Friday, December 3, 2021

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 13 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2021 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: 2.8 (3rd)
  • Best ranking: 2 (USA Today)
  • Worst ranking: 3 (Multiple)

Below you will find a Week 13 roundup for the Bucs in our consensus 2021 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 3

The Bucs keep finding ways to win games despite being absolutely decimated by injuries and struggling on the road. On one hand, injuries are bound to happen on a team with several aging veterans. But the experience of players such as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Ndamukong Suh, Leonard Fournette and Lavonte David can't be overstated when it comes to come-from-behind wins in double-digit deficits like the one they climbed out of Sunday at the Colts. -- Jenna Laine

NFL.com -- Rank: 3

Leonard Fournette was seen as a complementary piece when he landed with the Bucs just before last season kicked off. Cut to the present, and the running back has turned himself into a vital part of what Tampa Bay does. Fournette accounted for four of the Bucs' five touchdowns on Sunday, including the go-ahead 28-yard run in the final minute of a 38-31 comeback win over the Colts. Not bad for a former first-round pick who was cut by the Jags after three seasons of decent production and repeated clashes with coaching and management. On Sunday, Fournette rushed for 100 yards on 17 carries with seven catches for 31 yards, and he added an emotional halftime speech that Bucs teammates credited with sparking Tampa's second-half surge. Tom Coughlin just spit out his drink.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 3

Winning on the road against the Colts is big, but they still have major issues on defense. They have to be remedied in December.

USA Today -- Rank: 2

Impressive road win at Indy included promising performance from TE Rob Gronkowski, RB Leonard Fournette running roughshod, and five takeaways ... which helps mask uneven stretch for QB Tom Brady, who has six INTs in his last four games. And though Bucs are allowing 28.2 points per game on road, where they dominated during 2020 playoffs, every reason to believe they'll get at least one playoff game at Raymond James Stadium -- where they're undefeated this season.

The Athletic -- Rank: 3

Problem area: Third-down defense. The Buccaneers are a well-rounded team that looks ready to contend for another Super Bowl berth. They've had some uninspiring losses, but it's tough to poke too many holes in this team. One area they could improve is third-down defense. They're in the bottom half of the league, allowing opponents to convert on third down 40.9 percent of the time. Against the Colts, they allowed four third-down conversions when Indy needed 10 or more yards. That was outside the norm, but those situations can be the difference during the postseason.

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