“The Athletic” Believes Bucs Are “Pretenders”
November 15th, 2025
What could have been?
Joe has a gnawing feeling however this season shakes out, for years we will look back and wonder what could have been.
What could have been if Mike Evans stayed healthy?
What could have been if Chris Godwin hadn’t gotten his ankle destroyed last year?
What could have been if Bucky Irving hadn’t messed up his shoulder?
What could have been if the NFL didn’t have worthless preseason games and Jalen McMillan never got undercut by a piece of camp meat trying to make a splash play to get a job?
What could have been if Cody Mauch hadn’t blown out a knee?
What could have been if Luke Goedeke stayed healthy?
That’s sort of the way Mike Jones of The Athletic is looking at the Bucs. In a column studying every possible playoff team, Jones calls whether a team is a pretender or if they are a contender to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the Northern California night air in February.
Because of the Bucs injuries, Jones labeled the Bucs as a “pretender.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) — Pretender
Give Todd Bowles, his staff and Baker Mayfield a lot of credit. The Buccaneers haven’t been at full strength since they reported for training camp. Whether it’s the offensive line, the wide receivers, running backs and even their defensive front and secondary, the Bucs have spent the season plugging and playing. And yet, they still lead the NFC South with a 6-3 record. However, the Bucs have a rough next couple of weeks with road games against the Bills and the Rams, but have winnable games against Arizona, New Orleans, Atlanta, Carolina twice and Miami remaining. However, it’s difficult to see this team managing to overcome rampant injuries to make a Super Bowl march.
It seems Jones has overlooked the potential that many hurt Bucs could return for the playoffs.
Joe hopes Godwin can come back. But there is a reason why the Bucs are keeping Godwin’s condition a state secret on the level of possessing nuclear codes. Teams don’t generally hide good news.
And as the creator, curator and overall guru of Pro Football Talk, the great Mike Florio once wrote, “Silence invites speculation.”
The fact Bucky returned to practice last week suggests he is close to getting back on the field.
Evans could return for the playoffs. So too could Calijah Kancey.
McMillan is a wild card. The Bucs are being very cautious and over-the-top careful with McMillan. Broken bones in the neck are nothing to screw around with.
If the Bucs could get Evans, Godwin, Kancey and McMillan back, provided they can quickly get in game shape, that totally changes the team makeup..
And getting all of those guys back could turn the Bucs back into contenders again.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:07 am
Mikes wearing that dude like a backpack and still no call.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:11 am
“If the Bucs could get Evans, Godwin, Kancey and McMillan back, provided they can quickly get in game shape, that totally changes the team makeup..”
Really?
LOL!
Not gonna happen.
Our GM 5h!t the bed with Evans, Godwin, LVD and Reddick and everyone not wearing pewter colored glasses knows it.
We will be lucky to win 9 games this season.
Mark my words – 9 games…
November 15th, 2025 at 10:14 am
Is it just me or doesn’t it look like the DB is hitching a ride on Evans back before the ball arrives. No interference call just magnifies the injury. That game they held our receivers all game and the officials let them.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:14 am
In this NFL one never knows but with this coach u can bet on it.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:18 am
I agree with him. Until I see those players return and play fairly close to the level that they normally play at I can’t see the Bucs as real contenders this season. And that’s assuming they don’t lose anyone else.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:20 am
“And getting all of those guys back could turn the Bucs back into contenders again.”
And if my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:32 am
Unless this season ends in the NFC Championship game or Super Bowl, I will wonder what could have been. Absolutely.
This Bucs team healthy is 7-2 right now at least and heading to a 13-4 season at least.
I still believe they can make a run if they get healthy and those guys back by the end of season. Hoping it happens for David and Evans.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:35 am
I don’t believer that the Bucs with a full staff could reach the Super Bowl, with their present coaches. The coach will never get them over the top.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:38 am
Is there an update on Kancey? I assumed a pec injury (tear?) was basically season ending. That said, I pick him and bucky/evans as my most anticipated comeback. The Bucs are pretenders in that they sure seem to be over achieving against the fate injuries have dealt. Each side of the ball needs their stars back. It rough seeing the backups ‘pretend’ to be super bowl contenders amongst starters.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:40 am
Don’t think it’s the Offense, even with all the injuries and slow starts. Right now unless the defense steps up, I don’t see the Bucs making it very far in the playoffs. They will likely be 6-5 in two weeks. I hate to say it but the Dline cant get pressure and the LBs and Secondary are running around like idiots . Maybe it’s stupid players maybe it’s a stupid DC, IDK. Tired of watching this defense getting gashed.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:47 am
They are not pretenders. Time and again they’ve shown themselves to be well below championship caliber.
