Expectations for Tom Brady and Tampa Bay Buccaneers This NFL Season

Now that the NFL has officially released the schedule for the upcoming season, we can finally look at things game by game to try to predict how each team in the league will fare in 2020. Sportsbooks have already done this and, according to The Action Network, oddsmakers believe the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs will have the best records in the NFL, followed by the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers.

Behind those four teams? Tom Brady’s new-look Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Vegas has projected the Bucs for a minimum of 10 wins, a mark they haven’t achieved since 2010, when Josh Freeman was their quarterback and Raheem Morris was their head coach. Obviously with six-time Super Bowl winner Brady under center throwing to weapons like wide receivers Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and tight ends Rob Gronkowski and O.J. Howard in a QB-friendly system being run by quarterback whisperer Bruce Arians, it’s a new era in Florida. But how successful of an era will it actually be?

To help predict that, we’ve broken down Tampa’s complete schedule for the 2020 regular season and looked at how Brady and the team have fared against each of the Buccaneers’ opponents.

Week 1: New Orleans Saints (Away)

Team’s record in 2019: 13-3
Brady’s record vs team: 4-1
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 21-35

Opening against a New Orleans team that has had legitimate Super Bowl aspirations for the past two seasons but come up short is tough. Having to do it on the road is even tougher. In the first of two battles between Brady and Drew Brees, the Saints should draw first blood.

Prediction: Loss

Week 2: Carolina Panthers (Home)

Team’s record in 2019: 5-11
Brady’s record vs team: 2-3
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 15-24

The Panthers are one of two teams in the NFL that Brady has a losing record against in the regular season (the Seahawks are the other). That isn’t going to help a rebuilding Carolina club on the road against Brady during his first home game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Prediction: Win

Week 3: Denver Broncos (Away)

Team’s record in 2019: 7-9
Brady’s record vs team: 8-9
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 2-7

Over the course of his career in New England, Mile High Stadium was a house of horrors for Brady and the Patriots, with the team struggling there during the regular season as well as the playoffs, including two losses in the AFC Championship game. Given that, an overlooked Broncos team has a good shot at stealing a win here.

Prediction: Loss

Week 4: Los Angeles Chargers (Home)

Team’s record in 2019: 5-11
Brady’s record vs team: 9-2
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 3-8

The Chargers will either have journeyman Tyrod Taylor or first-year quarterback Justin Herbert playing quarterback in this one. Either way, LA is guaranteed to have an underwhelming or inexperienced QB who just traveled across the country for a road game under center. Chalk this one up for Brady and the Bucs.

Prediction: Win

Week 5: Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football (Away)

Team’s record in 2019: 8-8
Brady’s record vs team: 5-0
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 20-39

Taking on the Bears’ stingy defense in Chicago on a short week is going to be difficult for a team that, no matter how talented they are, will not be all that familiar with one another at this point in the season. In New England, Brady was so familiar with the system that a lack of prep time wasn’t an issue. That won’t be the case in Tampa Bay.

Prediction: Loss

Week 6: Green Bay Packers (Home)

Team’s record in 2019: 13-3
Brady’s record vs team: 3-2
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 21-32-1

Last season, the Packers were great against bad teams but failed to play well against elite competition. Which bucket does Tampa belong in? Only time will tell. Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers will be the storyline here, with the former getting the edge here thanks to being at home and having 10 days to prepare thanks to playing on TNF the week before.

Prediction: Win

Week 7: Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday Night Football (Away)

Team’s record in 2019: 7-9
Brady’s record vs team: 5-1
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 2-7

Once thought to be in the running to sign Brady, the Raiders and head coach Jon Gruden will instead face him in 2020. The Raiders should be a bit better than they were last season, but probably won’t be good enough to earn a victory here.

Prediction: Win

Week 8: New York Giants on Monday Night Football (Away)

Team’s record in 2019: 4-12
Brady’s record vs team: 4-3
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 7-15

Given Brady’s checkered history against the Giants — two Super Bowl losses — it would be easy to make a case for New York here. Like the Giants, it just wouldn’t be very good. Expect former New England Patriots coach Joe Judge to lose to the quarterback he worked with last season.

Prediction: Win

Week 9: New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football (Home)

Team’s record in 2019: 13-3
Brady’s record vs team: 4-1
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 21-35

It’s very difficult to beat an NFL team twice in one season, even a bad one. The Buccaneers may not be a Super Bowl-caliber club, but they certainly won’t be bad and should be able to even the season series with Brees and co. here.

Prediction: Win

Week 10: Carolina Panthers (Away)

Team’s record in 2019: 5-11
Brady’s record vs team: 2-3
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 15-24

As noted above, beating an NFL team twice in one season is a hard thing to do. But more than any another QB in recent memory, Brady has been adept at it, routinely beating the Jets and Bills twice per season during his time in the AFC East with the Patriots. Look for him to start a new tradition by beating the Panthers for the second time in this one.

Prediction: Win

Week 11: Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football (Home)

Team’s record in 2019: 9-7
Brady’s record vs team: 3-1
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 9-14

Though the Rams will be revved up for a chance to get a win against the quarterback who knocked them off in Super Bowl LIII, it won’t matter. The Bucs will be riding a big-time winning streak at this point and won’t have it snapped at home against LA.

Prediction: Win

Week 12: Kansas City Chiefs (Home)

Team’s record in 2019: 12-4
Brady’s record vs team: 7-4
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 7-5

Even at home, Tampa won’t be able to contain a Chiefs team that went 7-1 on the road last season on the way to winning a Super Bowl. Like Brady-Rodgers, Brady versus Patrick Mahomes should be a great watch, but expect the young gun to emerge with a win over the grizzled vet.

Prediction: Loss

Week 13: Bye

Week 14: Minnesota Vikings (Home)

Team’s record in 2019: 10-6
Brady’s record vs team: 5-0
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 22-33

Brady has traditionally shredded the Vikings throughout his career, and has also been very good coming off his bye week. Even if Minnesota is, as project, a good team, this projects to be a tricky spot for the Vikings.

Prediction: Win

Week 15: Atlanta Falcons (Away)

Team’s record in 2019: 7-9
Brady’s record vs team: 6-0
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 25-28

Brady and the Patriots always seemed to lose a weird divisional game at the end of the season that, on paper, they clearly should have won. This Week 15 contest against Atlanta — who could be primed for a bounce-back season after improving during the latter half of last season — projects to be that game.

Prediction: Loss

Week 16: Detroit Lions (Away)

Team’s record in 2019: 3-12-1
Brady’s record vs team: 4-2
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 27-31

During New England’s Super Bowl run two seasons ago, the team suffered an early-season loss to the Lions and former Patriots coach Matt Patricia. With Detroit expected to be bad again, it’s totally possible Patricia is gone by this point of the season — along with the defensive gameplan he used two seasons ago.

Prediction: Win

Week 17: Atlanta Falcons (Home)

Team’s record in 2019: 7-9
Brady’s record vs team: 6-0
Tampa Bay’s record vs team: 25-28

Possibly needing this game for playoff seeding, the Bucs should wax Atlanta, one team they actually haven’t been horrible against. If Tampa is already locked into a postseason seed and Brady sits, maybe the Falcons get the win. But if he plays, Tampa wins their finale.

Prediction: Win