Bucs Among Top Teams In NFL In Week 7 Power Rankings

Here's our weekly roundup of where national media has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their power rankings.

Oct 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) runs in for a touchdown during the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

In a week filled with uncertainty and a move of operations to New Orleans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't let the distractions phase them as they hung 51 points on the Saints in a Week 6 blowout. The Bucs' running game exploded with 277 yards led by Sean Tucker's 136 yards on the ground. The offense as a whole set a franchise record with 594 total yards. Chris Godwin continues to be a large part of the offense and racked up 11 receptions for 125 yards, 105 of which came after the catch, and two scores. The return of Calijah Kancey and Antoine Winfield Jr. to the defense added an extra boost that saw them shut out the Saints' offense in the second half and cause three turnovers and record five sacks against New Orleans.

See where everyone has them after a blowout win over the Saints in Week 6:

NFL.com: No. 9

"Eleven minutes into Sunday's contest, the Buccaneers led 17-0, but eight minutes before halftime, they trailed the Saints, 20-17. The operative theme after the giveaway game in Atlanta had to be "finish," and Tampa Bay did just that against New Orleans with six touchdown drives of 58 yards or longer. Sean Tucker stepped up with a massive performance (192 total yards, two TDs), and the Bucs also pitched a second-half shutout after giving up a whopping 27 points in the second quarter. This was the shakiest I've seen Baker Mayfield early in a game in quite some time, with the veteran throwing three first-half interceptions, although one went off his receiver's hands. Mayfield was jittery at the outset, even with the Saints' tepid pressure, but he settled down after halftime, as did the defense. It was a strong response; the game easily could have gone sideways. But that type of loosey-goosey play won't cut it next Monday against the suddenly scorching Ravens."

Last Week: No. 9

CBS Sports: No. 10

They dominated the Saints on the road with a strong showing on offense, but they have to cut down on the mistakes. They have a big one with Baltimore this week.

Last Week: No. 13

NBC Sports: No. 9

The Bucs have become the Bakes.

Last Week: No. 9

ESPN: No. 7

The Bucs put up 44 points of offense (they also had a fumble recovery for a touchdown to make it 51 total) Sunday against the Saints-- a team that was giving up just a 25% red zone scoring rate, the best mark in the NFL -- and they're tied for an NFL-leading 178 offensive points scored. Their 594 net yards of offense Sunday was a franchise record.

Last Week: No. 15

Yahoo Sports: No. 9

The Bucs might be really good. Other than a dud against a good Broncos defense and giving away a game at Atlanta, Tampa Bay has been excellent. This might be the NFL’s most underrated team.

Last Week: No. 11

Fox Sports: No. 10

It's easy to get excited by the possibilities if the Buccaneers can maintain that kind of success in the run game. You're not going to run for 277 on a regular basis, but it's going to do wonders for Baker Mayfield if this offense can achieve some degree of balance. 

Last Week: No. 10

USA Today: No. 6

After Sunday's win in New Orleans, they returned to their hurricane-ravaged home and the teeth of a schedule that will serve up Baltimore, Atlanta, Kansas City and San Francisco in successive weeks before the bye arrives. But it sounds like the Bucs have found something more to play for. “Our hearts pour out to the city. It’s a tough city,” said HC Todd Bowles following the victory. "We don’t know what we’re going back to, but in our small part, we wanted to win one for the city."

Last Week: No. 6

Sports Illustrated: No. 9

While surrendering 27 points to the Saints in one quarter looks concerning from 30,000 feet, here’s what I look at: Todd Bowles made halftime adjustments that completely took the smoke out of this Saints’ offense. The post-half drive chart for New Orleans was: punt, punt, punt, interception, punt, interception. This, during a chaotic week with the entire state of Florida in flux and a mass relocation for the Buccaneers, was impressive. 

Last Week: No. 7

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