The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sailing through some rough seas. The pirate ship, once filled with strong, intimidating menaces on both sides of the ball struck fear into the hearts of opponents with intimidating defense and crafty, well executed offensive schemes. The ship now struggles to stay afloat.
The days of the swashbuckling and plundering Buccaneers of Tampa Bay are in the past… Today’s Bucs team has started the 2026 NFL season with four-straight losses before earning their first win against the Dallas Cowboys. The week after that they lost to Pittsburgh; leaving fans wearing eye patches on both eyes so they cannot see the ship sinking.
Heart Breaking 2025 Season…
Last season, the Buccaneers came in like a cannon ball, going 6-2 through the first eight weeks of the season… Quarterback Baker Mayfield looked like an early MVP candidate. Mayfield captained the ship to a strong start, despite a wounded wide receiver corp, an injury riddled running attack, and a cut and paste offensive line with linemen being shuffled more than a deck of cards.
Soon, the cannons stopped firing and the smoke cleared. The Buccaneers dropped seven of their final nine games, finishing 8-9, missing the playoffs, and snapping a four-year streak of NFC South division titles. They finished second behind the Carolina Panthers (also 8-9) via tie-breaker rules.
Get Them All Peg Legs and Eye Patches…
The Buccaneers OF 2025 looked like a real skeleton crew of walking wounded warriors. The Bucs wide receiver trio of future Hall of Famer Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan missed a combined total of 30 games to various ailments. McMillan missed 13 games with a fractured neck suffered in the preseason. Running back Bucky Irving missed seven games due to a combination of foot, ankle, and shoulder injuries. Mayfield played in every game despite dealing with his own injuries.
The injury bug also bit the defensive side of the ball. Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey missed 15 weeks after tearing his pectoral muscle in Week 2. Cornerback Jamel Dean sat out three games with a hamstring strain and nagging hip and shoulder injuries. Like Mayfield, All-Pro safety Antione Winfield Jr managed to play in all 17 games despite a severe ankle sprain, which limited his playing time. For many of the Bucs, it is awfully hard to win games when you aren’t on the field.
Dead in the Water: 2026 Season…
The Buccaneers came into the 2026 season with optimism and a freshly inked new contract for their QB1. Things were looking good for the pewter pirates until the season started… After one loss, some fans were already turning their backs on Mayfield, demanding that coach Todd Bowles start rookie QB Jalon Daniels instead.
Lucky for those Baker haters, Mayfield injured his thumb in Week 3, and Daniels took the wheel under center, steering the ship to a 24-16 win over “Dem Boys” in Dallas in Week 5. But they would fall short at home against the Aaron Rodgers led Pittsburgh Steelers, 26-19 in OT this past Sunday.
So here we are, Week 7, stuck at sea with no sign of shore in sight… The NFC South division-leading Carolina Panthers are licking their chops at the thought of feasting on the flesh of their fumbling Floridian foes. Mayfield is back at practice this week, so Coach Bowles has a decision to make. Who will start at quarterback on Sunday for the Bucs?
So far, neither QB has been great, statistically Daniels has been better, throwing five touchdowns with zero interceptions and a 97.6 passer rating. Mayfield has thrown as many passes to the wrong team as he has touchdowns to his own team, with a much lower 80.0 QB rating. Daniels is the more fleet-of-foot option with 213 rushing yards. Mayfield is typically a highly effective scrambler but has an uncharacteristically low 65 rushing yards this season.
I still believe that it is Baker’s job to lose and Daniels has not done enough to steal the lead signal-caller job… YET. But, if Mayfield sits Week 7 and Daniels does well enough to plunder a victory in Carolina, he could find himself captaining a wayward pirate ship to the island of mediocrity. Regardless of who the QB1 is, the Bucs, to put it kindly, suck. Quarterback is not the problem.
Fire the Cannons… I Mean, Coaches
The Buccaneers’ coaching staff has suffered countless late game collapses dating back to last season. Bowles has been praised in the past for the team’s former success, winning three consecutive NFC South titles. But recently he has endured backlash for his defensive schemes and game management, leading to their current 1-5 record.
Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson has had issues making adjustments to protect the QB and his offensive play-calling has become predictable. The Buccaneers’ offense is stacked with talent, but ranks among the worst in scoring and yardage.
Defensive assistant coaches George Edwards (Pass Game Coordinator) and Larry Foote (Run Game Coordinator/ Linebackers Coach) work directly under Bowles and have shown individual talent and insight. But the team struggles to remain consistent for all four quarters, leading to the Buccaneers’ epic late-game collapses.
Siege the Buccin’ Day…
The question on the mind of most Buccaneers fans is, will Tampa Bay wait until the end of the season to make coaching changes, or tell them to walk the plank mid-season? Either way, a mutiny is afoot. I guess we will see if Bowles and his crew hold a treasure map, to change course or if they will sail off into the horizon. Will the Bucs find their way and salvage the sinking ship, or is it time to strike the Jolly Roger and raise the white flag?
