Buccaneers Outperformed Expectations Last Season
Last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wildly exceeded expectations, much to the delight of fans who were tired of hearing the team criticized by experts.
After losing Tom Brady, the Bucs were predicted to be among the worst teams in the league and expected to tank for a top draft pick. However, they surprised everyone by advancing to the NFC Divisional Round. The uncertainty from the previous season now feels like a distant memory.
Persistent Disrespect
Despite winning the NFC South for a third consecutive year and securing another playoff spot, the Bucs are still discussed similarly to how they were last season, with only slight improvements in how they’re perceived by the national media.
Predictions of Missing the Playoffs
NFL.com has released its pre-Week 1 predictions and doesn’t have high hopes for the Bucs. They predict Tampa Bay will finish second in the NFC South, which would end their streak of making the playoffs, according to the experts.
This isn’t entirely surprising, as this narrative has surrounded the Bucs all offseason. Rather than invest heavily in free agents that other teams couldn’t retain, Tampa Bay focused on re-signing key players who contributed to their turnaround last season.
Unrealistic Comparisons
Somehow, this strategy is being held against the Bucs. The signing of Kirk Cousins by the Atlanta Falcons is viewed by experts as a reason for them to rank higher than Tampa Bay. While not everyone is negative about the Bucs, the general consensus aligns with NFL.com’s prediction: Tampa Bay won’t be bad but also won’t be good enough.
Navigating Negative Narratives
This isn’t new territory for the team. They faced a negative narrative last season, and it’s the same situation again this year. The only difference now is the added weight of expectation that wasn’t present a year ago. Yet, proving experts wrong seems to fuel the team’s motivation in all that they do.
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