Hopefully a coaching change for 2026 will bring some direction and killer instinct – like Gruden did after the underachieving Dungy years.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:49 am
The fortunes of this team rest on Mayfield being able to scramble & run again…
November 15th, 2025 at 10:49 am
Jalen isn’t coming back this year Joe. I broke my C-4 vertebrae. 6 months in a neck brace. 9 months with no physical activities. Now I went the non-surgery route which took longer but better in the long run. Bucs havnt said anything about surgery for Jalen but I get he doesn’t play this year.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:51 am
Also need Bredeson back…
November 15th, 2025 at 10:53 am
That picture that accompanies this story is telling as the DB is tackling ME over the shoulders before the ball arrives. No PI call and the cause of ME broken clavicle because he was unable to break his fall. The refereeing in the NFL stinks. DB’s get away with a lot because the refs just look the other way.
November 15th, 2025 at 10:54 am
If they do not get a healthy Godwin and Bucky back and the interior of the offensive line, there’s a strong chance it comes crumbling down. If these things happen within the next two weeks they can get it together and make a strong push to the playoffs
November 15th, 2025 at 10:57 am
What could have been if the Bucs made Liam Coen their HC!
” ” ” ” ” ” ” hired a TRUE DC guru!
As long as Bowels is HC, they are PRETENDERS!
November 15th, 2025 at 11:08 am
It is always darkest before dawn. There is one Buc who might just about be totally healthy. Yeah its Baker. In Bake we trust. If he comes back firing on all cylinders he will drag the whole team behind him by force of will. It is time. Baker knows it. Time to make his move and let it fly/ Two years now Bake has pulled them out of a mid season swoon and Bake will do it again this year only now he is going to close the deal. Go Bucs.
November 15th, 2025 at 11:10 am
Mike Jones article is bogus IMO in that ‘You are what your record says you are’. We MAY be ‘lucky’ to be 6-3 at this point, but there’s no ‘pretending’ that we’re 6-3.
Only 12 teams have won 6 games at this point. Bucs might be one of the least likely to have 6 wins, but that’s what we have.
1 – Patriots (8-2): Offense #8 … Defense #5
2 – Bills (6-3): Offense #6 … Defense #11
3 – Colts (8-2): Offense #1 … Defense #9
4 – Denver (8-2): Offense #17 … Defense #3
5 – Chargers (7-3): Offense #13 … Defense #8
6 – Eagles (7-2): Offense #12 … Defense #10
7 – Lions (6-3): Offense #2 … Defense #13
8 – Bears (6-3): Offense #7 … Defense #28
9 – Buccaneers (6-3): Offense #11 … Defense #14
10 – Seahawks (7-2): Offense #3 … Defense #6
11 – Rams (7-2): Offense #5 … Defense #2
12 – 49ers (6-4): Offense #23 … Defense #15
The ONLY team that has a Top-5 offense AND defense is the Rams. IF I were a betting man, I’d put my money on them to win the Super Bowl.
Any team with an offense or a defense ranked in the bottom half of the NFL at this point of the season PROBABLY isn’t gonna win the Super Bowl (the odds are stacked against them). The Bears (#28 defense) & the 49ers (#23 offense) are the only 2 teams meeting that criteria.
Only 4 teams have an offense AND defense that’s ranked in the Top-10: Patriots, Colts, Seahawks, Rams. Not an easy criteria to accomplish. Since 2000, the average Super Bowl winner offensive ranking was 5.31 and the average defensive ranking was 9.31 .
Since 2000, half (12) of the Super Bowl winners have had offenses & defenses that BOTH ranked in the Top-10. But interestingly 8 of those have occurred in the past 12 years. Apparently ‘balance’ on both sides of the ball is becoming more important in the NFL.
The Bucs are somewhat ‘balanced’ (#14 offense & #11 defense) but we need to keep improving to make it into the Top-10 on both. Given our somewhat easier schedule once we get past the Rams, we just MIGHT be able to do that. When we won our last Super Bowl (2020), Bucs had the #3 offense & the #8 defense. We were good; there was no ‘pretending’.
November 15th, 2025 at 11:28 am
Yeah what could have been if we had an actual DC