ESPN: Bucs “Dangerous” But Not A Serious Super Bowl Contender
November 29th, 2025
Baker Mayfield
During OTAs, underwear football, minicamp and training camp, the Bucs had higher goals than just winning a division.
And the Bucs believed they had the horses to accomplish it.
Sad thing is, those horses began breaking down, even before training camp. Tristan Wirfs needed knee surgery. It snowballed from there.
The Bucs had their top three receivers go down. One was a guy who had his ankle destroyed last season, Chris Godwin. The Bucs have never had their five starting offensive linemen play together. Their No. 1 running back missed two months, partly under mysterious circumstances.
If that wasn’t bad enough, since the bye week the Bucs defense has channeled the ghosts of The Smiths, lousy Lovie and Mike. Now, the Bucs are in the fight for their lives to win a fifth-straight division crown, leading the Stinking Panthers by a mere half-game.
Dan Graziano was at Bucs training camp and he could feel the excitement and confidence brimming in the team. He believes the Bucs could still do damage in the playoffs.
If the Bucs can make the playoffs.
I spent time with the Bucs in training camp this summer, and one thing stood out to me: They know they can win the division after having done it four seasons in a row. But they believed they had the type of roster to do even more than that. They want to make a Super Bowl run and entered this season with their eyes on the No. 1 seed. That feels out of reach at this point, but they could be a very dangerous team in January if they can hold off Carolina for the NFC South crown.
Yeah, the No. 1 seed is toast and “this Joe” (and this Joe only) doesn’t believe the Bucs are a playoff team unless the return of Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan and Calijah Kancey suddenly transforms the team into a beast.
After watching how the Rams sealclubbed the Bucs last Sunday night, that would be a helluva transformation. The Bucs need to improve by about three levels to hang with the Rams. That’s a good team.
The way the Bucs are playing right now, they are a bad team. One step to turning that around is to take care of an injury-plagued team that has only won 1 of its past 9 games. If the Bucs still plan on winning the division, they have to put a wounded animal like Arizona out of its misery tomorrow.
November 29th, 2025 at 8:07 am
Dangerous? It just feels like the Bucs are “an old washed up man” trying to remind folks that back in the day..”we won a few games in the last couple of minutes.”
November 29th, 2025 at 8:33 am
If they believe, I believe. Win this Sunday to get it started.
Hoping too, once Mike, Jalen, and Kancey are fully back, we will be a different team for the better. Also, hoping that Baker can get 100% better too.
November 29th, 2025 at 8:35 am
Need wins fast….If lose to Cardinals and Lose Bake we are doomed for this year.
November 29th, 2025 at 8:37 am
They are not wrong. Our history will repeat. We win a horrific division then get into the playoffs with zero chance of getting to the NFC Championship game.
November 29th, 2025 at 8:41 am
This team is missing the Suh, JPP and Jensen type players to be a true Super Bowl contender. When your QB is the toughest player on the team that doesn’t bode well when you play the likes of the Rams, Lions, Patriots etc. There are zero tone setters in the Defensive side of the ball and until that changes it’ll be wash, rinse and repeat year after year.
November 29th, 2025 at 8:42 am
This game will be closer than most fans believe.
The Cards have lost 6 games by 4 points or less…
I hope the Bucs aren’t going to overlook these guys – they better come to play on Sunday or it’s going to be ugly come Monday morning.
November 29th, 2025 at 8:53 am
Offensively I think the Bucs could make some noise if (1) Baker stays healthy; and (2) Grizz learns how to use what he still has. Defensively though, can’t help but feel that our ILBs & OLBs are our Achilles Heel.
Even if Evans, McMillan & Kancey come back this year, not sure they’d make a peehole in the snow worth of difference. They’ve all missed most of the season already, and weren’t exactly lighting the world on fire when they went out. Can’t see any of the 3 of them becoming our Knights in Shining Armor assuming we make the playoffs. Stick with what got you to the dance.
November 29th, 2025 at 8:58 am
Is any team that’s led by Todd Bowles going to win a SB? Nope, never gonna happen. Todd couldn’t even do it with flipping TOM BRADY. Todd’s a clown and ESPN is right. Bucs get swept by Carolina. Mark the tape.
November 29th, 2025 at 8:58 am
The bucs are dangerously terrible.
November 29th, 2025 at 9:11 am
I can say a loss to AZ Sunday will require a courtesy flush. Perfume won’t be able to cover up that kind of stink. You can only spray perfume on stink so long before someone discovers the crap!
November 29th, 2025 at 9:29 am
Tucker for 100 yards Sunday,, Bucky gets his feet wet with 40 yards and White gets in for a few carries as well 30 yards,, Baker is protected and safe in a Bucs 24-20 victory ,, 7-5 here we go
November 29th, 2025 at 9:47 am
A month ago the Cowboys were one of the worst teams on the NFL, and the Eagles were one of the best.
We have well OVER a month to go
November 29th, 2025 at 9:48 am
Not making any predictions until some of the Name guys on D show up. That would be the guys collecting $$$, VV, Reddick, LVD, AWJ, McCollum. These are the guys Jason put his money on and the star level production isn’t there. Piss and moan all you want about Bowles and scheme, but players make the difference.
