Two weeks can change everything in the NFL, and Tampa Bay is living proof.
The Buccaneers were sitting near the bottom of the league’s power rankings not long ago, with their season looking like it was drifting toward a rebuild. Fast forward two games, and they’re back in the thick of the NFC South race after a pair of emphatic divisional wins.
First came the 43-13 rout of the first-place Carolina Panthers in Week 7. Then on Sunday, Tampa Bay followed it up with a 16-0 shutout of the Atlanta Falcons. That result carried a strange kind of old-school flair: the Bucs became the first team in more than 50 years to win a game without completing a single pass.
At 3-5, Tampa Bay is now only a half-game out in the division. After the way the last two weeks have gone, the Bucs look like the favorites to win the South and get back to the playoffs.
That turnaround is reflected in this week’s NFL power rankings, too. Before the Carolina game, Tampa Bay was all the way down at No.
- In that stretch, the conversation around the team had shifted hard toward the trade deadline, with plenty of attention on which Buccaneers might get dealt and what kind of return they could bring.
There was even open debate about who the organization would bring in to replace Todd Bowles, who seemed to be on the chopping block and looked like he might not make it through the season.
Instead, after eight volatile weeks, the Buccaneers are back where they started the year in the eyes of many: as the team to beat in the NFC South.
ESPN also used this week’s rankings to highlight the best in-season trade ever for each of the 32 teams, and Tampa Bay’s answer went all the way back to 1978. The pick was guard Greg Horton, acquired in a deal that cost the Buccaneers a third-round pick.
ESPN noted that Horton started 28 games over two years and played in the 1979 NFC title game. The piece also pointed to two major offseason swings: the trade for WR Keyshawn Johnson and the deal for coach Jon Gruden.
“The Bucs have rarely been active at the deadline, so we had to dig deep for this one. Forty-eight years ago, Tampa Bay traded a third-round pick for Horton.
He ended up starting 28 games over two years and played in the 1979 NFC title game. Tampa has made two very big offseason trades, both at the start of the millennium.
The team dealt two first-round picks to the Jets for WR Keyshawn Johnson, then two first-round picks and two second-round picks to the Raiders for coach Jon Gruden. -- ESPN”
What makes the climb even more striking is how quickly the tone changed. Just 14 days ago, Tampa Bay was being treated like a team headed in the wrong direction. Now, after beating Carolina and Atlanta, the Buccaneers have dragged their season back to life.
And there’s one more wrinkle: it’s a little surprising to see Carolina ranked one spot ahead of Tampa Bay at No. 17, even after the Bucs beat them by 30 in Charlotte.
In Other News...
Bucs Secondary Is Forcing A Much Bigger Conversation
The Buccaneers defense has turned into the kind of unit that changes the conversation around a team, and the secondary is a big reason why. Tampa Bay sits first in expected points added per play allowed this season, with Jacob Parrish emerging as one of the leagues most disruptive young corners thanks to his sticky coverage and willingness to help against the run.
Parrishs rise has also given Todd Bowles another piece to lean on as the pass rush keeps coming along behind him, with contributions from players such as Rueben Bain Jr. and Yaya Diaby. The bigger question now is how far this defense can go if the back end keeps erasing throws and the front continues to build pressure, because the Bucs are no longer just surviving on defense, theyre starting to dictate games. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield Sees Something Different In This Bucs Turnaround
The Buccaneers have gone from an 0-4 start to a 3-5 record, and the timing of the turnaround has made the past two weeks feel especially important. Tampa Bay has stacked consecutive divisional wins over the Panthers and Falcons, with Baker Mayfield back after a thumb injury and watching the group respond in a way that was hard to find early in the season.
Mayfield has pointed to the teams progress and unity since returning, and the Bucs now sit close behind Carolina in the NFC South with more key division games ahead. For a team that looked buried only a few weeks ago, the next stretch will go a long way toward showing whether this surge is a short burst or something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Anzalone Just Changed A Big Buccaneers Defensive Conversation
The Buccaneers defense spent Sunday making a point, and Alex Anzalone was right at the center of it. Tampa Bay controlled Atlanta from the opening series and rolled to a 16-0 shutout, with the defense turning the game into a turnover-heavy slog that never let Michael Penix Jr. settle in.
Anzalone was the most disruptive piece of that effort, helping set the tone for a unit that came away with four interceptions overall. For a defense that has been looking to define itself, the performance offered a clear snapshot of what it can look like when the pressure, coverage and takeaway chances all show up at once. [Read more 🡒]