The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a Super Bowl in Tom Brady's first year with the team in 2020. Brady's winning influence from the New England Patriots, as well as a stout defense, helped lead the Buccaneers to a title. Tampa Bay has dealt with a bevy of injuries this season- and their defense has proven to be more vulnerable than last year's unit.

However, these are still Tom Brady's Buccaneers, winners of four of their last five games and in position to secure home field advantage for the NFC playoffs. Tampa Bay possesses one of the league's best offenses once again led by Brady, who is in the running for MVP, lead back Leonard Fournette, who while sidelined, is expected back for the playoffs, and wideout Mike Evans, who is on his way towards his eighth straight 1,000-yard campaign. While there are certainly more weaknesses than last year's team, the Buccaneers are still in position to secure their second straight Super Bowl title.

Here are three reasons why Tom Brady and the Buccaneers will repeat as Super Bowl champions this year.

3 Reasons The Buccaneers Will Repeat As Super Bowl Champs

3. The defense is still good enough to win a Super Bowl

Some of the criticism that the Buccaneers defense has taken is warranted, given their poor secondary, though injuries have played a role, as the team is without seven starters, whether due to COVID or injuries. Tampa Bay will get Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul back, as well as defensive backs Richard Sherman, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Dean and Antoine Winfield Jr. This defense is plenty good enough to win a Super Bowl. The Buccaneers rank 10th in overall defense and ninth in scoring defense. They rank seventh in takeaways and are still just as opportunistic as they were last year. This defense could get healthy at the right time. Plus, they have something they didn't have last year: championship experience.

2. Leonard Fournette is expected back for the playoffs 

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Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette, who will miss the rest of the regular season, is expected back for the playoffs. Fournette, who has ran for 812 yards and eight touchdowns this season, will no doubt be missed. However, Tampa Bay still has Ronald Jones II, who is more than capable of leading a backfield, and Ke'Shawn Vaughn, who showed just how explosive he can be last week against the Carolina Panthers. In other words, the Buccaneers will be just fine without Fournette until the playoffs. And Fournette, who should be healthy and rested come postseason time, didn't get the ‘Playoff Lenny' nickname for nothing last year, as he totaled over 400 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns in four playoff games. Fournette could return at the right time for Tampa Bay.

1. Tom Brady is playing as good as ever

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is- rightfully- in the MVP discussion. He has thrown for an NFL-best 4,580 yards and 37 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions at the age of 44. The formula to stop Brady is the same as it always was: pressure him and make him uncomfortable. Only, the Buccaneers have made it even harder to execute said formula given their fortress of an offensive line, which has allowed Brady to be sacked just 20 times, the fewest in the NFL among signal-callers who have started at least 14 games. Even without Chris Godwin, Brady and the Buccaneers are still loaded with weapons in Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, and Rob Gronkowski. Plus, Brady's competitive fire and drive to win a Super Bowl will seemingly never die out. Would it surprise anyone if Tom Brady and the Buccaneers were the last men standing in the NFC and victorious in the Super Bowl once again?