1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last Playoff Appearance: 2007
You can bank this one. If you think a team with Tom Brady, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, and 2019’s best rushing defense is going to miss the playoffs, you’re sorely mistaken.
Tampa Bay last visited the postseason the year Tom Brady led the Patriots to a near-perfect season. He’s still here.
It is confounding that New England has been the blueprint for success while having offensive weapons, that for most other teams, would be considered underwhelming. But that’s Tom Brady and Bill Belichick for you. In 2020, Brady will have an artillery of offensive players he has not seen since Randy Moss was a sidekick, if ever. And, we all remember how Moss and Brady clicked.
If you are not convinced that Bruce Arians and Tom Brady can coalesce into a formidable tandem, peek at last season’s Buccaneers. The team was nearly .500 with its quarterback, Jameis Winston, donating 30 interceptions to the opposition. Brady has thrown less than 30 interceptions cumulatively in the last four years. Tampa Bay achieved a 7-9 record with a signal-caller that handed out picks like a dad does candy on Halloween.
Brady, Arians, and everybody else on the roster is poised to exceed seven wins, perhaps by mid-November. The Buccaneers will make the playoffs and likely flirt with visions of February football.