The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 3-0 for the fifth time in franchise history, and the first time since 2005. They lead the NFC South by two games over the 1-2 Panthers and 1-2 Falcons. They already own a tiebreaker over the rival Falcons. According to FanDuel sportsbooks, Tampa Bay is 11th in Super Bowl odds.
So why do things feel so uneasy?
Tampa Bay has been living on the edge in 2025. And it needs to improve.
Yes, a win is a win. But let's put this into perspective.
In Week 1, the Bucs beat Atlanta on the road 23-20, needing a game-winning drive followed by a missed field goal to escape with the win. Atlanta, on the season, is 1-2 and just lost 30-0 to a bad Carolina team.
In Week 2, the Bucs beat Houston on the road 20-19, again needing a game-winning drive. Houston is 0-3 this season.
In Week 3, the Bucs beat the Jets at home, 29-27. Once again, it took a game-winning drive to get ahead of the Jets after New York returned a blocked field goal for a take-the-lead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The Jets are also 0-3 this season.
In summary, Tampa Bay has won by a combined six points against three teams with a combined record of 1-8. They've needed Baker Mayfield to lead heroic fourth-quarter comebacks in each of their three wins.
The last time Mayfield put together more than three game-winning drives in a season was 2018, when he led four game-winning drives as a rookie. Mayfield has been magical before, but he's never been this magical. It's worth wondering if Tampa is using up all of Mayfield's heroism too early in the season.
If Tampa Bay wants to prove they belong in the conversation with the rest of the contenders in the NFC, they need to start putting together more complete victories. Living on the edge is a recipe for disaster. Just ask the 2023 Eagles, who started 10-1 but weren't blowing any teams out. After their 10-1 start, they fell apart late in the season, losing five of their last six games and losing to the Buccaneers in their first playoff game.
Tampa Bay plays the undefeated Eagles next week. While nobody would blame the Buccaneers for losing their first game of the season against the defending champs, this is Tampa Bay's chance to make a statement to the league.
Beat the Eagles, and the Bucs prove they belong. Beat them without needing a last-minute score to do so, and the Bucs might become the new favorites in the NFC. It would also be nice to not give their fans another round of panic attacks in the fourth quarter.