Buccaneers Hold a Major Advantage for the Rest of the Season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have faced one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this season. According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, Tampa Bay has played the league’s second-hardest schedule through Weeks 12.  That shouldn’t come as a surprise — the Buccaneers have already taken on several top teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Los Angeles Rams. That is a list of seven teams that have a chance to make a deep playoff run come January.

Even with the brutal strength of schedule so far, the Buccaneers have still managed to stay above .500, entering Week 13 with a 6–5 record. Although Tampa Bay has dropped three games in a row, things could very likely turn around for them thanks to what their remaining regular-season schedule looks like.

According to Warren Sharp, the Buccaneers rank first in strength of schedule for the rest of the season, meaning they have the easiest remaining schedule.

“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the easiest remaining strength of schedule for the 2025 NFL season,” wrote Sharp. “These rankings are based on the total efficiency of the remaining opponents.”

GettyThe Buccaneers will look to get back on track after taking a tough loss against the Los Angeles Rams last week.

Look Into the Matchups  

The Buccaneers will play six more games this season and barring any key injuries, Tampa Bay will most likely be favored in all of them.  The remaining schedule does not include a team that has a winning record through Week 12.  

The teams the Buccaneers will face, in order, are the Arizona Cardinals (3–8), New Orleans Saints (2–9), Atlanta Falcons (4–7), Carolina Panthers (6–6), Miami Dolphins (4–7), and the Carolina Panthers (6–6) again. 

Most notably, the best team on the schedule is the Carolina Panthers, who sit just a half-game behind the Buccaneers in the race for the NFC South title. If Tampa Bay can handle business against the losing teams on the schedule and then beat Carolina in the final stretch of the season, things will look good for their playoff aspirations.   

GettyThe Buccaneers and Panthers are in a close race for the division lead.

 Key Player Getting More Involved 

With star wide receiver Mike Evans injured, it’s crucial for the Buccaneers to get Chris Godwin back and heavily involved in the offense. Godwin returned last week after suffering a fibula injury in Week 5, but he wasn’t a major factor in his first game back.

“As expected, the Buccaneers took it slow with the return of wide receiver Chris Godwin after he had missed five games with a fibula injury. Godwin did not start the game against the Rams on Sunday night, and he was limited to 25 offensive snaps out of a possible 70. Head Coach Todd Bowles said on Monday that Godwin’s playing time would increase in Week 13 against the Cardinals,” wrote Scott Smith, senior writer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  

Getting Godwin up to speed would be huge for this Tampa Bay passing game, which already features standout rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, and would surely help the team take care of business in its remaining regular-season games.

According to Fox Sports, the Arizona Cardinals, whom the Buccaneers will play this week, rank 20th in passing defense, allowing 222.8 yards through the air per game over eleven games.

GettyGetting Chris Godwin more involved in the offense will help the Buccaneers.

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