Buccaneers: Where are the 2020 trap games for Tampa Bay?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to make the NFL playoffs for the first time in 12 seasons. Here’s a look at the potential trap games.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently considered one of the favorites to get to the NFL playoffs, which is a much-needed change for fans of the franchise.

The Buccaneers have missed out on 12-straight postseasons, but it seems that the streak could come to an end before the 2020 season is all said and done.

As we continue to prepare for the upcoming season, here’s a look at where the potential trap games fall for the Buccaneers, looking at the schedule.

When I look at the schedule, there are three games that I pinpoint as potential ‘trap games’ by definition for the Buccaneers:

• @ Chicago Bears (October 8)
• @ Las Vegas Raiders (October 25)
• vs. Los Angeles Rams (November 23)

None of these three teams have more talent than the Buccaneers, but two of them are on the road and they’re in key spots.

Though the Bears are one of the league’s worst teams, Tampa Bay will travel to Chicago the week before they host the Green Bay Packers. At this point, the Bucs could potentially be a three-game winning streak and overlooking a Bears team that could potentially only have a win or two on the season may be easy to do.

The next potential trap game, in my opinion, is that one against the Raiders. Though traveling to take on the Raiders should be a wake-up call in and of itself, it’s the placement of this game that could potentially spell ‘trap.’

The Buccaneers would have just played the Packers- potentially picking up a huge win- and could be caught looking forward to the next week where they will travel to New York to take on the Giants in a prime-time match-up. Whenever you combine that prime-time match-up with the Giants with the fact that the Bucs will play the Saints at home in prime-time the following week, this one could spell trouble.

The final trap game is the Los Angeles Rams at home. The Buccaneers will take on the Rams the week before they play the Kansas City Chiefs. Need I say more?

This is still a relatively young team and I wouldn’t put it past them to overlook a game at some point in the season. These are three places in the schedule that lend themselves to overlooking and it will be important for the Bucs to come out focused and ready to go.