Peter King Predicts Early Playoffs Exit for the Buccaneers

NBC Sports', Peter King, has the Bucs just barely making the playoffs...

The start of the regular season is here and reporters from all outlets are putting out their predictions for Divisional winners and eventual Super Bowl Champions. 

Widely known NBC Sports reporter, Peter King, is no different. He has been a staple in the sports world for what seems like forever and has guessed the past four Super Bowl champions correctly from the onset of the season. However, this year King does not have that high of hopes when it comes to how the Buccaneers will fair in the NFC this season.

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King's NFC Predictions:

1. New Orleans (12-5). Note of the week: Saints have beaten Tom Brady’s Bucs in all four regular-season meetings, and none of the four has been a one-score game.

2. Green Bay (12-5). Minnesota threatens, but Aaron Rodgers figures out how to make Romeo Doubs a factor early, and off they go.

3. Philadelphia (11-6). DeVonta Smith/A.J. Brown combined to average 14.1 yards per catch last year. Now Jalen Hurts has them both.

4. LA Rams (10-7). This is still a very good team. But it’s a very good team facing a murderous schedule, starting with the Bills in three days.

5. Minnesota (11-6). Is this the year Eric Kendricks finally gets credit for being a top-five NFL ‘backer?

6. Tampa Bay (10-7). Just too much noise and too many injuries around this team. Talent, and Brady, makes the Bucs still a factor.

7. San Francisco (10-7)*. We interrupt this endless quarterback story to remind you the other 51 players on this roster are pretty good.

*Tiebreaker: San Francisco over Dallas (10-7).

Wild card: Green Bay over San Francisco, Tampa Bay over Philadelphia, LA Rams over Minnesota.

Divisional: New Orleans over Tampa Bay, Green Bay over LA Rams.

NFC Championship, at New Orleans: Green Bay 30, New Orleans 17.

Peter King has the Bucs barely sliding into the playoffs as a 6-seed with just 10 wins. It is easy to see his understanding as the Bucs hold one of the tougher regular season schedules as well as all the drama and injuries that have occurred.

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The positive part of his playoff predictions is that he sees the Buccaneers upsetting the 3-seeded Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round. However, things come to quite the sobering end as he has them getting bounced by NFC South rival, the New Orleans Saints, in the Divisional round.

The Saints mustered an average record last season after starting quarterback Jameis Winston went down with a season-ending knee injury. With their quarterback back at the helm with a slew of new weapons, it is easy to see why King is so high on them heading into this season.

Per King on the New Orleans Saints,

"I’ve gotten smitten with the Saints this summer. I love how they turned a weak wide receiver corps in 2021 into the biggest strength on the roster with a big if—if Michael Thomas can come back to health after two injury-ruined seasons. Rookie Chris Olave and homecoming vet Jarvis Landry give the receiver group a shot of adrenaline that will help Jameis Winston be the best he can be coming off his torn ACL. The Saints were smart to add insurance in top backup Andy Dalton. It’s unsaid around the team and a bit of an elephant in the room: If Winston struggles or is gimpy, Dalton will be a good guy to bring out of the bullpen, to keep the Saints winning. One key question is how much the offense will miss Sean Payton’s imagination. He was a bit of a nutty professor in quarterback and offensive meetings. I wrote about this in 2018—Payton once practiced a quarterback-less formation, with Drew Brees and Taysom Hill both split wide, until the last few seconds on the play clock when Hill hustled behind center to take a direct snap and run with it. Will that be missed, or will offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael continue the mind-bending offensive stuff? We’ll see.

Peter King is right in his assumption that the Saints are indeed a better team. I think, however, that he is greatly underestimating the Buccaneers who are led by Tom Brady. The question marks are a concern - injuries, drama, new head coach, but at the end of the day, the Bucs still have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL and should only continue to improve with the additions that they made this offseason. Let us also not forget that whatever Tom Brady is dealing with off-the-field won't make its way on as he is one, if not the best, at being able to focus in on what is going on in the very moment. It will be a wait-and-see when it comes to King's prediction, but I am still hesitant to bail on the Bucs and heap praise upon a Saints team that we have yet to see fully together.

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