With the 2022 NFL regular season officially in the books, the playoffs are just around the corner. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers guaranteed its postseason spot and will try to win its second Super Bowl title in the last three years. Although things were far from perfect in the regular season, it is difficult to count the Bucs out.
It all started with Tom Brady returning to the team less than two months after announcing his retirement. His return resulted in multiple free-agent signings, re-signings and restructuring.
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Still, the team lost head coach Bruce Arians as he shifted to Senior Football Consultant in the organization. Under Todd Bowles this season, Tampa Bay went 8-9. Despite the losing record, the Buccaneers clinched the NFC South and secured the No. 4 seed in the conference.
As the Bucs are set to host the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round on Monday, the journey for their third Super Bowl begins. With that being said, here are three reasons why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will win the 2023 Super Bowl.
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3. A big part of their Super Bowl-winning squad is still there
If there is one thing that could make a difference for Tampa Bay is its experience, especially on the big stage. Other than the Bucs, only the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals have recent Super Bowl appearances. While the San Francisco 49ers also made it to the big game recently, they are playing with a rookie quarterback in Brock Purdy.
That leaves the Buccaneers as the most Super Bowl-experienced team in the NFC. Even though there is still a lot of football until then, Tampa Bay should have an advantage against most NFC opponents.
From the championship roster, the Bucs still have dual-threat running back Leonard Fournette, nose tackle Vita Vea and two-time Pro Bowler offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs to name a few.
Although the team did underperform in the regular season, most of the players are familiar with postseason play. In win-or-go-home situations, perhaps maintaining calm is what sets teams apart. Because of that, the Buccaneers have not a few but a ton of veterans who can lead when necessary.
2. Mike Evans finished the year on a high note
One of the main pieces of that Super Bowl title was Mike Evans. In that postseason, the wide receiver broke the franchise record for receiving yards in a playoff game as he had 119 yards against the Washington Football Team. He continued his elite performances in 2021, earning his fourth Pro Bowl selection.
However, things were not as great for Evans for most of 2022. Prior to Week 17, he had 67 catches for 917 yards but only three touchdowns. For comparison, he had 14 scores in 2021.
In Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers, Evans had a crucial drop of what would be an open touchdown in just the third play of the day. Tampa Bay would fail to find the end zone for the rest of the game and lose 21-3.
Fortunately for the Bucs, it seems that Evans is bouncing back from his downs earlier this season. In Week 17, his name game of the regular season, Evans had 10 catches for 207 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-24 victory over the Panthers. The result made the Bucs clinch their division. For his performance, Evans was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
For the playoffs, Tampa Bay needs the best version of its WR1. If his last game indicates something, Evans should be ready to step up.
1. Tom Brady
At the end of the day, every team needs a great quarterback to lead it to a title. Luckily, the Buccaneers have one after almost losing him in the offseason.
Tom Brady's return was perhaps the best thing to happen with the Bucs, at least in the short term. With him, the team remains competitive and can wait a little bit more before a rebuild.
Despite the 8-9 record, 45-year-old Brady showed he still has some things left in the tank. He broke NFL records with 490 completions and 733 pass attempts. For the season, he completed 66.8% of his passes for 4,694 yards and 25 touchdowns against only nine interceptions.
While he finished with a losing record for the first time in his career, Brady showed he can still play at a solid level and stay healthy. He played in 100% of the team's offensive snaps in all but the regular season finale when the team had already secured its playoff position.
In his last full game of 2022, he had a season-high 432 passing yards for three touchdowns and no picks. He also added a score on the ground, his only of the season.
As a seven-time Super Bowl winner, including one with the Bucs, Brady is an X-factor wherever he plays. With Tampa Bay hoping for another Lombardi Trophy, having Brady as its quarterback can be what makes the Buccaneers stand out in the postseason.
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