Must-Watch Game
May 23rd, 2025
When to be glued to the tube.
Joe cannot imagine anyone reading this here corner of the interwebs could single out a must-watch Bucs game. They’re all must-watch games!
But veteran NFL reporter and columnist Dan Pompei isn’t necessarily typing for a Bucs audience. He’s typing this for a national audience. You know the type, those who think Lavonte David is a local rabbi or something.
The Athletic has a list of the must-watch games for each NFL team. For Pompei, a decades-long Bears beat guy, he thinks the Bucs squaring up against one of their old NFC Central rivals is a total must-watch game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: at Lions, Week 7
The Bucs went to Detroit early last season and came out with a victory. It was a statement game and confidence builder for a team that was better than many imagined. The expectations are a little higher this season, but in order for the Bucs to keep the expectations high, they will have to show once again they can compete with the best teams in the NFC. This Monday night game is one of four scheduled in prime time for the Bucs.
Joe would actually go back to the 2023 season for when the Bucs began to build confidence.
In a game few figured would be tight, the Bucs entered the Lions’ den on divisional round weekend and hung toe-to-toe with the Lions until the bitter end, losing by one touchdown (and a two-point conversion), 31-23. That showed the Bucs they could hang with the mighty Lions.
Eight months later in Week 2 of last season, the Bucs beat the Lions in the same Detroit crib.
Joe does see Pompei’s point: the game against the Lions will be a measuring stick for both teams. Coming two weeks before the bye, the Lions certainly will expose any area the Bucs may to improve.
May 23rd, 2025 at 12:43 am
This season is going to rest on the defense. The Buc’s offense is going to exceed last year’s performance. We know that it’s going to be entertaining, but we don’t know whether or not our defense is going to be able to contain a quality opposing offense.
May 23rd, 2025 at 12:58 am
we still need to plug up the middle of the field with the acquisition of one more solid linebacker…
#KnockOnWoodIfYoureWithMe
May 23rd, 2025 at 1:45 am
We lose the first MNF game vs the Texans hands down.
Bowles simply cannot win those types of games.
He’s an anchor dragging the boat to the bottom of the sea.
How many years of top quality offense will we waste on this incompetent moron?
Fire Bowles now!
May 23rd, 2025 at 1:58 am
It has become a rivalry for sure lately.
Not when Brady was here and we won like 48-7.
I think the Rams is the team that always surprises me.
They revamped that D after Donald in 1 single year with Verse and Fiske.
God I hope we chose studs.
Like the offensive and defensive rookies of the year good.
Detroit just did it with Gibbs and Branch.
My guess would be our 1st 2 picks.
May 23rd, 2025 at 2:00 am
The must watch game for me is the first game against the ducks
May 23rd, 2025 at 2:28 am
BEAT ATLANTA!
May 23rd, 2025 at 2:52 am
Washington did a great job game planning us and played a mistake free game in beating us and ending our season last year. Then Jayden Daniels led that team up to Detroit the next week and beat the dogspit out of the Lions. The Commanders would have beaten the Eagles and gone to the Super Bowl if their playmakers hadn’t have fumbled away their chances the next week. We are the best team in the NFC this year. No one, not even our own fans, seem to understand how close we were last year. I understand that we’re a hungry team led by a hungry QB who is about to shock the whole country this year. Talk about a team being on the same page! We’re going to be a joy to watch, each and every game.
May 23rd, 2025 at 2:54 am
Dan Pompei … ‘This Monday night game is one of four scheduled in prime time for the Bucs.’
Hadn’t really noticed this about our schedule, but that’s 4 night games, the first 3 of which (Texans, Lions, Rams) are all away games, with the 4th (Falcons) here at RayJay. And we almost surely end up with more than that before our season’s over.
Bucs played 5 night games last year (Falcons, Ravens, Chiefs, Cowboys, Commanders) … lost all 5. We played 3 night games in 2023 (Eagles, Bills, Eagles)… lost the 2 regular season games but won 1 (playoff game against Philly). Admittedly those were all against teams who seem to play the Bucs tough, but 0 wins, 7 losses for regular season night games over the last 2 years should kinda indicate that something’s not working right.
Didn’t seem to be a huge problem prior to 2023. Bucs went 3-3 in night games in 2022. We went 4-1 in night games in 2021, and 4-3 in night games in 2020 (with 3 of those wins coming in the playoffs). We know how to win night games; just need to focus a bit better on preparation me thinks.
May 23rd, 2025 at 6:44 am
Trends always eventually go in the other direction to return to the mean average. These losses at night will be headed in a different direction , and that right soon. Bucs are too good a team to have that paucity of night game wins continue.
May 23rd, 2025 at 7:06 am
Only reason to worry about our night game prowess is these stats that Defense Rules keeps posting. I’m with Bucsfan that we return to the mean average. “and that right soon”.
May 23rd, 2025 at 8:20 am
Bucsfan & Kenton … Usually when you see ‘trends’ like that (2023 & 2024 night game losses) it does get turned around because coaches make it an area of focus. I’m confident that Todd Bowles & company noticed that ‘trend’ & have come up with a strategy to deal with it.
May 23rd, 2025 at 9:11 am
“They’re all must-watch games!” Spot on take!
May 23rd, 2025 at 9:15 am
We get a lot of night games for a small market. Part of it was Brady. After he was gone it was because of our first place schedule. We play all the first place teams in our conference and two first place teams from the AFC. That’s bound to draw the spotlight.
May 23rd, 2025 at 11:35 am
Good teams get more night games. But what really matters is the QBs. Yeah, I’m a Baker Boi but so are the big networks televising these games and they know football fans nationwide are getting enamored watching Baker Mayfield play. Hate to state the obvious but there it is.
May 23rd, 2025 at 2:09 pm
I remember when Arians was so mad that he had the team practice at night. Bowles may want to try that strategy.