BucDad’s 2021 Prediction: Will the Bucs Run The Table?

We are merely a handful of days away from kicking off the 2021 NFL season, and of course, it begins when the defending Super Bowl Champion, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football.

The Bucs made history last season, becoming the only team in NFL history to win the Lombardi on their home field when they defeated the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in a one-sided affair. Tom Brady won his record-setting seventh Super Bowl while making his tenth appearance in the big game. So with the talk of records, here are some predictions to keep an eye out for this season.

Bucs Will Repeat As Champions 

Very few teams have had success in their quest to repeat as champions, but if there is one player who has successfully accomplished that feat, that player would be the man who seems to have no signs of slowing down, Tom Brady.

Brady, who has compiled quite the Hall of Fame resume in his 21 years, is the last active player to be rostered on a back-to-back championship roster when the New England Patriots repeated during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Since rings 2 and three, Brady would go on to make seven more Super Bowl appearances and capture four more rings.

If the Bucs plan to return to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row, there’s no better option than the man who has more rings than every NFL franchise.

Bucs Defense Will Rank Top-5 against the rush and pass

It’s no secret that the Bucs defense has grown over the last two seasons since Todd Bowles was hired as the defensive coordinator. What’s more evident is that the pass defense has had its ups and downs during that time frame. Last season, the Bucs were the league’s top rush defense for the second year in a row, while they managed to climb to sixth against the pass after sitting in the bottom half of the league for much of the season.

With all of their starters returning this season, it’ll be hard to discredit them and not believe they could return to their glory days as the league’s best defense. That very well could happen, especially with how the defense operates.

Another prediction that could happen during this time would be the Bucs leading the league in sacks and defensive turnovers. That’s not a far stretch either, as they have accomplished leading the league in sacks back in 2019 when Shaq Barrett recorded his franchise-record 19.5 sacks.

Bucs will run the MVP table

This might be a very bold prediction, but it’s not impossible as the Bucs have the players to do it. No team has ever had players win MVP awards on both sides of the ball during the same year.

Of course, Tom Brady is your leading candidate to be named MVP, but he has never done it while having three 1,000-yard receivers. That changes this year, though, as many are predicting Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Antonio Brown will all eclipse the century mark in receiving yards. Evans would be adding to his already Hall of Fame resume with his 8th consecutive 1,000-yard season.

On the defensive side, be prepared for third-year linebacker Devin White to bring home the award as he seems poised to have another monster season. After being snubbed from Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 and both the Pro Bowl and MVP last season, White followed it up by bringing home the Lombardi Trophy and wreaking havoc along the way. Another candidate to look out for is rookie Joe Tryon, as he is considered to be the dark-horse for the Rookie of the Year award.

The Bucs seem to be ready to take on all challenges this season, and it’ll be worth tuning in each and every week to see just how far these predictions will go as the season progresses. The team has a high possibility to go undefeated but in reality, expect the Bucs to eclipse 14 wins this season.