By – Nick Sitro
Bucs Report – Special to Sports Talk Florida
After a promising 3-1 start to the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost 3 out of their last 4 games. With a devastating injury to Chris Godwin and a lingering hamstring issue with Mike Evans, Bucs fans need a reason for optimism.
At the time of this article, Tampa Bay will be traveling to Kansas City to take on the undefeated Chiefs on Monday Night Football. To make matters worse, the Buccaneers will then host the Super Bowl runner up in the San Francisco 49ers.
So where do we find this optimism? Well, if we look at strength of schedule for all 32 teams before we kick off week 9, the Bucs have the easiest strength of schedule according to tankathon.com. Here is every Buccaneers opponent after the bye week (week 11).
@ New York Giants (2-6)
@ Carolina Panthers (1-7)
Vs Las Vegas Raider (2-6)
@ Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
@ Dallas Cowboys (3-4)
Vs Carolina Panthers (1-7)
Vs New Orleans Saints (2-6)
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That is a combined 15-39 with a 38.4% win percentage. To sweeten the deal even further, Mike Evans will likely return for the Giants game barring any setbacks in his recovery. Unfortunately, the Atlanta Falcons are in a similar situation, with the 3rd easiest strength of schedule remaining.
Still, much of the success hinges on Todd Bowles getting this defense together. We’ve seen glimpses of brilliance against the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles this year. Bowles also turned around a 4-7 record to 9-8 in 2023, proving he can bounce back from a slump. But giving up the third most points in the league this year at 213 (only the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers are worse) is not exactly a recipe for success. On opposite ends of the spectrum, Liam Coen’s offense has amassed 235 points, third most in the league.
So, with looming matchups against the Chiefs and 49ers, the Buccaneers get a much needed bye week before they have the opportunity to right the ship. If you are ready to jump overboard, just hold on, clearer skies are on the way.
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