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Where are the Bucs in latest power rankings following game-winning drive vs. Jets?

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 3-0, but it hasn't been easy sledding for them.

Despite being undefeated early in the 2025 season, the Bucs have had to scratch and claw their way to victories against the Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, and New York Jets — each coming on a game-winning drive within the last two minutes of the game.

The combined records of the Bucs' opponents thus far are abysmal at 1-8, so being 3-0 isn't something to write home about. However, that doesn't seem to matter to NFL.com, as they have the Buccaneers standing pat from last week's power ranking as the fifth-best team in the league.

Bucs stand pat in latest NFL power rankings

"The Bucs allowed the Jets and backup QB Tyrod Taylor to drive 80 and 73 yards for fourth-quarter touchdowns and settled for too many field goals on offense, going 1-for-5 in the red zone. The Jets nearly shocked the Steelers in Week 1, and the Bucs were lucky they were not victimized," wrote NFL.com's Eric Edholm. "Their late offensive execution was clutch again, but this should have been a statement victory with the way things trended in the second and third quarters."

The Buccaneers are fortunate not to have lost any ground in the power rankings here, being listed between the fourth-place Los Angeles Chargers and the sixth-place Green Bay Packers.

As mentioned, the Buccaneers have struggled to put together a complete four quarters yet this season, and it almost cost them yet again this past week against the Jets, who have struggled to open the season and were starting a backup quarterback.

The heroics to come out victorious are obviously great, but the law of averages figures to hit Tampa Bay at some point, meaning some of these close victories should become losses at some point during the season if they can't figure out how to put together a whole game.

The Bucs have dealt with a myriad of injuries, which have likely caused them not to be as dominant as many had expected entering the season. They are expected to get a few of their key players back here in the near future, so hopefully that will help ignite some fire in the team to get things rolling to move further up the power ranking board.