Bucs Schedule: The Bad
May 18th, 2026
Midseason swoons.
One NFL observer from CBS seems to believe the losses for the Bucs may mount earlier than usual in 2026.
In Weeks 7-12 of the past three seasons, the Bucs have averaged one win in those six weeks of the NFL calendar. One!
For whatever reason, KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles’ Bucs teams are known for their midseason swoons. John Breech of CBS has a hunch this annual nosedive might begin Week 4 against the Packers.
The Bucs must have their annual hot start, per Breech, because Week 4 starts a gnarly stretch.
One bad thing for the Buccaneers: The Bucs better get off to a hot start, because things get a lot tougher in Week 4. The Bucs face the Packers at home that week, but then they have to follow that up with a Thursday road game in Dallas. As if that’s not bad enough, they have the Steelers, Panthers, Falcons and Bears after that. They’re just 2-5 in their past seven against the Falcons and the other three teams on the list all made the playoffs last year. If the Bucs can get to their Week 10 bye with a winning record, that would certainly be a moral victory.
Well, first off, going 2-5 in the last seven games against the farcical Dixie Chicks is appalling! A coach ought to be on the hot seat for that stat alone.
But for some reason, despite that hex the Dixie Chicks have on Bowles, Joe isn’t worried about Atlanta. Maybe because Joe has little to no respect for Kevin Stefanski. Joe never saw in the former Browns coach what so many others do. To Joe, the guy is the personification of mediocre.
And the slimy Saints? Again, Joe isn’t buying the hype. Tyler Shough, really? Why?
Joe also isn’t sweating the Steelers. Are we really to believe that retread coach Mike McCarthy will have a physical team like Mike Tomlin had? Besides, drama queen Aaron Rodgers hates playing in Florida and is always whining about the turf of The Licht House. It’s in his head.
The Bears? Yeah, Joe already has the Bucs eating an L in that game. When is the last time the Bucs played well in Chicago, forget the weather?
Joe looked it up: The Chucky-led Bucs beat the Bears Sept. 21, 2008 in overtime 27-24. The Bucs are 2-6 playing in the Second City this century.
So beating the Steelers at home is the key to that stretch Breech cites. If the Bucs lose to the Dixie Chicks or slimy Saints, or both, it could be a very long season.
May 18th, 2026 at 9:03 am
Mayfield magic will have to come through during mid season because Bowles doesn’t know how to handle a ST coach not doing his job during the season. Bowles is like petrified of being a HC and is more interested in just being a DC.
May 18th, 2026 at 9:08 am
Steelers, Panthers, and Falcons are whats worrying someone about this schedule?
May 18th, 2026 at 9:10 am
Why Tyler Shough Joe?
Here is why:
Franchise Records: Set the Saints’ rookie records for the most passing yards, passing touchdowns, and completion percentage in a single season.4th Quarter Clutch: Recorded a 103.3 passer rating in the 4th quarter, the highest among all qualifying quarterbacks in the NFL.NFL Honors: Named the Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Year and finished as the runner-up for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.All-Time Mark: Became just the second rookie in NFL history to post an 80%+ completion rate, 300+ passing yards, and a 140+ passer rating in a single game (Week 17)
May 18th, 2026 at 9:19 am
The Saints beat us twice during both Super Bowl seasons
But, we beat them in the playoffs in 2020
We have always struggled against Carolina, Atlanta, New Orleans
But, it’s up to the players to change that
And they have to do it on the football field
May 18th, 2026 at 9:27 am
Just play one game at a time and knock the snot out of the team in front of you, don’t care who it is. And yes some of those snot-nosed teams like the Cowboys, Packers, etc need to be slapped so the media doesn’t darling dote on them all the time. If you want good air play, beat those media darlings and you’ll have it, but then beat up the teams that aren’t that good.
May 18th, 2026 at 9:29 am
I like the direction this team is going…
However – I am keeping expectations low.
6-11.
3-3 in the NFC South.
Wins against Cleveland, Minn. and Pittsburgh.
That’s all folks.
May 18th, 2026 at 9:33 am
The Bucs did put up 28 1st Half points against the Super Bowl Champion 1985 Bears team in Chicago and led 28-17 at the end of the 1st Half , but ultimately bowed 38-28. I watched that game and DeBerg was on fire in the 1st Half throwing a 44 yard TD to the immortal Kevin House and I think Wilder scored as well. That season was a pathetic 2-14 under Leeman “The Lemon” Bennet which was followed up in 1986 by another 2-14 under Bennett and that was the end of “The Lemon”.
May 18th, 2026 at 9:45 am
Joe … ‘So beating the Steelers at home is the key to that stretch Breech cites. If the Bucs lose to the Dixie Chicks or slimy Saints, or both, it could be a very long season.’
I’m still a believer that it’s ‘one game at a time’. Always has been and always will be. There’s no question in my mind that intra-division games tend to be more important than non-division games (tie-breakers, etc), but it’s still ‘one game at a time’.
Since Todd Bowles has been Bucs’ HC, we’ve gone 4-2 in the NFC South every year that we’ve won the division (2022, 2023, 2024), but only 3-3 last year when we didn’t. Bucs have never swept the division since we joined the NFC South in 2002. Chances are we won’t sweep it in 2026 either. Such is life (and being a Bucs’ fan).
May 18th, 2026 at 10:05 am
Todd will has outstanding upgrades to the defense. The only bad thing it will take 12 games for players to master it.
RINSE AND REPEAT
SMH
May 18th, 2026 at 10:08 am
BUCS need to win as many NFC games as they can….
Bears are a good quality team…that should be a measuring stick game for a few reasons…can we beat a well coached team, on the road…something we’ll have to do in the playoffs…
BEARS is a must win game imo…BUCS need to show they’re true contenders….these are the game baker and bowles need to win to show they’re for real!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!