2020 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS SEASON
12.02.2020 | championrings | BLOG

The 2020 season was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 45th in the National Football League, their second under head coach Bruce Arians and first with Tom Brady as a quarterback. The club improved on their 7–9 record from the previous season by finishing 11–5 and advancing through the playoffs to reach and win Super Bowl LV, despite only having one Pro Bowler.



Bruce Arians and Tom Brady

The Buccaneers clinched their first winning season since 2016 after a Week 15 win over Atlanta. Despite losing the division title to rival New Orleans on Christmas Day, the Buccaneers qualified for the playoffs the following day for the first time since 2007 with a 47–7 rout over Detroit. It ended the league's second-longest active postseason drought.

 

The team won their first playoff game since Super Bowl XXXVII, defeating the Washington Football Team 31–23 to advance to the divisional round against the Saints, who had swept them in the regular season. Tampa Bay then defeated New Orleans 30–20 to avenge those losses and advance to the NFC Championship Game. The Buccaneers then beat the top-seeded Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game 31–26 to advance to Super Bowl LV, where they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31–9 for their second Super Bowl title. They were the first team in NFL history to play in a Super Bowl in its home stadium and the 11th team to go to the Super Bowl as a wild card team, and they also joined the 1985 Patriots, 2005 Steelers, 2007 Giants, and 2010 Packers as the only NFL teams to win 3 straight playoff games on the road.

The offseason was highlighted by the acquisition of long-time New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. At the conclusion of the 2019 season, 2015 first-round draft pick Jameis Winston arrived at the end of his initial five-year contract, resulting in a period of uncertainty at the quarterback position. The club declined to apply the franchise tag to Winston, instead securing it on linebacker Shaquil Barrett, nor did they apply the transition tag, which was also availible for 2020. At which time, it became clear that the team planned to part ways with Winston. On March 20, 2020, the team agreed to terms with free agent Brady. The Buccaneers also traded for Brady's former Patriots teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski. On October 23, 2020, the Buccaneers signed former All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown, marking his return to the NFL after a one-year hiatus.

Several franchise records were set during the regular season. Tom Brady threw a Buccaneers record 40 touchdown passes, while Mike Evans had a record 13 receiving touchdowns. Evans became the first wide receiver in NFL history with 1,000+ yards receiving in each of his first seven seasons. Brady posted the best season passer rating (102.2) in team history, and also tallied the most games with four or more touchdown passes (4). The team set a new high for most points scored (492) and most total touchdowns (59). Kicker Ryan Succop set a team record for points by an individual player for a season with 136. The team also set a club record with eight consecutive overall wins.

2021 Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers Nfl Championship Ring Mvp Can Be Flipped