The Bucs stand at 7-8 with two games left to play on the other side of the new year. They’re far from what they were supposed to be this season, yet a win on Sunday over the Panthers will give them their second straight NFC South crown. And throughout this season full of ups and downs – even for quarterback Tom Brady – there’s been one constant: veteran kicker Ryan Succop.

Bucs K Ryan Succop – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

As mediocre as Tampa Bay’s sub-.500 record is, can you imagine where this team would be without Succop? The latest in a long line of steady performances came on Christmas night as the 36-year-old drilled all four of his field goal attempts, as well as his lone extra point try. He connected on kicks from 38 and 35 yards out in the first half before tying the game late with a 42-yard field goal. Then, after the Bucs set him up again in overtime, he nailed the 40-yard game-winner right down the middle. There was no doubt about it, and there typically isn’t when it comes to Succop.

“He’s done a great job. He’s been very consistent,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said after the game. “He came back healthier than he was last year, so I think that helped a lot. The holds have been great, the snaps have been great. He’s been doing his job, so I can’t say enough about him.”

Succop sure has been doing his job – and then some. He is 29-of-34 (85.3%) on field goals this season, with four of his misses coming from beyond 50 yards. Not to mention, he is a perfect 21-of-21 on extra point attempts. Without such a reliable kicker, the Bucs wouldn’t be in position to repeat as division champions.

And that’s not hyperbole in the slightest.

In Tampa Bay’s season-opening 19-3 win over Dallas, Succop accounted for 13 points. He was then responsible for eight points in a 20-10 win over New Orleans the following week. A 10-point performance from Succop helped the Bucs beat the Rams 16-13 in November. And on Sunday, his 13 points made the difference in the game. He now has 108 points on the year, which is the ninth-most in a single season in team history. To think that he had to battle in training camp for the right to hold onto his job now seems crazy, doesn’t it?

Bucs Sticking With Succop’s Experience Has Paid Off

Bucs Ks Jose Borregales and Ryan Succop – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Coming into training camp, it was clear that Succop was going to have to hold off young Jose Borregales if he wanted to stick around for a third season in Tampa Bay. There were questions about what leg strength remained for the veteran, and it seemed like a real possibility that the team might save some cap and put its faith in the strong leg of Borregales, a former Lou Groza Award winner in college. But after the then-24-year-old faltered in the preseason and Succop remained his dependable self, the Bucs had no choice but to stick with the experienced option.

And that decision might have saved Tampa Bay’s chances to get anything out of this season. The Brady-led offense that put up 30 points per game in 2020 and 2021 has been a shell of itself in 2022, with constant red zone struggles and a persistent inability to find the end zone becoming the theme of the year.

As a result, Succop has his most field goal attempts (34) since 2017 – and second-most ever – with two games to play. His 29 made field goals are also the second-most of his career, trailing only the 35 kicks he made in 2017 as a member of the Titans. Who’s to say where the Bucs would be had they cut ties with Succop in favor of Borregales? The former Miami standout may have done a fine job, to be fair. But Succop’s consistency has been huge for Tampa Bay this season.

Bucs K Ryan Succop – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

He helped win games against Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Arizona. And when the Bucs looked mostly hopeless against the Steelers and Ravens, he tried his best to keep them in both games. Succop scored 12 of the team’s 18 points in a 20-18 loss in Pittsburgh, then he put up 10 points in a 27-22 loss at home to Baltimore. And if the first 15 games are any indication, Succop will need to come through in Week 17 to send the Bucs to the playoffs.

With two games to play and control of the division firmly in their hands, the Bucs have Succop to thank for quite a bit. It’s nothing new, though, as he has been a crucial part of the team’s success for the last three years.

The veteran deserves a lot of credit for solidifying the team’s kicking game the way he has since arriving in 2020. His 136 points in the team’s Super Bowl year was a single-season franchise record. His 375 points have him eighth in team history, and he owns the Bucs record for field goal percentage at 86.3% (minimum 10 attempts).

After years of incompetent kickers in Tampa Bay, Succop came in and provided stability at the position in 2020 and 2021. Now, in 2022, he’s paying off the Bucs’ decision to stick with him at 36 years old. And thanks in large part to his leg, Tampa Bay is within striking distance of a third straight playoff appearance and an eighth division title in its history.