Chris Simms Picks Bucs To Be No. 4 Seed In NFC Playoffs
September 8th, 2026
More optimism is flowing for your Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Baker Mayfield is going to be shocked.
Just three weeks ago, Mayfield said he was seeing and expecting everybody in the media to be picking against the Buccaneers. It wasn’t accurate then, and it certainly isn’t now.
Season predictions are coming in fast and furious this week with the NFL’s opening day tomorrow.
Former Bucs quarterback, Team Glazer 2025 suite guest and NBC Sports Xs and Os guru Chris Simms popped his predictions today and landed with Tampa Bay winning the NFC South.
Simms had a handful of key thoughts:
*The Bucs and Panthers have the division’s best defensive fronts but the Panthers offense is too bad to take seriously.
*The Bucs offensive line is darn good but Simms isn’t as high on it as many others are.
*Simms has “big questions about the [Bucs’] secondary.”
*On the slimy Saints: “When I looked at [the Saints’] roster, I just went, ‘man, they need another player here, another player there.’ They’re just not quite there yet.”
*Simms sees Baker Mayfield carrying the team in the division, along with how the Bucs could have a totallly different defense (as in ‘good’) this season if Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea can remain healthy.
*It’s a No. 4 seed for the Bucs, per Simms, nothing more than winning the NFC South landfill.
Simms co-host on his Unbuttoned podcast, rising NBC star Connor Rogers, also picked the Bucs to win the division.
September 8th, 2026 at 3:17 pm
Then, they both picked the Bucs to get bounced in round 1, a Todd Blows special
September 8th, 2026 at 3:22 pm
Nobody should care about winning the NFC South
We need to raise the standard
Super Bowl or Bust
September 8th, 2026 at 3:25 pm
Rams Giants Bucs! Will be alive in December! Throw in Seattle! Stay Healthy!
September 8th, 2026 at 3:30 pm
sounds like last year all over again with the same consensus and same assumptions.
as a fan i hope conventional wisdom is true. as someone who actually watches the bucs, i know it probably isnt.
bowles is not a winning hc. he just isnt.
September 8th, 2026 at 3:37 pm
Florio hates the Buc’s-he’s worthless anyhow. Predicts 3rd place!! Go Bucs!!1
September 8th, 2026 at 3:49 pm
How many winning Head Coaches are in the NFC South?
I’m not concerned about Todd Bowles
I’m more concerned about the players staying healthy
The NFC South isn’t loaded with talented coaches
I don’t see anything stopping us
September 8th, 2026 at 3:50 pm
What about the Division tho!? So, who’s he got winning the Division then!? LoL.
September 8th, 2026 at 3:51 pm
5-12.
September 8th, 2026 at 4:04 pm
you don’t want the 4 seed… host seahawks or rams
September 8th, 2026 at 4:08 pm
Fire the Cannons & Fire Todd … ‘Then, they both picked the Bucs to get bounced in round 1, a Todd Blows special’.
Real hard to take playoff predictions seriously when they don’t even know who we’ll be playing. Or even where.
So often early playoff wins especially seem to depend upon team health at the time, where the game is played, and whether or not the team backed into the playoffs or went in finishing the season hot.
September 8th, 2026 at 4:16 pm
So the safety pick with a 9-8 ‘winner’. I like Simms but that didn’t take much effort.
What’s sort of hilarious is no one is picking Bryce Young and the Panthers. I guess 8-9 and backing into the playoffs just isn’t worth much, lol.
September 8th, 2026 at 4:30 pm
If this defense can generate a consistent pass rush. This team could be dangerous.
September 8th, 2026 at 4:37 pm
Division winners are seeds 1-4, based on their record and all get a home game regardless of non-division winning playoff teams’ records. Sims expects the Bucs to have the worst record of all division winners but the NFC East and NFC North both have more parity than usual.
It seems Tet Macmillan is averse to film study and otherwise developing his game so that’s another thorn in the unlucky Panthers’ paws. They’re having better luck with the Saints with their top ten WR though. The NFC South is bad a not exactly poised to pounce back to relevance but they’re all dangerous. Atlanta could be a surprise if they field half a defense.
After last season’s collapse at the hands of these teams I really, really want to see the Bucs start fast and never look back. I want to see Daniels in December because the Bucs take their first opportunities to clinch as imperative after last year’s long string of coulda-shoulda clinched but did not losses.
September 8th, 2026 at 4:46 pm
Winning the NFC South is starting to feel like being named valedictorian of summer school.
September 8th, 2026 at 4:51 pm
So 8-9 or 9-8 is going to win again the Division again, ok Chris.
Hopefully what I said is way off and they look decent and win 11-12 games, that means less painful Sundays, but that bucks the trend of another T Bowles 500 or near 500 season.
Lets be clear….Todd Bowles, a Decent human Being, YES, but as a Head Coach of an NFL Franchise he is the very definition of AVERAGE -500%))