Buccaneers Round Table: Can the Bucs get on a winning streak?
Jerry Stalheim
Can the Buccaneers String Together Another Five Game Win Streak?
Last season a promising but young Buccaneers team started off the season by beating the eventual NFC Super Bowl representing Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta 31-24, but then went on to lose three straight before rebounding to win two in Carolina and in San Francisco and then again losing two straight at home to Oakland and Atlanta.
At that point a promising season looked very bleak as they were 3-5, but then something amazing happened … the Buccaneers proceeded to go on a five game winning streak mostly in part to their defense beating such eventual playoff teams as the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs and improving their record to 8-5 and in the hunt for the playoffs before losing the next two games and knocking themselves out.
The 2017 Buccaneers find themselves in a very similar predicament after losing five straight game from weeks five through weeks nine before finally winning against the New York Jets in week ten and now are sitting at 3-6.
With Carolina and New Orleans back to their regular selves and off to great starts this season, 7-3 and 7-2 respectively, the Buccaneers would likely have to win their remaining seven games to be in the playoff hunt.
The editors at The Pewter Plank have asked us contributors to answer the question of “how likely is it for the Buccaneers, to start with, in percentages to go on a five game winning streak like last season’s team?”
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In my opinion that question comes down to how well the defense plays for the next four games (since they have already won the first one) because the 2016 defense during that stretch was one of the better defenses in the league allowing an average of 299 total yards, 199.8 passing yards, 99.2 rushing yards, 12.8 points with an amazing fourteen turnovers, and were number one overall in not allowing teams to convert on third down.
The 2017 Buccaneers defense is a whole different story as they have fallen off drastically although they did play very well against the Jets in week nine they are still allowing an average of 376.3 yards of total offense, 266.4 passing yards, 109.9 rushing yards, 23.1 points, and are dead last in allowing teams to convert on third down.
The offense on the other hand has played very well and was at one time the top overall defense and the number two passing offense in the NFL and are currently ranked fourteenth in the league in total offense averaging 345.2 yards per game and third in passing averaging 262.4 yards per game or third in the NFL, so obviously in my eyes the offense is doing okay although the running yards per game is down slightly.
Do I feel that the 2017 Buccaneers team could win five straight?, well they do have a pretty tough schedule for the next four games as they play three of the next four games on the road at Miami, at Atlanta, at Green Bay, and home against Detroit teams that have a current combined record of 19 wins and 17 losses.
I am giving the Buccaneers about a twenty percent chance to win the next four games as most of them will likely be without franchise quarterback Jameis Winston and have very little running game as they average 82.8 yards per game, BUT if the defense can continue to play as they did against the Jets where they almost doubled their season sack total in one game as they sent more blitzes to statue and former Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown they could have a chance against the other teams who have struggled in recent weeks.
So highly unlikely BUT … you just never know.
GO BUCS!!!