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Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles looks on against the Denver Broncos. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Trap games that could derail the Buccaneers' 2025 season

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated May 16, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Things are starting to heat up in Tampa Bay. The NFL Draft and rookie minicamp have come and gone, and OTAs and training camp are just around the corner.

Focus on the field is a must, and fans alike will be paying close attention to how the Buccaneers look throughout preseason practices and workouts. In the interim, the Bucs, along with the 31 other NFL teams, revealed their 2025 schedule this week.

The Buccaneers will play four primetime games in 2025 while matching up against some of the top teams in the league, such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams, along their journey for a fifth consecutive NFC South crown.

Attention will mostly be paid towards those highly anticipated matchups and the NFC South division games, however, there is another angle that can be looked at — trap games.

A trap game is best defined as the favorite team coming into the matchup only to have the lesser team put up a valiant fight, and occasionally coming away with a victory. This term has become potent in sports and is almost always unavoidable, as teams can look ahead to opponents or just overlook them due to the difference in talent level or success.

The Bucs' schedule is fairly balanced between the start of the season and following their bye in Week 9. However, there are a couple of games in particular in both halves of the season for Tampa.

After reviewing the schedule, two games in particular stick out as "trap games" for the Bucs in 2025: Week 3 in their first game at home against the New York Jets and Week 10 against the New England Patriots, coming off their bye week.

Week 3 vs. New York Jets

The game against the Jets will come after two games on the road in which they play an NFC South contest against the Falcons and then a primetime Monday Night Football game against the Houston Texans. Two tough games off the bat don't help matters, but it's what lies on the other side in Week 4 that gives me some worry.

Add in the fact that the Jets have a new coaching staff starting with head coach Aaron Glenn and quarterback Justin Fields, and that makes for a lot of unknowns that could hinder the Bucs' success.

In Week 4, the Buccaneers will face off against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, and this could be a lookahead moment for the Bucs as they hope to continue their ownership over them. This is also a similar spot as last season, where the Buccaneers overlooked the Denver Broncos, ultimately losing to rookie Bo Nix in just his third start.

Week 10 vs. New England Patriots

Tampa Bay's matchup against the Patriots might seem ideal thanks to the Bucs coming off their bye week. However, this isn't the same old Patriots.

The Patriots haven't been good over the past few seasons, and they will look to buck that trend as they have overhauled the majority of the team and coaching staff. Drake Maye looked fantastic last season with a well below average receiving core to help him, and he's expected to leap this season with the acquisitions that were made in the offseason.

Mike Vrabel is now the head coach of the Patriots after being let go by the Tennessee Titans just over a year ago. and he's bringing a new culture and fit to try and help turn things around in New England. The Patriots should not be a team to take lightly, as they will fight no matter the score.

The new look Patriots isn't the only thing going against the Bucs here. Following their matchup against the Pats, they will head on a road trip that will take them coast-to-coast against Super Bowl-contending teams in the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams, giving the Bucs the lookahead that helps define a trap game.

If the Buccaneers can take care of business like they are expected to in these two matchups, then they should be well on their way to earning a great record and maintaining momentum without having to dig out of a hole.