Three Reasons The Buccaneers Could Miss The Playoffs

Across the league, final rosters are being set. Cut downs have been made and everyone is ready for the regular season. The long march to the Super Bowl starts now.

Of course, that is the goal for every team. However, some teams are more realistic in reaching that goal than others. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of these teams with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.

I have said throughout the offseason that the Bucs have one of the best rosters in the NFC and even the NFL overall. Anything less than multiple playoff wins would be a failure in my book. Not winning a championship would be a disappointment.

However, I would have said the exact same thing this time last year. Things happen across the NFL that you can’t always account for. Other things are a bit more predictable.

If the Bucs fall into the same pit they did last season and miss the playoffs, then we could probably guess as to why. Here are my top three reasons the Buccaneers could miss the playoffs.

No Attack From Zac

The biggest wild card with this Bucs team is new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. He was up and down in many ways at his previous job with the Atlanta Falcons. The hope is that now in a better situation, he can build his offense around the high level of talent that’s in Tampa. 

However, he has to prove that he can do that. It’s also to be determined how much of his success in Atlanta running the ball was his doing and how much of it was having Bijan Robinson. If this rushing attack is lifeless under Robinson then it’s hard to picture the Bucs achieving their goals this season.

Rookies Disappoint

It has been nothing but glowing reviews from this Buccaneers rookie class. Everyone loved edge rusher Rueben Bain and we were all shocked that he fell to the 15th overall pick. Reports are that those in the Bucs organization believe the second round linebacker Josiah Trotter will eventually be the best player on the defense. And Keionte Scott looks like a star in the making under Todd Bowles as a nickel defender.

All of this looks and sounds very good right now. However, this group has yet to play a regular season game in the NFL. Once the season kicks off, things might not go as smoothly as they have in the preseason.

There is also the idea of the rookie wall. In a more athletic league that plays more games than they did in college, burn out is very real. If this class fizzles out this season, then it will be hard to win the division or make the wild card.

Injuries

This feels too fresh in our minds. It was just a year ago that a Super Bowl caliber roster was decimated by injuries. Despite overcoming them early in the year, the Bucs faded down the stretch and missed the playoffs. 

Jason Licht did a lot to add more depth in the offseason to avoid that. However, this is a violent game and players get hurt. After last year, we can’t rule out the possibility of the starters and backups all getting hurt and missing significant time.

If this team stays healthy then they will be dangerous. If they are as banged up as last season, then we can expect another let down come playoff time.