The Tampa Bay Buccaneers remain one of the favorites to win Super Bowl LVI.
Sportsbooks often place them and the Kansas City Chiefs as the teams with a strong claim to the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
There are no surprises here because the Buccaneers brought back every starter during their championship run last season.
It’s hard to find a weak link on their offense.
Tom Brady continues to defy Father Time as he finds his targets in Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, and Rob Gronkowski.
Honing my recruiting game… #MaddenNFL22 https://t.co/2zspdKNHBb pic.twitter.com/xAVcuKKNP4
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) August 17, 2021
Meanwhile, Leonard Fournette leads their backfield attack that also has Ronald Jones, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and Giovani Bernard.
Even their offensive line remains solid with Ryan Jensen, Donovan Smith, and Tristan Wirfs.
Their defense is as imposing as their offense, too.
Imagine having players like Vita Vea, Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul, Lavonte David, Devin White, and Shaquil Barrett on the front seven.
Super Bowl champ ✅#NFLTop100 debut ✅@buccaneers LB @DevinWhite__40 joins the countdown at 28! pic.twitter.com/R4n8MCp9Hq
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) August 22, 2021
Likewise, Antoine Winfield Jr. serves as the anchor of their secondary.
Yet as talented as they are, there are still questions regarding the Buccaneers coming into the 2021 NFL season.
These concerns can spell doom on their hopes to win consecutive Super Bowls.
Address them, and nothing can stop their march to the big game.
3. Will The Buccaneers Secondary Stop Being The Weak Link?
The Buccaneers defense gave up 22.2 points per game which was seventh-best last season.
They also allowed the sixth-fewest yards with 327.1 per game.
Tampa Bay also led the league in run defense, giving just 80.6 rushing yards per game.
But in contrast, they drop to 21st in pass defense with 246.6 yards per contest.
That’s an obvious vulnerability in what could be a flawless defense.
Winfield can help neutralize receivers, but the same thing can’t be said for the others.
Tyreek Hill gave Antoine Winfield Jr. the peace sign in the regular season 👀
Winfield got the last laugh. @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/mCpXSvPcls
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 8, 2021
Tyreek Hill’s 269-yard game against them was the worst example of their secondary’s futility.
Sadly, it’s the same defensive backs that will start for the Buccaneers.
Winfield and Jordan Whitehead will man the safety positions while Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting are the cornerbacks.
Tampa Bay hopes that a year of championship experience will help improve their young secondary.
Otherwise, teams will continue to exploit their weakness.
2. Can They Sustain Their Hot Offense?
Coming into their bye in Week 13 last season, the Buccaneers were at 7-5 and lost two straight to the Los Angeles Rams and the Chiefs, respectively.
But they won the next eight games since, including the rematch against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
Their offense clicked since Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings and averaged 33.75 points per game since then.
Brady got comfortable in the new offense and he was able to run it to perfection.
The @Buccaneers offense had everything working in #SBLV.
See how they did it in True View. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/XkNgc47Zfs
— NFL (@NFL) February 17, 2021
But now that everyone knows what they’re up to on offense, can they sneak past the opposition again?
It is difficult to bet against this team with many talents.
Plus, training camp helped them work on their timing and cohesion.
Therefore, it won’t be a surprise if they pick up where they left off when they won the Super Bowl at home.
1. Can They Stay Healthy?
The Buccaneers had some good luck going their way health-wise.
Some of their starters like Vea, Davis, and Fournette missed some time due to injury.
Other than them, everyone was able to play from the first to the last game.
But their main players are not getting any younger.
Week 1⃣ is finally here…#GoBucs pic.twitter.com/xnsQaizFhI
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 6, 2021
Brady is 44, Suh is 34, and Brown is 33.
Pierre-Paul and Gronkowski are both 32 as well.
One injury from any of them can lead to a lengthy recovery period.
The Buccaneers are in trouble if more weak spots arise from their veteran core.
NEXT: Can Rob Gronkowski Be A Real Threat In 2021?