Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield runs with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Analyst predicts Buccaneers' record: Can they win NFC South again?

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated May 17, 2025 1:07 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won 10 games last season, and they are hoping to do the same in the 2025 campaign.

However, Bleacher Report writer Moe Moton believes the team will slightly regress and finish with a 9-8 record.

Bucs expected to regress slightly

"Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield will have his third offensive coordinator in three years with the team. The eighth-year veteran has played at a Pro Bowl level over the previous two years, showing he's not a system quarterback," Moton wrote.

".The Buccaneers have arguably the best collection of wide receiver talent with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin (if healthy), Jalen McMillan and Egbuka. They can go four deep with that rotation and sprinkle tight end Cade Otton into the passing game, too.

"Tampa Bay's ground game may not be as potent as last year's unit, though. Before former offensive coordinator Liam Coen's one-year stint, the Buccaneers hadn't fielded a top-five rushing offense since 2015.

"... Mayfield and his supporting cast of skill players will still rack up points, just not as many as last year's fourth-ranked scoring unit under Coen. Tampa Bay falters in a couple of close games and regresses slightly from the previous campaign."

Moton has the Atlanta Falcons finishing at 10-7, making them the winners of the NFC South and dethroning the Bucs, who have won the division in each of the past four seasons.

The Bucs won't easily relinquish their top spot, but the job will be harder this year than it has been in the past.