Saturday, October 17, 2020

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 6 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2020 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rank in terms of average, best and worst:

  • Average ranking: 12.0 (12th)
  • Best ranking: 10th (The Athletic)
  • Worst ranking: 15th (USA Today)

Below you will find a Week 6 roundup for the Bucs in our consensus 2020 NFL Power Rankings.

The Athletic -- Rank: 10

They've given away 410 yards on penalties through five games; only the Saints have been worse. The Buccaneers blew a 13-0 lead on Thursday night against the Bears, scoring just one touchdown on 10 offensive drives. Tampa had a 19-17 lead with the ball and 2:48 left. But they went three-and-out, losing 2 yards, and had to punt. The Buccaneers got one more shot with 1:13 left but turned it over on downs. After the game, they found out they lost stud defensive tackle Vita Vea for the season. The Buccaneers will host the undefeated Packers in Week 6.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 11

The offensive injuries showed up in the loss to the Bears. The extra time off had to be good for this team as they ready to play the Packers.

USA Today -- Rank: 15

Yeah, Brady's inability to count during loss at Soldier Field was baffling. But the bigger setback might have been DT Vita Vea's broken leg.

ESPN -- Rank: 12

Biggest weakness: Discipline

The Bucs are tied with the Cardinals for a league-leading 42 penalties through five games, with their 410 penalty yards more than that of any other team in the league. They also led the league with 133 penalties last season. They had 11 penalties for 109 yards Thursday night against the Bears, which caused the Bucs to lose three leads and ultimately the game, 20-19. "They stop drives. We had so many third-and-longs, and we just could never get into any rhythm," Tom Brady said after the contest. "We obviously have a lot of work to do." -- Jenna Laine

NFL.com -- Rank: 12

Much of the focus after Thursday night's disappointing one-point loss to the Bears was on Tom Brady's failures in basic math (just own it, Tommy!), but a more disturbing development for the Bucs is the loss of Vita Vea. The third-year defensive tackle fractured his leg late in the game, an injury that will end his season. Vea was off to an All-Pro start, with two sacks and 16 pressures from the nose tackle position, and his presence commanded double-teams that freed up the rest of Tampa Bay's front seven to make plays. Brady and the offense get the headlines, but it's been Todd Bowles' defense that was primarily responsible for the Bucs' hot start. Don't be surprised if the unit takes a step back without Vea.

Previous update: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 5 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

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