What is Buccaneers' Worst Case Scenario Entering Season?
· Yahoo Sports
2026 is a big year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Not that any year is small, mind you, but not every team goes into its season with a “championship or bust” outlook.
Visit librea.one for more information.
The Buccaneers aren’t a team that has to win a Super Bowl to have a successful 2026, and their odds are somewhere between +4000 and +5000 (those aren’t too good for those who aren’t in tune with sports betting).
But the Bucs are the favorites to win the NFC South, and CBS Sports’ best-case scenario involves them doing just that. As for the worst-case scenario? Well, if you watched the second half of last season, you’ve seen a lot of it.
“The second-half struggles from Baker Mayfield (14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over his final 11 games in 2025) persist in 2026,” wrote CBS’ Tyler Sullivan. “The young pieces the Buccaneers were hoping would rise up -- like (Emeka) Egbuka and (Rueben) Bain Jr. -- aren't ready for that responsibility just yet. That allows the rest of the division to continue closing the gap, with Atlanta and New Orleans both catching lightning in a bottle in their respective quarterback rooms. For the second straight year, the Bucs miss the playoffs, putting Todd Bowles' job firmly at risk.”Wh
Tampa’s 2025 season went as Mayfield went.
In the first half, he played like an MVP candidate, throwing 16 touchdowns and two interceptions through his first nine games, and the Bucs went 6-3.
In the last eight games, he barely threw more touchdowns (10) than interceptions (9), and the Bucs went 2-7.
Mayfield’s struggles went hand in hand with those of the Bucs’ star rookie.
Emeka Egbuka went for more than 100 yards receiving three times in Tampa’s first nine games. In the last eight, he never did better than 64, and as a result, Tampa’s 2025 first-round pick lost out on Offensive Rookie of the Year. Tampa’s next first-round pick is expected to contribute right away, this time on the defensive line. Many felt that Bain, who was the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year at Miami last season, would go in the top 10 of the draft, if not the top five.
Tampa got him at No. 15 and was delighted.
Now, Bain will be expected to contribute right away, and if he doesn’t, one of Tampa’s biggest weaknesses in 2025 (pass-rushing) could remain a weakness in 2026.
The idea of Atlanta and New Orleans “catching lightning in a bottle” at QB is an interesting one.
The Falcons’ QB room will be a battle between Tua Tagovailoa, whom the team signed after six seasons with the Miami Dolphins, and Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta’s 2024 first-round pick who tore his ACL in November. New Orleans hopes Tyler Shough will build off a respectable rookie campaign in which he completed 67.6% of his passes, threw for more than 2,300 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions over 11 games.
The Bucs play New Orleans and Atlanta a total of four times, so they’ll have a say in how well these QBs perform.Sullivan’s last point about Bowles' job being “firmly at risk” with another playoff miss might or might not be accurate, but in any case, he isn’t the only one to believe it.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!