NFL Power Rankings 2021: Tampa Bay Buccaneers No.1 ahead of training camp
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off their first Super Bowl-winning campaign since the 2002 NFL season. The recent news that Tom Brady played the entire season and post-season with a partially torn MCL made the Buccaneers' Super Bowl victory even more impressive.
Tampa Bay entered the 2021 NFL off-season with the vast majority of their roster hitting free agency. But the Buccaneers pulled off the unthinkable and brought back every starter from their Super Bowl-winning team.
The Buccaneers re-signed key contributors like Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette, Lavonte David, Shaquil Barrett, Antonio Brown and Ndamukong Suh. On top of all that, Tampa Bay also signed Tom Brady to an extension. That alone makes the Buccaneers favorites to win the NFC again.
Where did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rank in the NFL in 2020?
Despite ending the season with an 11-5 record, Tampa Bay finished second behind the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South. Shockingly, the Buccaneers played a road playoff game against a Washington team that won the NFC East with a losing record.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2020 Offensive Ranking
The Bucs averaged 384.1 yards per game during the 2020-2021 NFL season. That had a lot to do with Brady and the weapons they had on offense. Tampa Bay finished third in the NFL, averaging 30.8 points per game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2020 Defensive Ranking
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished the 2020-2021 season with the sixth-best defense in the NFL. Tampa Bay's defense gave up 327.1 yards per game to opposing offenses. Their defense gave up 22.2 points per game during the 2020 season.
What do the Buccaneers need to improve on?
Offensive Improvements
When looking at the Buccaneers offense on paper, it's hard to find a flaw. The running back position is perhaps one area where they would expect more consistency.
Ronald Jones II rushed for 978 yards and seven touchdowns on 192 attempts in 2020. That looks good on paper, but he also failed to hit 50 yards in five games last season. Tampa Bay needs more consistency out of Jones in 2021.
Barring the playoffs, Leonard Fournette underperformed in his first season with the Buccaneers. Fournette rushed for over 100 yards only once in 2020. Outside of that game, he only had 50 or more rushing yards twice during the regular season. The Buccaneers need "Playoff Lenny" throughout the 2021 regular season.
Defensive Improvements
Tampa Bay's defense put on a clinic against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in last year's Super Bowl. Their linebackers and secondary are pretty solid. The area that needs improvement is the defensive line.
Tampa Bay needs Vita Vea to stay healthy and make it an entire season without missing snaps. Vea has only been able to play one year without skipping a start.
Ndamukong Suh is 34 and heading towards the back end of his NFL career. The Bucs will hope that the veteran can replicate his performances from last season, where he registered 27 solo tackles and managed six sacks.
How can the Buccaneers win back-to-back Super Bowls?
Tom Brady has the opportunity to add another feat to his historic career by winning back-to-back Super Bowls with two different NFL franchises. Tampa Bay needs their crucial offensive and defensive pieces to remain healthy.
Key players that can help the Buccaneers win back-to-back Super Bowls
Tom Brady: If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers want any shot at repeating as Super Bowl champions, they'll need Brady to remain healthy. Brady did play with a partially torn MCL last season. For Tom to miss time, he'll have to be severely injured.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense: Defensively, the Buccaneers need the same unit that showed up in the Super Bowl. Re-signing all the starters from last season was step one. Now that the band are back together, replicating their playoff performances throughout the season will be step 2.