The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won the NFC South four years in a row and are looking to nab a fifth in 2025. That’s a tough thing to do already, but winning the division also comes with a tough schedule.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown, or so they say — and since the Bucs have been wearing theirs for a few years now, the teams they’re set to play in 2025 offer some challenge. The Bucs’ first-place schedule will see them play the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles, the Detroit Lions and the Houston Texans — additionally, Tampa Bay will face the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins on its AFC East slate and the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers on its NFC West slate. But just how tough is Tampa Bay’s schedule, really?
A way to figure that out is to go by strength of schedule. Strength of schedule calculates the overall winning percentage on a team’s schedule to potentially determine how tough it is, and the Bucs’ 2025 schedule comes in at .481, tied for the 18th-toughest in the league with the Texans.
Strength of schedule is helpful, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Some teams could be much better the next year as opposed to the previous year, as the typically vaunted 49ers went 6-11 last year and the Miami Dolphins were riddled with injuries and posted an 8-9 record. Other teams on Tampa Bay’s schedule, like the Seattle Seahawks, could potentially get worse with different quarterback play and the loss of some key pieces.
Tampa Bay’s strength of schedule is also boosted by the NFC South, which has been noted as a bad division for some time. The Atlanta Falcons likely still pose the biggest threat to the Bucs and the Carolina Panthers could be on the rise in Year 2 of Dave Canales’ tenure, but the New Orleans Saints could be even worse with its lack of a quarterback room and new head coach.
It’s a little early to tell just how tough the Bucs’ schedule really is. But there are a few statement games already, and Tampa Bay will look to win the NFC South a bit more definitively this year than it has in times past.
