By Bailey Bassett
Copyright clutchpoints
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were riddled by injuries before the season even started. That hasn’t stopped the Buccaneers from getting off to a 2-0 start with impressive victories over the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans. As the team returns to health throughout the course of the year, they will only get better. So in a league with the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and Baltimore Ravens, are the Buccaneers legitimate Super Bowl contenders?
Buccaneers have a championship-caliber roster
The Bucs have been without two of their best receivers to start the season. Chris Godwin is still recovering from an ankle dislocation suffered last season. And Jalen McMillan suffered a neck injury in the preseason. Furthermore, Tristan Wirfs had knee surgery in the offseason, and Luke Goedeke sustained a foot injury in Week 2. That means both of the team’s starting tackles are currently sidelined. Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey suffered a season-ending injury during Week 2 as well.
The injuries are adding up. And the Buccaneers won’t be able to get to the Super Bowl if they can’t get healthy. Reinforcements are coming soon, though, and with them, Tampa Bay is a legitimate championship-contending team.
Godwin is close to returning to the fold. And when paired with McMillan upon his return, Mike Evans, and Emeka Egbuka, the Buccaneers would have arguably the best receiving corps in the NFL. Godwin was leading the NFL in receptions before his injury. And Evans has never not had 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Even Egbuka has looked like arguably the best rookie in the NFL so far.
Wirfs is not only one of the best tackles in the league, but he is one of the best NFL players overall. With Wirfs and Goedeke, the Buccaneers give Baker Mayfield plenty of time to deliver strikes to his receivers. Bucky Irving is one of the best up-and-coming running backs, too.
Defensively, Antonie Winfield is an elite safety; Vita Vea is a monster of a man; and Haason Reddick looks like he is returning to form as a sack expert after a disastrous 2024 season. Lavonte David is always reliable as the leader of the defense as well. And Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum form a solid cornerback duo.
The fact that the Buccaneers have escaped the first two weeks without a loss despite their long list of injuries is impressive. At full strength, the team is uber-deep and led by a quarterback who has looked elite since moving to Tampa Bay.
No NFC team has reached the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons since the Seattle Seahawks in 2014 and 2015. So despite how great the Eagles look, there is room for another team to get to the big dance. The Buccaneers are in a prime position to not only win the NFC, but they could very well hoist the Lombardi Trophy at season’s end.