The O will get healthy little by little and could make some noise if we had the D to support them. Everybody loves the splash plays on O, but what never changes, Defense wins Championships.
November 29th, 2025 at 9:49 am
It’s a win win for me. I either watch the Bucs go on a fun playoff run or we get a new coaching staff next year. I’m so sick of this weird defense
November 29th, 2025 at 9:50 am
Agree about the Cowboys, Beeej. We have a lot of time to comeback too.
November 29th, 2025 at 9:54 am
Tampa 25 Arizona 22. It’s going to take a full 60 minutes.
November 29th, 2025 at 10:00 am
Good thing we didn’t waste our draft picks at the trade deadline.
November 29th, 2025 at 10:25 am
That Phillips guy that the Iggles swapped picks for, he’s killing it up there. (That said, he already knew their defense because he played for their D coach)
I think Dallas gave a 1 and 2 for Quinnen Williams, THAT guy has transformed their entire defense, AND he’s young
November 29th, 2025 at 10:42 am
Bucs “Dangerous offense” But Not A Serious Super Bowl Contender that perfectly describes this mediocre roster building plan. We have a great scout masquerading as a general manager who doesn’t realize cheap free agents are cheap for a reason so relies on that and undrafted free agents and late round picks to fill out his roster and REFUSES to buy a proven pass rusher even though he’s never been able to draft one. Plus he keeps resigning Mediocre players or letting them play out their contracts just because he drafted them so he can brag about it.
November 29th, 2025 at 11:37 am
If the team gets healthy they have a chance.. They need Reddick back as 2 sacks in 3 games is a issue .No other team but the Rams is playing lights out and they have been healthy let them get a few injuries and lets see .
November 29th, 2025 at 11:57 am
I am with Weeb10, I always enjoy a Buc win but if they do lose, it HAS to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Bowles has been given more slack than any other coordinator or head coach who stubbornly refused to make changes (Snitty, Dungy and Lovie all come to mind). I am also sick of this exotic defense where everyone plays 10 yards off the receivers with a non-existent pass rush. Beej, Dallas also have the 2026 and 2027 first rounders they got from Green Bay for Parsons along with their own picks to deal with the Jets so they still can address needs in the next draft.
November 29th, 2025 at 2:16 pm
I remember how badly I felt after the losing streaks the last three years and then the team rebounded. The only difference this year is that the defense doesn’t look like it can spell the word football, let alone play it.
That makes me feel worse.
However – the betting man thinks the team repeats history and win 4 out of 6 and the division.
Once there we play the packers bears or Seahawks. I give us a chance against the packers or seahwks as I think the packers are frauds and i think Darnold can get rattled…but if he got hot with JSN against our defense I might rethink that. The bears….wont beat them.
More than likely it’ll come down to if you can get into the divisional round. We won’t get farther than that.
Then the glazers will stay the course. It’s frustrating to layout that our best ending is probably a curb stomping again in la against the lambs.
November 29th, 2025 at 2:26 pm
We would beat the Bears the easiest of the bunch. Highly dependent on run in their offense.
November 29th, 2025 at 3:23 pm
I’m gonna try to maintain some optimism here. Didn’t we get “sealclubbed” by the Saints in 2020 and then beat them in the playoffs on the way to the SB?
Bucs will get hopefully get healthier and be dangerous, IF they take care of business and beat these “lesser” teams down the stretch. Going into the playoffs confident at 11-6 or 12-5 will be important.
As always, the caveat here is Bowles. Bucs can get healthy and win out heading into the playoffs… my concern will be the coaching and scheme, not the talent on the roster stacking up.
November 29th, 2025 at 3:57 pm
I’m coming back to this post!
The 2020 year we was 6-5 and the doom and gloom Bucs fans was screaming this same rhetoric! I still believe it’s a SB parade in the horizon once the playoffs starts the same teams that beat us we will see them again especially the rams it’s hard beating a team 5x in a row 🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️ the Bucs play way better when everyone disregards them!
November 29th, 2025 at 4:59 pm
Disagree on the bears. Their defense is taking the ball away and playing well. Plus I think the combo of Johnson calling plays and Williams moving around will give us fits. Maybe they taper off the rest of the way.
Herbie – I would be beyond thrilled to be wrong.
November 29th, 2025 at 5:11 pm
Can’t wait to see what Jason licht is going to do with all those draft picks next year…..because you know that’s what it’s all about. NFL Draft 2026 baby can’t wait. Pfff who needs championships
November 29th, 2025 at 7:01 pm
Lots of fair weather fans here that forget the pre Dungy and post Gruden Eras.
We’re been missing our 2 best pass rushers big time and missed our best corner these last 2 games with Zyon looking like he was a lost puppy last week.
Mike, CG, Bucky, jmac all out on offense with a beat up o-line and beat up QB.
So many fair weather fans have no idea how important an offensive line is and that it takes time for them to gel as a starting unit. Should have 4 of 5 back this week hopefully for the rest of the season.
I’m confident week 18 is gonna be a bomb ass team with m1k3 and Kancey back.
Hope to see some productive offense out of Bucky tomorrow.
November 29th, 2025 at 8:44 pm
This team will be lucky to make playoffs