Sitting one step from eternal glory, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could add another Super Bowl win to their team’s history on Sunday. Matching up against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, the Buccaneers look to maintain their spotless record in the NFL‘s big game.
The Buccaneers’ history is not one filled with constant success
When you look at the teams in the NFL, some are organizations you expect to be fixtures later in the season. Anything short of a deep playoff run or a Super Bowl appearance in recent memory is considered a failure. Sure, franchises go through ebbs and flows. No team can be great forever. Even Boston-area fans who have been spoiled by success over the years are now remembering what life was like before a certain sixth-rounder took the stage.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of those teams who success has seemed to avoid. Even going back to their inaugural season, they hold the dubious distinction of going 0-14. In fact, Tampa Bay did not win their first game until the 13th week of their second season, starting with a record of 0–26.
As an organization, the Buccaneers have a franchise record of 278 wins and 429 losses with one tie. Their .393 win percentage is the lowest in NFL history. The Jacksonville Jaguars are 31st with a win percentage of .425 but have played in 292 fewer games as they joined in the NFL expansion of 1995.
They have appeared in 18 playoff games and have a 9-9 record, with three of those wins coming this season.
How many times have the Buccaneers been to the Super Bowl?
After that dubious introduction, you might think this will be their first trip to the dance. Actually, it is not. Super Bowl LV will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ second time in the Super Bowl.
Related | NFL Super Bowl Predictions Against the Spread
The team did see some success in the early 80s while Doug Williams was under center but never could make it to the all-elusive NFC Championship Game. Once Williams left for the USFL, the Buccaneers entered into a state of perpetual ineptitude. Their 1983 season kicked off a stretch of 12 consecutive losing seasons.
It was not until 2002 the team finally tasted the elusive glory that had so long eluded them.
Super Bowl XXXVII brought an end to the drought
How the Buccaneers got to the point where they captured their first Super Bowl win is rather intriguing. In what was dubbed “The Pirate Bowl,” the head coach was just as much the story as the play on the field.
After head coach Tony Dungy’s firing in 2001, the Glazer family needed to bring in stability and a winner. Their eyes went across the country to Oakland.
Considered one of the craziest trades in NFL or sports history, head coach Jon Gruden was “traded” to the Buccaneers. Instead of paying Gruden, Davis traded the rights for Gruden to the Buccaneers in exchange for draft picks. The Buccaneers ended up giving two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and $8 million to the Raiders to get Gruden.
Related | Buccaneers Pre-Senior Bowl 7-Round 2021 NFL Mock Draft
What makes this even more remarkable is the very next season, 2002, the Raiders and Buccaneers met up in Super Bowl XXXVII. This was the first Super Bowl in which the league’s first-ranked offense (Raiders) faced the league’s first-ranked defense (Buccaneers).
The Raiders came into the game as four-point favorites. However, the Buccaneers’ defense dominated. Raiders QB Rich Gannon threw a Super Bowl record five interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. The Buccaneers also sacked Gannon five times and scored 34 consecutive points. This dominant defensive performance led to a 34–3 lead late in the third quarter.
Tampa Bay safety Dexter Jackson had two of those interceptions and returned them for 34 yards. He was named Super Bowl MVP. Jackson became only the second safety and third defensive back named Super Bowl MVP.
The Buccaneers will make history in Super Bowl LV
Win or lose, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have already made NFL history. On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the first team in NFL history to play a Super Bowl game in their home stadium.
Initially set to be played in Los Angeles, concerns surrounding the completion of SoFi Stadium caused the NFL to move Super Bowl LV to Tampa. That decision was made in May of 2017, well before there was ever the first thought that Tom Brady was going to be a member of the franchise.
Of Brady’s six Super Bowl wins, bringing one to the Buccaneers in his first year in a new conference, on a new team, in a condensed offseason, might be the greatest accomplishment of his career.
Want more NFL news and analysis?
Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@PFN365) to stay up to date with all things around the NFL. Also, continue to visit Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis concerning the 2020 season and beyond.
Tommy Garrett is a writer for Pro Football Network covering the NFL and fantasy football. You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.