards allowed
26th in pass yards allowed
9th against the run
14th in Points Allowed
They will always be middle of the pack in points allowed and yards allowed
Top 10 against the run
Bottom 10 against the pass
9 or 10 wins is Todd Blows ceiling as a defensive coordinator/coach
November 24th, 2025 at 8:42 am
With or without Bake there’s zero chance they win 11 games. Im shocked this guy wrote this story. Do you watch football? They squeaked by four games earlier this season. They were ok against a rebuild Saints team. Would they beat Seattle or SF now, nope.
What does this team do well? Pass D is one of the worst as is their running game.
Pass rush, nope. Special Teams other than Chase, no. Pass pro, nope.
Problem is JL was saved by BA and Brady. He was on thin ice. Now we see what he was earlier in his GM career, again.
Think about him like this, he can’t even draft or sign a good not great, but good punter.
A punter…
I thought they would win 10 in the preseason. After the bye, nope. They don’t have Want To. You either have it you don’t. It’s like rythm.
So stop with help is coming, this is who they are as the mask has been removed.
No excuses, it’s the NFL, Not For Long as Jerry G said. Not here though. Glazers are slow to react.
Lastly, it started with the Washington loss last year.
Funny this guy thinks they’ll win 6 in a row.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:44 am
Let’s see if you have the balls to post this. I’m guessing not a chance.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:46 am
Teddy was not expecting to actually play. If he had been 3rd behind Trask, Baker would never come out of the game. Baker would have gone back in with the sling on his arm.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:46 am
Great, so we win 11 games and lose in the first round *again*.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:49 am
If we lose and the effort is there that is one thing. This team shows no effort or care so that is another problem.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:49 am
Thanks for the injection of Hopium Joe. If Teddy B plays this Sunday we need to run it 30-40 times. I don’t think he can throw it past 10yds. Should have Bucky and hopefully Bredeson back for this game. All 3 backs should have 10+ carries. Win ugly if we have to. Only way Bucs do anything this year is if Offense gets right. Defense looks lost.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:52 am
Smarter than Joe is spot on. The only thing I will add to the mix are his terrible in game decisions and consistent failure to prepare the team for big games. He is an average to below average DC and an incompetent head coach. BigBucJoe has become BitterBucFanJoe.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:52 am
I saw the Lane for HC comment several times and thought it was silly. But now.. I think owners with normal T would have to quickly explore it.
The NFL is designed to score and protect the QB. Lane coaching Bake is interesting.
Lane has moxi and would be refreshing. Lane has coached at all levels, interesting. He also has ties to Florida, the state not the gators, interesting.
I don’t see Lane as JL guy. Lane’s personality would overshadow JL.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:52 am
Feel like we should lose them all so we can get rid of this coaching staff ! This crap show has been going on for years ! Glazers need to pull the plug ! There father would have !
November 24th, 2025 at 8:54 am
Joe, I really must disagree. This team will be lucky to win 9 games. The defense needs to be overhauled and too many people out still on offense. Yes last night was exactly as expected. Yes we will be lucky to end at 9-8. We won’t win the division and definately will not entertain the playoffs. Joe stick a fork in this team they are well done.
November 24th, 2025 at 8:54 am
That poll means nothing right now. It was taken when the Bucs were healthier. Then the injured players from last year year didn’t recoup, then injuries in preseason reared it’s ugly head and then continued to mount thoughout the season.
Without these key players returning the Bucs will be picking high draft picks in 2026. Management and Bowles are expecting most of these players returning in December which is only a few days away.
If Evans, Bucky and McMillan are able to return than the Bucs are a playoff team. How healthy they are will determine how deep they play.
We will know the outcome by the end of December and early playoff games. So far the season hasn’t panned out. But returning key healthy players will hopefully make the Bucs potential Super Bowl contenders. We will know soon in the coming weeks.
Let’s at least keep a positive attitude.