Banking On Bucs In Season Opener
August 21st, 2025
King of the Road (openers).
Enough with this worthless preseason, which already has cost the Bucs a critical piece of their offense — and for what? Let’s talk real football!
Fans want real football chatter to begin after so many long months of speculation, underwear football and (ugh!) worthless preseason games.
Over at CBS, John Breech (son of former Bengals punter Jim Breech) decided to type a column on when each NFL team will lose its first game. When will the Bucs? Joe doesn’t know. That’s not the purpose or focus of this story.
Rather, the following is what Joe is focused on: Breech believes the Bucs come out of the season-opener with the Dixie Chicks by eating a W. Why? Because Todd Bowles dominates road openers with the Bucs.
Atlanta Falcons (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers). The Buccaneers are 3-0 in their past three road openers and that includes an impressive 20-16 win over the Lions last season, which was one of just two losses that Detroit suffered during the regular season. Michael Penix Jr.’s will be making just the fourth start of his career and it will be coming against a seasoned Buccaneers team. This feels like a Tampa Bay win.
Well, beyond that, the Dixie Chicks are decimated on their offensive line, specifically at tackle. And as Breech points out, Penix is just making his fourth start. He’s still green.
Nothing like Penix (who Joe likes) seeing Bowles’ dizzying blitzes right off the bat. And maybe Haason Reddick pays his respects, too, against a backup right tackle?
Time for the Bucs to control the NFC South from Week 1.
#BeatAtlanta
August 21st, 2025 at 12:20 am
We normally make inexperienced, young quarterbacks look like future Hall of Famers. I hope that’s not the case this season. I think we beat the Falcons Our problems usually start around games 4-5.
If we can get over our annual mid-season slump
I think we can be one of the top seeds in the NFC
August 21st, 2025 at 12:40 am
Penix is getting a nasty reputation for running his yap and picking fights and then being bailed out by his teammates.
He’s going down. Hard.
August 21st, 2025 at 5:25 am
I live in Dade City and thats were Penix is from. They have a street over here named after him and it makes me sick because he hasn’t accomplished anything yet but making to the NFL. This is Buccaneer country and there trying to infest Pasco county with falcon fans 🤮
August 21st, 2025 at 5:47 am
I’m not sold on Penix, hit him a couple times he’ll start skying passes. the ATL beat us twice last year, we had an impossible time stopping their offense- Pitt’s London, the RB’s etc killed us… Baker needs to put up some points to eat the W
August 21st, 2025 at 6:43 am
Knock on wood for the next two weeks, but it’s kind of wild to think we won’t have Godwin and JMac but still have the better WR 1 / WR 2 in the game.
August 21st, 2025 at 6:47 am
Knowing Atlanta they will play Kirk Cousins just against us who has always had our number. You like that!!!
August 21st, 2025 at 7:38 am
This is a very different defense that Atlanta will see right off the bat. Pretty healthy, different starters on the D line, completely different safeties and healthy CBs with some depth behind it.
Parrish and Dennis will make a big difference.
Hope Reddick and Diaby each get sacks. Watch out for Kancey.
August 21st, 2025 at 7:42 am
Bittersweet on Penix, he is a Bucs fan and from the area lol.
August 21st, 2025 at 7:45 am
Read the full article, this writer thinks the Steelers are going to start off 6 and 0. I believe in this particular assessment of his but I’m not saying he knows what he’s talking about either.
August 21st, 2025 at 8:06 am
The game hinges on Charlie Heck. I never thought id type those words. Atlanta has a rookie edge rusher looking to make a name. If Heck is a turnstile and baker gets rocked, it could go (nfc) south real quick.
August 21st, 2025 at 8:27 am
The mayor called Dade City “Falcons country.” 😡😡😡😡
August 21st, 2025 at 8:32 am
Put Penix on his back, often. A great pass rush will let the DB’s feast.
August 21st, 2025 at 8:41 am
Both games against the Falcons could’ve gone either IMO, although they were very much different games. Far as I’m concerned though, we beat ourselves.
In the 1st game (36-30 overtime loss), Bucs offense played a solid, balanced game. We ran the ball very well (26 runs for 160 yards) & passed it very well (19-for-24 for 180 yards/3 TDs). Put up 30 points. Defensively we sucked. Falcons focused on the pass (42-for-59 for 509 yards/3 TDs/1 INT) but not much on the run (18 runs for 73 yards). Two things hurt us badly:
1-We couldn’t stop the pass (Falcons were 6-for-10 deep for 146 yards AND they scored on every drive they had a deep completion on … bummer). Their deep passing probably made us cautious, and their short passing (36-for-49) ate us alive.
2 – Falcons converted 2-of-3 of their 4th-down attempts and scored 10 points off those successful conversions.
Second game (31-26 loss) was very different & almost the opposite in some ways (somewhat reversed roles). Falcons played the balanced game (29 runs for 129 yards and 23-for-29 passing for 276 yards/4 TDs). Bucs went heavier passing (22 runs for 102 yards and 37-for-50 for 330 yards/3TDs/2 INTs). Polar opposite in some ways of the 1st game. Three things ate us alive & cost us the game:
1-Again we couldn’t stop the pass. Falcons again did well with the deep pass (4-for-6 for 115 yards/1 TD) but even better with the short pass (19-of-23). They used the run more effectively this time though, and did a good job of keeping us off-balance.
2-Falcons converted 2-of-2 of their 4th-down attempts and scored 7 points off those successful conversions (scoring a TD off a 4th-and-3 from the 36-yard line really sucks).
3-Bucs had 3 very untimely turnovers while the Falcons played error-free. Our defense surrendered 1 TD on our 1st fumble, but held on the next 2 INTs. Still, that TD was the difference between a win & a loss.
Will we do better this time? I think so. Have to do better stopping the pass (short AND deep), and most importantly, don’t beat ourselves.
August 21st, 2025 at 9:12 am
We will definitely have to see how Penix does this time around with Kirk as backup. What worries me are the ref calls on their turf.
Interesting what the article said about the Panthers at Jaguars as well as other teams. Thank you for sharing.
August 21st, 2025 at 9:42 am
Got to get this one!
BEAT ATLANTA!!!
August 21st, 2025 at 10:30 am
IF the Bucs lose to the Falcons then that will be 3 in a row and Bowels should instantly be thrusted to the hottest seat the rest of the season!
August 21st, 2025 at 11:47 am
Who would be surprised if Todd comes out with exactly the same gameplan as he did against a rookie in the playoffs, never forcing a punt and playing ball control defense all day, making cowardly game management decisions and trusting a defense that doesn’t know their assignments?
And the Bucs O-line is likewise decimated with Pornstache at LT thanks to the Bucs crack medical team.
August 21st, 2025 at 11:58 am
#BeatAtlanta
#sitthestarterssaturday
August 21st, 2025 at 1:41 pm
Our offense has gotten better. Our defense is better. Our special teams should be better. Overall, I like our chances. Ok, I love our chances. Speaking of chances, Atlanta has a chance against us on opening day. Sort of like a snowball has a chance in Hell!!
August 21st, 2025 at 1:41 pm
I picked us going ‘11-6’ for the past two seasons, and we ‘really’ should have finished there, on BOTH of them. And would have easily (especially being in the NFCS), with better coaching. This season I’m not ‘feeling-it’ right now. I’m starting to get some bad vibes. It can really go SOUTH and in a hurry. I was VERY confident (true contenders) heading into the draft and all the way into training camp. I’m no longer there with that. I’m Worried.
August 21st, 2025 at 2:33 pm
MelvinJunior, try to BeHappy! Don’t Worry! Your heart will thank you.