How The Bucs Have Fared Against 2022 Opponents

When the Bucs’ 2022 opponents had been finalized on the finish of final season, it was clear that they must run fairly the gauntlet to return to the Tremendous Bowl for the second time in three years.

The slate seemed much more harmful when Tom Brady retired in February. Whether or not it was going to be Blaine Gabbert, Kyle Trask or one other thriller quarterback below middle, Tampa Bay’s checklist of opponents understandably felt a lot much less manageable with out the seven-time Tremendous Bowl champion. However now that Brady is again and Tampa Bay has reloaded its roster, the schedule is as soon as once more filled with intriguing marquee matchups.

The Bucs will face eight groups that made the playoffs final season. They’ll match up towards a number of the league’s prime quarterbacks, in addition to a number of the greatest dashing assaults within the sport. Merely put, there isn’t any scarcity of exams for Brady and the Bucs in 2022. In the event that they’re capable of work their strategy to Glendale, Arizona, to play for an additional Lombardi Trophy, nobody will be capable to say they didn’t earn it.

Bucs Have Shedding Streaks To Break In 2022

Tampa Bay’s Week 2 matchup may be one in all its most difficult of the 12 months. And it isn’t even towards one of many eight 2021 playoff groups on the schedule. No, it’s a day sport in New Orleans towards the Saints, who’re – someway, a way – nonetheless a kryptonite for the Bucs.

The Saints have overwhelmed the Bucs in seven straight common season video games. The newest assembly was a 9-0 shutout loss for the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium final December.

In fact, Tampa Bay did beat New Orleans on the highway within the NFC Divisional Spherical two seasons in the past. However that win didn’t function the turnaround within the divisional rivalry that it felt prefer it could possibly be. The Bucs, regardless of being the higher crew in 2021, had been as soon as once more swept by the Saints within the season collection.

That Week 2 journey to the Superdome offers Tampa Bay an opportunity for its first common season win over New Orleans since Sept. 9, 2018. The Bucs will later get one other shot at Jameis Winston and Co. at Raymond James Stadium in Week 13. However will they go into that sport in search of a season sweep of their very own? Or will they be making an attempt to snap an eight-game common season dropping streak to the Saints?

Whereas the Bucs are hoping to reverse that development towards the Saints, they produce other dropping streaks to snap in 2022. The final three conferences towards the Rams haven’t gone their manner, with the final of these three costing them their probability at a Tremendous Bowl repeat. It isn’t simply the final three video games, although. Los Angeles has received eight of the final 9 conferences between the 2 groups. That dates again to 2012, when the Rams had been nonetheless in St. Louis.

One opponent the Bucs don’t see a lot of is the Ravens, who come to city in Week 8. There’s a dropping streak to interrupt there as properly, with Tampa Bay trying to keep away from a fifth straight loss to Baltimore. The Bucs’ final win over the Ravens got here on Sept. 15, 2002, which was their first victory on the best way to their first Lombardi Trophy.

Possibilities To Construct On A Couple Of NFC South Profitable Streaks

Not the entire streaks on the road in 2022 are towards the Bucs. Since Brady’s arrival, they’ve put collectively some profitable streaks of their very own towards NFC South opponents that don’t reside in New Orleans.

Tampa Bay swept Carolina in 2020 and 2021, giving the crew a four-game profitable streak to doubtlessly construct on this fall. Its probability to increase that to 5 video games will come on the highway in Week 7. Curiously sufficient, the Bucs haven’t really misplaced a sport to the Panthers in america since Nov. 4, 2018. Their final loss within the NFC South rivalry got here at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Oct. 13, 2019.

The Bucs have additionally received their final 4 video games towards the Falcons. Provided that Brady is 10-0 towards them in his profession and the truth that they’re rebuilding, there’s an excellent probability that streak grows in 2022. Tampa Bay will host Atlanta in Week 5 earlier than making the return journey to shut the season in Week 18. The Bucs’ final loss within the collection got here on Dec. 29, 2019, with Winston throwing a pick-six in time beyond regulation.

Bucs’ Historical past With 2022 Opponents Isn’t Too Fairly

Historical past could point out that the Bucs’ largest exams will come towards the Saints, Rams and Ravens. Nonetheless, the remainder of the schedule doesn’t precisely dial again the proverbial problem meter.

Tampa Bay will open towards Dallas on Sunday Night time Soccer. That’s a historic problem in its personal proper. The Bucs beat the Cowboys final season, however they’ve an all-time file of simply 5-13 towards them. The Packers come to city in Week 3 and regardless of profitable the final two conferences, the Bucs are 22-32-1 all-time in that collection. There’s additionally the matter of Tampa Bay’s 2-9 all-time file towards Pittsburgh. And there’s the crew’s equally abysmal 6-18 mark towards San Francisco.

In actual fact, the Bucs have a profitable file towards simply three of the 14 groups they play this fall. Their 7-6 file towards the Chiefs, 29-28 mark towards the Falcons and the 7-5 benefit they’ve over the Bengals are the one all-time collection of their favor. So, there’s a sobering reminder of what the Bucs had been like earlier than Brady’s arrival.

One different dropping streak the Bucs will look to interrupt isn’t with an opponent. Relatively, it’s with an idea. They’re 0-3 all-time in worldwide video games, and so they’ll look to get within the win column in Week 10 once they play the Seahawks in Germany.

The excellent news for Tampa Bay? Brady is undefeated in worldwide video games with a 3-0 file in taking part in exterior america of America.