This is How the Bucs can get Back to Winning in 2018

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Coming off a drastically disappointing season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now facing a schedule that seems to be even more difficult than last year’s. With starting quarterback Jameis Winston being suspended for the first three games, things are not looking like this will be a successful year for the Bucs, and many NFL analysts agree. Some of them even predict Tampa Bay to win nor more than 2 games. Clearly, finishing the upcoming campaign with only 2 victories would be disastrous for this franchise and it would initiate a major house-cleaning, which would cause us to see a totally different coaching staff in 2019.

However, even though things might not look overly bright as of now, people should not jump to conclusions, especially in July. Here are five reasons why the Buccaneers might end up surprising all the doubters in 2018:

1. Defense

Even though the Bucs’ defense ended the second half of the 2016 season on a high note, the same unit, without losing any major contributors, played unexpectedly underwhelming the following year, finishing as one of the worst units in the league in basically all relevant categories. This offseason, General Manager Jason Licht invested heavily in this unit and, again, the Bucs did not lose any major players. The defensive line will have three new starters compared to last year. This young defense will only get better and should be good enough to keep the Bucs in any game, regardless how bad the offense fares.

 

2. Ryan Fitzpatrick

With Winston sitting out the first three games, Ryan Fitzpatrick will most likely step in for the suspended starter and is the leader of the offense against the Saints, Eagles and Steelers. While he might not be good enough to be a starter in the NFL, he is one of the better backups in this league, as he has shown glimpses of brilliance over and over again in his career when given the chance. He won two games for the Bucs last year, there is absolutely no reason to believe he cannot pull out a game or even two out of the first three contests this year, even though the opponents are going to be a lot tougher this time.

 

3. Ronald Jones

The newly acquired speedy running back will have to get off to a great start right off the bat in order for this offense to be effective. A dangerous running threat will make life so much easier for Fitzpatrick and, later on, for Jameis Winston, of course.

 

4. “Tough” schedule might not be that tough after all

Granted, the schedule does look brutal for the Bucs. However, it is only July. A LOT of things will happen until they start playing the games. Injuries, suspensions, supposedly great teams unexpectedly doing bad (sound familiar, Bucs fans??), it happens every year.

 

5. Jameis Winston

Last but not least, arguably most importantly, the Buccaneers‘ success relies heavily on the play of their franchise quarterback Jameis Winston. He is expected to take the starting role in Week 4 after his suspension and should come back with a chip on his shoulder. Hopefully, he has learned from former mistakes and stays out of trouble. If he continues where he left off in the last couple of games last year and keeps his head in the game, he will finally turn this Tampa Bay offense around, he is definitely capable of doing so.

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