Through six weeks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers own a pitiful 1-5 record and are in sole possession of last place in the NFC South.
The season is over for all intents and purposes, but there are somehow still 11 games left before the Buccaneers can blow it up and start fresh with a new coaching staff next offseason.
So just how bad will things get in Tampa Bay? Will they free fall and earn a top draft pick in the 2027 NFL Draft? Or will they string together some wins and at least give the appearance of being competitive? I took my best shot at predicting the rest of the Buccaneers’ season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers game-by-game predictions for remainder of 2026 season
Week 7: @ Panthers: L (1-6)
It remains to be seen whether Baker Mayfield will return from injury to face the Panthers, or if Jalon Daniels will make his fourth straight start.
Frankly, I’m picking the Panthers either way. Carolina is in first place in the NFC South at 3-2 as they look to defend their title from last season.
They’re a young, up-and-coming team with a lot going for them, and there’s little reason to think the Bucs will go on the road and beat them.
Week 8: vs. Falcons: W (2-6)
This one is a coin flip. The Falcons are an up-and-down team that has the potential to beat or lose to anybody on any given Sunday.
Their offense features no shortage of threats between Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts — who seems to play his best games against the Buccaneers.
Atlanta has won their last three games in Raymond James Stadium, and while all logic is telling me to pick the Falcons, I’m picking the Bucs to exorcise their demons from some truly baffling home losses to Atlanta in recent years.
Week 9: @ Bears: L (2-7)
This one could get ugly. The Bears are firing on all cylinders led by head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bucs notoriously struggle on primetime, and this game will be played under the Sunday Night Lights on the road in Chicago.
Don’t be surprised to see the Bucs get utterly embarrassed here heading into the bye week.
Week 10: BYE
Bucs fans will relish the opportunity to take a break from watching this team as they head into the bye week at 2-7.
Week 11: @ Lions: L (2-8)
Fresh off the bye week, the Bucs are tasked with taking on one of the most explosive offenses in football.
If there’s any reason for optimism, it’s that for as good as Detroit’s offense is, the defense is just as bad.
Maybe the Buccaneers will finally have a get-right game and light up the scoreboard, but based on what we’ve seen from Zac Robinson’s offense thus far, there’s no reason to think the Bucs will keep pace with Detroit.
Week 12: vs. Panthers: W (3-8)
Monday Night Football in Tampa. When the schedule was first unveiled, this was expected to be a high-stakes showdown between the two favorites in the NFC South.
That won’t be the case, but I still expect the Bucs to avoid being swept and earn an elusive primetime win against Carolina.
The two teams tend to have competitive matchups, and as bad as the Bucs are, they’ll still be able to hold their own against the division slate.
Week 13: vs. Chargers: W (4-8)
The only team more disappointing than the Buccaneers this year has been the Chargers.
Justin Herbert is having the worst season of his career, and nothing is going right for Los Angeles.
Making the cross-country trip to face the Buccaneers is a tough challenge for them, regardless of how much the Bucs have struggled. In fact, it might be the game I feel most comfortable projecting as a win for Tampa Bay.
Week 14: @ Ravens: L (4-9)
The Buccaneers haven’t beaten the Ravens since 2002, and that’s not going to change here.
Tampa Bay is walking into a buzzsaw, going on the road against a talented Ravens team with Super Bowl aspirations.
There’s an argument that this is the toughest game on the schedule, and I’m forecasting a Ravens blowout victory.
Week 15: vs. Saints: W (5-9)
The Saints are a promising young team, but they’re another year away from being legit contenders. While they’re playing better than the Bucs right now, it shouldn’t be taken for granted that they’ll march right into Raymond James Stadium and leave with a win.
Tampa Bay will protect its home turf against a division rival for their final win of the year as a nice Christmas gift to fans just days before the holidays.
Week 16: @ Falcons: L (5-10)
Back to reality. I gave the Buccaneers the win over the Falcons in Tampa, but they’re not going to pull off the season sweep.
Week 17: vs. Rams: L (5-11)
There’s no result I’m more confident in than the Bucs losing to the Rams.
Tampa Bay is 2-9 in their last 11 meetings with the Rams, and Los Angeles has dominated the series recently, including a 34-7 blowout last season. The Rams are simply the Bucs’ kryptonite, and that will continue here.
This one might be over by halftime.
Week 18: @ Saints L (5-12)
Ending the season with three straight losses would leave a nasty taste in the Buccaneers’ mouths, but perhaps that’s exactly what they need as they go back to the drawing board this offseason.
Final Bucs 2026 Record Prediction: 5-12
I have the Bucs finishing 4-7 after the 1-5 start, which all things considered, isn’t too bad.
They split with each of their NFC South rivals, going 3-3 in division play, while also picking up a win over the Chargers.
A 5-12 finish would almost certainly result in a complete overhaul of the coaching staff, and the front office wouldn’t be safe either.
The Buccaneers would have to wrestle with a difficult question: Is it time to tear everything down and rebuild under a new regime? After the way this season has unfolded, that might be exactly what this organization needs.
What does this mean for the Buccaneers in the NFL Draft?
If the season ended today, the Bucs would hold the fourth overall pick. It’s safe to say they won’t leapfrog the lowly Miami Dolphins or Tennessee Titans, and if they beat the Chargers later in the season as I predicted, they’ll likely pick behind them, too.
Last year, the Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders finished 5-12, and they held the sixth and seventh picks in the NFL Draft.
The year before, the Jets, Panthers and Saints finished 5-12, and they held the seventh through ninth picks of the draft.
The best possible (realistic) scenario for Tampa Bay would be to hold the third overall pick, but a selection in the 4-6 range seems to be the most likely outcome.
Regardless, a top-10 is shaping up to be a lock, giving the Buccaneers a chance to land a premium player in a stacked draft class to help usher in a new era of Bucs football.
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