_“Look at history, Mr. Glazer.”_
Bucs fandom has a percentage of optimists even in the darkest of dark times like today.
Those are the ladies and dudes talking about how the Bucs, with a miserable 0-3 record, are only one game out of first place. The Panthers (1-2) lost to the Browns today and the slimy Saints (1-2) choked against the Raiders. Atlanta is 1-2 after winning on Thursday night.
Even Todd Bowles mentioned that at his postgame press conference!
So Joe will address those positive vibes folks with a trivia question: Can you name the five NFL teams that made the playoffs since 2020 after starting their season 1-3?
Yes, there are five on the list. So if the Bucs can win next Sunday against the Packers, legitimate hope will exist on paper.
Last year, the Carolina Panthers started 1-3 and won the NFC South at 8-9. The Texans also made the playoffs after an 0-3 start. In 2024, it was the Rams bouncing back from a 1-3 start.
In 2021, three teams — yes, three — reached the postseason after having 1-3 records: Pittsburgh, New England and Philadelphia.
Ironically, all three 2021 teams were coached by historically good coaches: Mike Tomlin, Bill Belicheat and Nick Sirianni.
So maybe the Bucs can find their way to 1-3, even without Baker Mayfield. If so, there’s firm hope to bite into.
If the Bucs fall to 0-4, now that’s hopeless. No NFL has reached the playoffs in the modern era after that kind of start.
Again, this was for the positive folks among the vast majority of furious Bucs fans.