Despite getting the band back together, the three-time defending NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not the betting favorites to make it a fourth straight division title in 2024.
According to Fox Sports' Greg Auman, the Bucs are going off at a little over 2.5 to 1 to win the NFC South, with the Atlanta Falcons as the leaders at even money.
That matches what DraftKings Sportsbook recently posted for their over/under regular season win totals. The Falcons are listed at 10.5 wins and the Bucs at 8.5. Last year, the Bucs were last in the division at 6.5 wins, with the Saints at 9.5 and the Panthers and Falcons at 7.5.
While the Falcons are indeed a new-look team with head coach Raheem Morris and quarterback Kirk Cousins on board, that's still a lot of faith to put into a team that finished with 2023 at 7-10 with and in third place in the division. The Buccaneers are also returning the best receiver in the division in Mike Evans, the best safety in the NFC in Antoine Winfield, Jr., Baker Mayfield and Lavonte David. Safety Jordan Whitehead is also returning to the fold to make the Bucs' defense even more dangerous.
But for those looking for reasons for the Buccaneers to find motivation for 2024, that's good news. And don't think that Bucs GM Jason Licht isn't keeping track. he is. Remember, he gave a reporter a good ribbing earlier this month who predicted the Bucs to finish with just two wins in 2023.
Well, it seems that he'll have more ammunition to feed to his team this fall, as he told reporters on Tuesday at the owners' meetings that he's keeping receipts from this year's odds.
The Bucs proved a lot of people wrong in 2023 by winning five of their last six games to claim their third straight division crown and win their first playoff game since the 2021-22 season. It looks like they now have the motivation to go do it again.
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