Last Updated on Agosto 11, 2026 4:50 am by Henrique
Visão geral da equipe
Tampa Bay missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2019, and the way it happened matters. The Buccaneers started 6-2 with Baker Mayfield in the MVP conversation, then won two of their final nine games. Carolina took the division on a three-way tiebreaker despite losing to Tampa Bay in Week 18. Injuries drove most of it, and the extent only became clear later: Mayfield played from Week 2 onward with a sprained MCL and PCL, a biceps contusion and a shoulder problem.
The offseason has been dominated by contracts rather than football. Mayfield called the two-year extension offer disrespectful and paused negotiations when camp opened, leaving him to play the season without a deal. Vita Vea requested a trade and is holding in. Mike Evans left in free agency and Lavonte David retired, ending an era of leadership. Todd Bowles was retained but fired several assistants, and Zac Robinson arrives to run a reworked offense built on wide zone concepts.
Análise da linha ofensiva
On paper this is one of the best units in football, and it is the main reason Tampa Bay remains the division favorite. Tristan Wirfs is an All-Pro left tackle, with Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch giving the front real quality across the middle. The concern is availability rather than talent. Wirfs has been sidelined for most of training camp with a hamstring injury, and all three missed time during last season’s collapse. Robinson’s wide zone install asks more of this group in terms of lateral movement, which suits their athleticism. Keeping them on the field is the whole question.
Análise da Linha Defensiva
Vea is the best player on this defense and he has not reported to camp. That single absence reshapes the entire front, because his ability to occupy blockers is what allows everyone else to work one-on-one. Tampa Bay drafted Rueben Bain Jr. 15th overall to reignite a pass rush that has gone a quarter century without a homegrown ten-sack season, and Bain has flashed early. A’Shawn Robinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad arrived to cover departures in the front seven. The unit held up against the run last year, allowing fewer than 100 rushing yards per game, but it had the worst red zone defense in the league. Those third-and-long breakdowns are exactly what Bowles reorganized his staff to fix.
2026 NFL Season
Semana 1
Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals | Sunday, September 13 | 1:00 PM ET | Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
Tampa Bay opens on the road as a underdog, with the Bengals listed at -3.5 and -198 on the moneyline against the Buccaneers at +164. The total sits at 50.5, the highest number on the entire Week 1 board. Two offenses capable of scoring in bunches meeting two defenses with real questions is precisely the setup oddsmakers price this way.
That total is the story here. Tampa Bay’s red zone defense was the worst in football last season, and it now faces one of the league’s more efficient scoring offenses without Vea in the middle. Mayfield has the receiving depth to keep pace, with Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan replacing Evans by committee. This projects as a shootout that comes down to which defense gets one stop.
Chances de ganhar a divisão e o Super Bowl
Probabilidades de ganhar a NFC Sul: +164
Chances de ganhar o Super Bowl: +5000
Previsões
Registro geral: The Buccaneers project to finish around 9-8, with the win total set at 7.5 and the over priced at -140
Chances de playoff: The division favorite, and the most likely NFC South team to reach January
Chances do Super Bowl: A middling long shot, best of a weak division but well behind the NFC’s top tier
Tampa Bay is favored here for good reason. Mayfield remains the best quarterback in the NFC South by a comfortable margin, the offensive line is the strongest in the division, and the receiving room stayed deep even after losing Evans. What makes this team hard to trust is everything happening off the field. A quarterback playing without a contract, a franchise defensive tackle refusing to report, and a coaching staff that just watched a 6-2 start turn into a collapse do not point to stability. If Vea reports and Wirfs is healthy in September, the Buccaneers win this division. If neither happens, the whole thing is up for grabs again.
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