What Todd Bowles likes about Buccaneers' schedule for 2025 season

When the full 2025 schedule was released earlier in May, the NFL world officially learned that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play eight consecutive games before they go on the bye in Week 9. 

During the latest edition of WFLA's "Rooted in Progress" program released on Thursday, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles explained why he's a big fan of the midseason break. 

"If it’s early, you know, you don’t have anything for the stretch run," Bowles explained about the placement of bye weeks, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "So if people get hurt, you don’t get that break. ...You kind of want it in the middle — Week 7, 8 or 9. And the Thursday game, you get it 10 days after that, so that’s a mini-bye. So you always look at that first."

To compare, Pittsburgh Steelers owner/president Art Rooney II and longtime defensive lineman Cameron Heyward recently touched upon the difficulties associated with Pittsburgh's bye in Week 5. While the Steelers will play over 13 consecutive weeks to close out the season, Tampa Bay will have nine games from Nov. 9 through Week 18. 

Bowles has guided the Buccaneers to three straight division championships since taking over in March 2022, but he hasn't yet figured out how to prevent his squads from experiencing slumps during seasons. The 2022 Buccaneers went from 2-0 to 6-8 en route to claiming the division crown with a record of 8-9. In 2023, 3-1 Tampa Bay limped into December at 4-7. Bowles' side lost four straight games in 2024 before its Week 11 bye. 

Bowles hinted during the show segment that the 2025 Buccaneers will benefit from having a pair of second-half breaks. Tampa Bay plays at the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 26 before the Week 9 bye. The Buccaneers later have a Week 15 "Thursday Night Football" game at the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 11. Following that matchup, Tampa Bay will have extra time to prepare for the Week 16 game at the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 21. 

Bowles has never lost a regular-season opener during his Tampa Bay tenure. He'll look to continue that streak when the Buccaneers play at the Falcons on Sept. 7.