2015 NFL Football – Buccaneers Analysis
The Jameis Winston era begins in Tampa Bay this season – exciting indeed. There will be plenty of attention on the team for sure but will all of the hype lead to wins? Tampa will still have a decent defense – Gerald McCoy and linebacker Lavonte David are a pretty good nucleus.
Buccaneers Odds
2015 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Odds to win the 2016 Super Bowl: 100/1
2015 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Odds to win the 2015 NFC Conference: 75/1
2015 Season Win Total: Buccaneers 5.5 wins (OVER -130 , UNDER +100); 2014 wins: 2
***2015 BONUSES***
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Tampa they still has one of the more respected coaches in the game and they will play one of the easiest schedules in the NFL again.
There are many that are calling for the Bucs to be a .500 team – seriously. Can it happen? Let’s take a look at every game on the schedule and determine whether or not those people are out of their ever-loving minds.
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Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 13, Tennessee, 4:25 p.m.
Perhaps the only team that the Bucs can truly say that they have more talent than is the Titans. It will be Winston vs. Mariota – fun to watch! My guess is that the better defense rules in this game – the Bucs definitively have the edge there. Tampa is over .500 after Week 1!
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 20, at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Jameis Winston gets his first taste of the Superdome crowd and it won’t be pretty! Add in the fact that the Saints have owned the Bucs in recent years and this looks like an easy win for New Orleans.
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 27, at Houston, 1 p.m.
The second straight road game for the Bucs – Tampa has never won in Houston. The young team is still experiencing some growing pains – expect to see the Bucs second straight loss.
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 4, Carolina, 1 p.m.
The Carolina Panthers will return almost the same team from last year – Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart should have their way. Also Carolina’s defense is still elite – they will give Winston fits.
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 11, Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
The Bucs return home to host the Jags. This is a good spot for them to get their second win. Jameis Winston’s athleticism will be evident against Jacksonville’s weak defense and Tampa’s solid defense should be able to hold the weak Jags down.
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Tampa heads into their bye with a 2-3 record.
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 25, at Washington, 1 p.m.
I don’t necessarily love Washington but they definitely have the more proven commodities in this game. At home there will be no excuses for the Skins. I think they take care of business despite Robert Griffin III’s continued struggles.
Week 8: Sunday, Nov. 1, at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Atlanta will be an improved team. I just can’t imagine the Bucs outscoring Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Julio Jones here especially in Atlanta’s yard.
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 8, New York Giants, 4:05 p.m.
The Giants will be another improved team capable of scoring a ton of points. Tampa will have a hard time outscoring their opponent again in Week 9 – Odell Beckham and Eli Manning should have a field day against Tampa’s weak secondary.
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 15, Dallas, 1 p.m.
Dallas will be in a dogfight within their own division by Week 10 – they won’t take any team lightly. As in the previous two weeks, the Bucs will surrender a fair share of points and won’t be able to keep up. At 2-7 Tampa fans start to become a tad concerned.
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 22, at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
It doesn’t get any easier for the Buccaneers – another solid offense is on the schedule. The pace of the Eagles will be too much to handle here.
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 29, at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.
Fancy another high powered offense? Containing Andrew Luck, Andre Johnson,T.Y. Hilton and tight end Coby Fleener—isn’t happening. The losing streak continues unfortunately.
Week 13: Dec. 6, Atlanta, 1 p.m.
The same problem that plagued Tampa in Atlanta still exists in this game – the Bucs secondary isn’t able to slow Julio Jones and Roddy White and the D-line doesn’t get near enough pressure on Matt Ryan. Tampa is getting better but isn’t quite at the level we expect yet.
Week 14: Dec. 13, New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Upset alert! The Saints don’t have much going on by Week 14 – the panic sets in for New Orleans and they hit rock-bottom with a loss to the Bucs.
Week 15: Dec. 17, at St. Louis, 8:25 p.m.
The Rams had an interesting offseason – it could go really good or really bad. My guess is that they are a good, not great team that takes care of their home field in this one.
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The Rams defense will give Winston fits and the St. Louis offense will do just enough.
Week 16: Dec. 27, Chicago, 1 p.m.
This is a good spot for former Bears Coach Lovie Smith to exact some revenge. By Week 16 the calls for Jay Cutler’s head will be loud and clear – he may even be benched by this time! Tampa takes advantage of the all-too-familiar dysfunction in Chicago and they win their fourth game of the year.
Week 17: Jan. 3, at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Carolina will be a motivated bunch – some serious playoff seeding will likely be on the line. I don’t expect a let-down from Cam and the boys as they take care of the Bucs at home.
By my count the Bucs finish 4-12 this season – more competitive than their record suggests but still in the bottom tier of NFL teams. Their disappointing season will allow them to address high areas of need (the secondary) in next year’s draft.
2015 Bucs NFL Prediction
Tampa Bay is a year or two away from being a .500 team and a few years away from being a legitimate threat in the NFC South.
Vegas has Tampa optimistically winning 5.5 games – I just don’t see it.
The 2015 NFL futures betting season is right around the corner! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting.
CappersPicks.com has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well.
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