New Power Rankings Disrespect Buccaneers Ahead of Week 1

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fall outside the top 10 in NFL Week 1 rankings despite their division title and offseason moves.

David Harrison | Sep 4, 2024

Oct 22, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) reacts after a run against the Atlanta Falcon in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There are four teams entering the 2024 NFL Season with division championship streaks, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of them.

Three of the four are ranked in the top 10 of NFL.com’s Week 1 power rankings, and it won’t take a lifelong Buccaneers fan to know which one is left out in the cold.

It’s not just that Tampa Bay is outside the top 10, however, that is somewhat astounding here. It’s how far outside they sit, as lead writer Eric Edholm puts the team 20th in his first regular-season rankings of the year.

“The Bucs opted to keep several major pieces in place after last season's late run to seal the NFC South, upset the Eagles on Wild Card Weekend and scare the daylights out of the Lions in Detroit,” says Edholm. “You certainly can understand the thinking there, but there was more change than I think people realize this offseason. New offensive coordinator Liam Coen will try to keep Baker Mayfield in the groove the QB found last season, and we can't assume he'll succeed, even with solid parts around Mayfield. There are some potential upgrades on offense, thanks to the addition of rookies Graham Barton and Jalen McMillan, but the defense could take a step back, even if only a small one. The losses of Shaquil Barrett, Devin White and Carlton Davis III can't be glossed over, and replacing all of them won't be easy.”

The Kansas City Chiefs (No. 1), San Francisco 49ers (No. 2) and Buffalo Bills (No. 8) are all ranked understandably high, and the state of the NFC South isn’t helping the Bucs here, but assuming the changes that did happen will be so detrimental is a bit of a reach from where we stand.

There’s no guarantee Coen and Mayfield will pick up where the quarterback and new Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales left off, but there’s no reason other than pre-existing bias against the passer to think it’ll be a massive drop-off either.

Six non-playoff teams from one year ago rank ahead of the Buccaneers on this list, and outside of the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets, there’s no good reason for it.

But Tampa Bay general manager has enjoyed seeing his team overplay the projections for years now, so we’re sure he’ll have fun doing it again in 2024.

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Published Sep 4, 2024

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has been in sports media since 2015 using written, audio, and video media to cover athletes, coaches, and games. In addition to covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for BucsGameday and Locked On Bucs he also covers the Washington Commanders for Commander Country and Locked On Commanders and the Washington Wizards for Inside the Wizards. David also covers the NFL as a whole as one of the Friday hosts for Locked On NFL. He is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and previously spent 20 years as an active member of the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.