Bucs Climb in Week 2 Power Rankings Roundup

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

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) makes a pass against Detroit Lions during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, September 15, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buccaneers are coming off a gritty 20-16 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 2 and the league is taking notice. At the start of the season, not many believed in this Bucs team, and after two weeks nearly every major outlet has the Bucs as a top 10 team in the league, with five of them ranking the Bucs as a top 5 team. That speaks volumes to the way head coach Todd Bowles and quarterback Baker Mayfield have rallied this team behind an impressive group of players. The Bucs have a difficult stretch of game approaching, but it's getting harder to find people who aren't starting to believe in this team.

See where everyone has them after a huge Week 2 win over the Lions:

NFL.com: No. 12

"Baker Mayfield is not the same quarterback he was years ago in Cleveland, maturing in ways I don’t know that I could have foreseen prior to last season — and maybe even well into last season. He took a beating on Sunday (five sacks) but escaped from plenty of other pressures and made some gutsy throws. The whole offensive operation slowed way down, and the Bucs could help themselves with a little more drive-to-drive consistency, but this team has shown some real grit under Todd Bowles. Despite playing with a secondary ravaged by injuries, the Bucs went into Detroit and won an ugly brawl, even with the Lions more than doubling them in yards gained. That counts for a lot in my book." 

Last Week: 16

CBS Sports: No. 4

"Winning at Detroit with a depleted roster speaks volumes about this team. The defense, despite being down a bunch of guys, did a nice job against a good Lions offense. They are for real."

Last Week: 9

ESPN.com: No. 7

"Izien was the Bucs' starting nickelback last season, but he was bumped out of the spot by rookie third-round draft pick Tykee Smith and spent the summer learning the safety position. He stepped in as an outside corner against Washington after three cornerbacks were lost to injury during the game. Then he started at free safety in Week 2 for All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr., contributing a goal-line interception in the Bucs' victory over the Lions."

Last Week: 13

NBC Sports: No. 3

"It’s becoming harder and harder for people to not regard them as an elite team."

Last Week: 6

Yahoo Sports: No. 10

"Chris Godwin is off to a hot start this season with 200 yards and two touchdowns already. Godwin got 1,000 yards each of the past two seasons but barely, and if he can get back near the 1,313 yards he got in 2019, the Bucs' offense is going to be really good."

Last Week: 13

READ MORE: Bucs Still Rolling in Contested NFC South After Week 2

Fox Sports: No. 6

"Todd Bowles is truly a wizard. By the end of Sunday's win in Detroit, the Buccaneers were down an All-Pro safety, both starting defensive tackles and their nickel back was sick. None of it ultimately mattered. The Lions drove within striking distance on all of their final four possessions, and they came away with zero points. In a four-point win with a short-handed defense, impressive coaching was the difference."

Last Week: 10

USA Today: No. 4

"Maybe this feels like a little too much respect for merely winning two games. But maybe the three-time defending NFC South champs are owed a little extra given their body of work here in the roaring '20s. And how about QB Baker Mayfield, who has four of the Bucs' seven rushing first downs?"

Last Week: 11

Sports Illustrated: No. 7

"Baker Mayfield pulled one of the greatest dead-leg fakes en route to setting up a critical touchdown run in this game. But let’s give credit where it’s due: this wasn’t just a Baker/Godwin/Evans game. Down ballot, this Buccaneers team is pretty loaded and showcases a team that has been quietly hitting its mid and late-round picks to supplant a strong roster with a Patriots-like middle class."

Last Week: 13

The Athletic: No. 5

"Tampa Bay had 12 fewer first downs and 247 fewer yards than Detroit. Quarterback Baker Mayfield led the Bucs in rushing, and it took only 34 yards to do that. Chris Godwin (117 receiving yards) was 54 percent of the offense, and still Tampa Bay is undefeated. The biggest reason for this win was the defense. The Lions were in the red zone seven times and scored only one touchdown. The Buccaneers’ 14.3 percent defensive red zone efficiency rate was the second-best in a game with seven or more red zone possessions since 2000."

Last Week: 10

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