With the 2020 schedules out and pre-season fast approaching, teams now know who they will be facing and when exactly they will face them. Last Word on Pro Football is analyzing the schedules of all 32 NFL teams. Each team’s 16-game slate will be split into its most difficult (1-8) and easiest games (9-16). For this article, the easiest games on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2020 schedule are ranked.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Easiest Games in 2020
9. Week 3: at Denver Broncos
Tom Brady left the New England Patriots with a losing record against one NFL team – the Denver Broncos. During his 20-year tenure at Foxboro, he was 8-9 against Denver, which included going 1-3 in playoff matchups.
What’s worse is that the veteran quarterback is 4-7 at Mile High Stadium so it’s fair to say this away game could be a hostile environment for a quarterback trying to fit into a new offense – or trying to get a new offense to adjust to his scheme.
Broncos quarterback Drew Lock had a promising rookie season and went 4-1 after taking over from Joe Flacco last year, with his only loss coming against eventual Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs.
However, two of the wins came down to the finals seconds and hinged on a field goal against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Oakland Raiders missing a two-point conversion to close out the season.
This should be an interesting match-up and could prove tough for both sides.
10. Week 15: at Atlanta Falcons
Last year, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visited Mercedes-Benz Stadium, they managed to hold Julio Jones to 68 yards in a 35-22 victory. It was one of Jameis Winston‘s less disappointing games which included a beautiful 71-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin but also saw him throw two interceptions.
The Bucs’ secondary is a young unit but is growing in confidence and should be able to stifle Jones again in this latest meeting.
On the other side of the ball, quarterback Tom Brady last played the Atlanta Falcons in the 2017 season when the New England Patriots defeated them 23-7.
While his receiving corp was definitely better then than it was last season, he will be heading into this game with an extremely dynamic group and should fare well, as the offense should have had enough time to settle into their new system.
11. Week 10: at Carolina Panthers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were surprisingly strong on the road last season going 5-3 which included a victory against the Carolina Panthers. This was the Bucs’ first victory under Bruce Arians and marked a promising first season for the new head coach.
It was a close game, with Tampa’s defense forcing Christian McCaffrey out of bounds on a fourth-and-one play when a touchdown would have won the game for Carolina.
Tom Brady has lost his last two meetings against the Carolina Panthers with their defensive unit holding him to just six touchdown passes in his five games against them. With Cam Newton gone, it will be up to Teddy Bridgewater to try and lead his offense to victory over an improving Bucs defense.
12. Week 17: vs Atlanta Falcons
Divisional match-ups are usually close contests and that’s especially true when the Falcons play the Bucs, with the last four Tampa losses being by a single score. This was true of last season’s affair when they were leading 22-16 only to lose on a Winston pick six in OT.
The Bucs were 3-6 in one-score games last season and if they can harness Tom Brady’s infamous ability to close out games, they could improve on that record immensely. Tampa and the Falcons both finished on 7-9 last season so their head-to-head could prove decisive.
It’s worth noting that Winston was without the star receiving duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for the Week 17 match-up so if the Bucs can keep their receivers healthy, Tom Brady may fare better than his predecessor on home turf.
13. Week 8: at New York Giants
Possibly the only thing the Buccaneers did right against the New York Giants last year was holding star running back Saquon Barkley to 10 yards on eight carries. Other than that, the struggling defense allowed rookie Daniel Jones to throw for two touchdowns and run for two more.
This was the rookie’s first NFL start so he’s likely to be more confident in the rematch. However, Tampa’s defense is also more confidant this season and the offense has been boosted by one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever suit up.
Let’s also not forget that Brady lost two Super Bowls to the New York Giants so he will be more than motivated to get a win here at MetLife Stadium.
14. Week 4: Los Angeles Chargers
While the Giants’ rookie quarterback enjoyed a dream career start against the Bucs, that is not always the case and it will be a tough environment for first-round draft pick, Justin Herbert, to go up against.
However, with this match-up coming in Week 4, it may be that the Chargers use veteran Tyrod Taylor until Herbert is a viable starting option in which case it could be an altogether tougher game.
Obviously, one of the benefits of hiring Brady from the Patriots is his experience against the AFC and that will come in handy here as he has a record of 6-2 against the Chargers, with 15 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
15. Week 2: vs Carolina Panthers
This will be Tom Brady’s first game at Raymond James Stadium and it should be a warm welcome but, with a potentially stunted off-season due to the global pandemic, his offense may not be firing on all cylinders when things get underway next season.
One thing working in the Bucs’ favor is the huge rate of turnover in the Panthers’ roster which includes a new head coach in the form of Matt Rhule. They’ve also lost defensive tackle Vernon Butler, cornerback James Bradberry, and linebacker Luke Kuechly.
They still have All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and have added a hopefully-reliable quarterback in the form of Teddy Bridgewater but with the sheer amount of disruption to their team, it’s likely they won’t trouble the Bucs much in this early game.
16. Week 16: at Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions’ greatest weapon is this match-up is likely to be their head coach and former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia who will be more than a little familiar with how Tom Brady operates.
Patricia was at the Patriots for 14 years, including six as defensive coordinator, and has since added former Patriots players Jamie Collins and Danny Shelton and their familiarity with the quarterback could prove problematic.
However, the Bucs managed to cruise to a 38-17 victory in this match-up last season without top receiver Mike Evans who was out due to a hamstring injury, and even with the former Pats, the Lions have a lot of work to do to build on a disappointing 2019 season.
Be sure to check out the eight most difficult games on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2020 season.
