Weeks 9-13
There hasn’t been a bigger regular-season game in Tampa Bay in years and the Buccaneers are ready for primetime. Brady and the offense put on a show as Tampa Bay stomps the Saints to make a statement about their legitimacy. It’s going to be a fantasy footballer’s dream too, with both offenses likely putting on a showcase, but it’ll be the Bucs who assert their dominance on a national stage.
Christian McCaffrey can be a problem for any NFL team and he nearly carries the Panthers to victory by himself. But the Buccaneers defense has started to hit a turning point, one aided by the leadership in the locker room by Brady. The Buccaneers do just enough to leave Charlotte with a 23-17 win.
These aren’t your older brother’s Rams, who managed to squander a Super Bowl roster in the span of just two years. Tampa Bay takes advantage by scoring a 27-17 victory over a floundering Los Angeles team.
The latest showdown between Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes evolves into a shootout at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay does come up on the short end, losing 31-24 to the reigning Super Bowl champs. It’ll likely be a teaser to the Super Bowl we’ll eventually get — in the same stadium, no less — as Mahomes and Brady deserve to meet one more time after this for all of the marbles.
The Buccaneers have their bye week during Week 14.