With the 2020 schedules out and preseason 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 toughest games on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2020 schedule are ranked.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Most Difficult Games in 2020
1. Week 1: at New Orleans Saints
After one of the most dramatic free agencies in recent memory, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will open the 2020 season with a tough divisional match-up on the road.
Although the team has been spotted working out under the veteran eye of new quarterback Tom Brady, the off-season has been restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Saints are one of the most well-rounded teams in the NFC and their weapons are countless with talent on both sides of the ball. Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and the cornerback tandem that is Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins.
Add to that the fact that Sean Payton is one of the best coaches in the league and they shape up as a formidable opponent.
The Bucs will be installing Tom Brady’s offense and while Patriots veteran Rob Gronkowski will help on that front as well as one of the top receiving duos in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, it will be a tall order to win at the Super Dome.
2. Week 12: vs Kansas City Chiefs
There is no doubt that Tom Brady versus Patrick Mahomes round four will be one of the most anticipated games of the 2020 season as it’s almost certain fans will be treated to a shoot-out.
Both games in the 2018 season – when Brady had more than a handful of talented receivers – went down to the wire and were one-score victories for Brady who led game-winning drives on each occasion.
But now he’s with Tampa Bay and facing the Chiefs coming off a Super Bowl victory, it will be an entirely different story and a tough uphill battle.
Tom Brady knows how to unpick the Chiefs’ defense and he will have an enviable choice of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski. On top of that, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also have form beating Super Bowl Champions – they defeated the Eagles in 2018.
However, the reigning Super Bowl champions know how to beat the best. Mahomes in phenomenal and arguably the best quarterback in the league right now. What’s more, much like Brady himself, you can never count Mahomes out. He has proven he knows how to lead his team back from behind on the biggest stage.
3. Week 6: vs Green Bay Packers
The Bucs haven’t beat the Green Bay Packers since 2009 and their last loss, in 2017, came when star quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn’t even playing.
The Packers offense is a productive unit, despite the front office failing to make any improvements in this year’s draft, with star wide receiver Davante Adams and running back Aaron Jones so the Bucs defense will have a task on their hand to contain them.
Although there were some clear areas for improvement, the Packers surprised many by making it all the way to the NFC Championship game and should never be underestimated while Rodgers is under center.
Tom Brady versus Aaron Rodgers is another exciting aspect of the match-up with many predicting this could be the last time the two greats face off. They’ve only really faced each other in the regular season twice with Rodgers winning the 2014 game while Brady led the Patriots to victory at Gillette in 2018.
The Packers defense is far from the best in the league and the Bucs have enough weapons to give them a chance but look for this one to be a tough fight for the home team.
4. Week 9: vs New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have been the best team in the NFC South for some time and it’s very possible this year’s division will likely come down to Brady versus Brees.
While Brady owns countless NFL records, Brees is one of the few quarterbacks who has him beat in certain stat categories, including career passing yards and most 5,000-yard seasons.
Being able to build on what they learned from the season opener and being on home turf should stand the Bucs in better stead for their second meet and this could decide the division title.
5. Week 11: vs Los Angeles Rams
If anyone was in doubt that Jameis Winson had incredible potential and a natural ability to throw the ball, that was certainly tested in their last match-up against the LA Rams.
Winston led his team to a 21-0 lead before the defense allowed the Rams to claw back within five points in the fourth quarter before Ndamukong Suh scored off a fumble against his old team and put the game to bed.
Despite this Herculean effort from the Bucs, you can’t ignore the fact that the defense still allowed Rams quarterback Jared Goff to throw for 517 yards with both Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp putting up more than 100 yards each.
If the Rams can capture even a fraction of their winning ways of 2018, they could prove to be a handful for Bruce Arians’ defensive unit.
6. Week 14: vs Minnesota Vikings
While Kirk Cousins has lost his best receiver in Stefon Diggs who is now in Buffalo, the Minnesota Vikings still have Adam Thielen who can be productive if he stays healthy as well as Pro-Bowl running back Dalvin Cook.
On the other side of the ball, their defense was ranked sixth in 2019 and joined the New England Patriots as the only other time to put together five consecutive seasons where they finished in the top 10 for points allowed per game.
They also ranked fourth in the league with 31 total takeaways last season, helped largely by lethal safety duo Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith who put up nine between them.
The Vikings are also an experienced playoff contender, making the Wild Card round in three of the last five years and the divisional round in 2017 and 2019.
This will be yet another tough home match-up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who will likely enjoy more success on the road this season.
7. Week 5: at Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are going through a now-or-never season with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky evidenced by the signing of Nick Foles as his back-up. However, the 25-year-old excelled in his last game against the Bucs at Soldier Field back in 2018.
Trubisky put up six touchdowns in a dominant 48-10 victory which could help him in his competition for the job over Foles, although he has not scored more than three touchdowns in any game since.
Tom Brady has never lost to the Bears and is 5-0 in his career. This game also falls in the Thursday Night Football game, a slot where Brady’s record is 12-1. Although this game comes relatively early in his tenure with the Bucs, the veteran quarterback is unlikely to be easily shaken.
The Bears defense was ranked seventh last season and only allowed a total of 17 passing touchdowns so Brady may have to hand it off more than usual to put up the points. The Bears will have home-field advantage but that didn’t exactly help them last season as they went 4-4 at home and on the road.
8. Week 7: at Las Vegas Raiders
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers return to Sunday Night Football when they head to the brand new Las Vegas stadium to take on the Raiders and former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden.
Everyone is already excited about the Super Bowl XXXVII rematch where Jon Gruden led Tampa Bay to claim their sole Lombardi Trophy after the Raiders shipped Gruden to Florida in exchange for four draft picks and a large sum of cash.
Both teams went 7-9 last year but Tampa Bay outscored their opponents by nine points while the Raiders were outscored by a whopping 106 points. The Raiders were ninth in passing yards last season, with 3,926. Who was first? Tampa Bay with 4,845 yards.
This could be a shoot-out and the decisive factor may be how effective each defensive unit can be at shutting down the passing game.
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Also, check out the eight easiest games on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2020 schedule.
