Pewter Report’s PR Roundtable
presented by PrizePicks

Sign up for PrizePicks with code: HMA then play a $5 lineup and get $150 if you win by clicking HERE.

A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough Bucs question. What’s the most surefire win for the Bucs on the schedule this year?

Scott Reynolds: Bucs Should Be Able To Continue Week 1 Win Streak

How in the world could Tampa Bay’s season opener at Cincinnati be the most surefire win of the season? Facing Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals in Week 1 won’t exactly be easy, but neither was opening the season at Dallas in 2022, at Minnesota in Week 1 in 2023 and at Atlanta in last year’s season opener. In fact, since Todd Bowles took over as Tampa Bay’s head coach in 2022 his Buccaneers are undefeated in season openers. Even with three of them happening on the road.

Bucs OLBs Anthony Nelson and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This year will make the fourth time in five years that the Bucs open up their schedule on the road. One of the big reasons why Tampa Bay is 4-0 in season openers – and have actually started the season 2-0 every year under Bowles – is because the team is incredibly well prepared when it hits the ground running in Week 1. Bowles will have had all offseason to study Burrow, the Bengals offensive scheme and Cincinnati’s suspect offensive line. Maybe Rueben Bain Jr. can kick start his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign with a big day in Cincy.

Bowles’ defense was prepared to face Dak Prescott in Dallas and Kirk Cousins in Minnesota, as well as Bijan Robinson in Atlanta. I have to trust that he’ll have a plan to get after Burrow on September 13. And with much better personnel on defense, especially upfront, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Tampa Bay sack attack in Cincy. I expect the Bucs offense to come out firing with its arsenal of weapons against a very porous Bucs defense. Again, it won’t be an easy win, but I do think there’s a surefire aspect to it.

Matt Matera: Bucs Can Rattle Whoever The Vikings’ QB Is

Recent history says the Bucs have found success against the Vikings with Todd Bowles on the staff and core players still on the team. Tampa Bay defeated Minnesota in 2020 by a score of 26-14, which sparked the winning streak that led Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl win that season. The two sides met up once again in 2023 and it was a memorable showcase for the first game of the season, as it was Baker Mayfield’s Bucs debut and Tampa Bay won, 20-17.

Bucs OLBs coach Larry Foote and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles faced Vikings current head coach Kevin O’Connell in that 2023 matchup and got the better of him. But the most important factor for their game in 2026 is that the Vikings don’t know who their quarterback will be. Former first-round pick J.J. McCarthy has struggled since coming into the league and Kyler Murray is on a new team for a reason. If the Bucs defense can be revamped with pass rush that includes Rueben Bain Jr, Yaya Diaby, Calijah Kancey and others, they should be able to throw off what the opposing quarterback wants to accomplish.

This is also the third game of the season, meaning things will start to settle in a bit more for both Tampa Bay’s offense and defense. The chemistry of the Bucs offense between Baker Mayfield and Zac Robinson should continue to grow. The Bucs started off last season 3-0 and they can do so again this year. This should be a win in Week 3 for Tampa Bay.

Adam Slivon: Bucs vs. Browns Is the Biggest Gimmie Win In 2026

When I look at what the Bucs most winnable game is in 2026, it is glaringly obvious. I respect what each of the Pewter Reporters have said above and below me, but the Browns in Week 2?! That is a game with the biggest talent differential on paper. The thought process of “the game still has to be played” and the fact they are still an NFL team holds merit. At the same time, Tampa Bay will be heavily favored for a couple of reasons.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

Looking at Cleveland’s squad, they are under a new coach with even more question marks than last year. Todd Monken must figure out who his starting quarterback will be among the unappealing options, and there is no longer the threat of Myles Garrett. They are a young and unproven team, stuck in what has felt like an endless rebuild throughout the 21st century. They are a long way from competing in the AFC North.

One also has to consider something even more obvious – the revenge game. If you think Baker Mayfield is fired up now about his contract situation, just wait until he pairs that with facing his former team for the Bucs’ home opener. Mayfield will be playing with one of the biggest chips on his shoulder all season, and seeing the Browns will only elevate that. As of now, there is no other way to see Week 2 than as a “W” for Tampa Bay. If not, it will be absolutely embarrassing.

Bailey Adams: Bucs Have Owned The Superdome Under Todd Bowles…

There’s something about Todd Bowles’ Bucs and playing against the Saints at the Superdome, isn’t there? For all of Bowles’ faults as Tampa Bay’s head coach, he and his team are a perfect 4-0 in New Orleans during his tenure. And given how dominant the Bucs have been in that stadium over those four games, I’m inclined to believe that can continue when they head there in January for the regular season finale.

Tampa Bay forced five turnovers on its way to a 20-10 win over New Orleans at the Superdome in 2022, then forced another three and got three touchdown passes from Baker Mayfield in a 26-9 win there the following year. In 2024, the Bucs ran up 594 yards of offense and scored their second-most points in a game ever on their way to a 51-27 win. Then came last year, when Bowles and Co. handled business with ease yet again, winning 23-3 in a game that saw the defense pick up another four takeaways.

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: USA Today

For whatever reason, Bowles’ Bucs teams have played at a different level against the Saints at the Superdome than they have against the Saints at Raymond James Stadium. So, why not lean into the trend? While we’re five months away from that Week 18 game, it’s one that – right now – this team should feel confident about. It’s not just the recent performances in New Orleans, either.

Outside of 2025, Tampa Bay has typically played its best football under Bowles in the closing stretches of the season. Not only that, but the Bucs are 3-1 in Week 18 under Bowles, with the only loss coming after he pulled his starters in the 2022 finale at Atlanta with the division already wrapped up.

There’s also the fact that, despite being looked at as a darkhorse contender in the NFC South, the Saints still just don’t have as talented of a roster as the Bucs do. I’ve bought in on New Orleans for a lot of the offseason after the way it finished 2025 and given the emergence of Tyler Shough.

But as the 2026 season gets closer, I’m beginning to feel the need to pull back a little bit. We might’ve gone too far too soon with this Saints team, and I think there could still be some growing pains ahead for that group. Add this all together and Week 18 at the Superdome really starts to feel like a game that will favor the Buccaneers.

Josh Queipo: A Falcons Team In Flux Should Be Beatable

Taking a page from Matt Matera’s book. The Falcons have a quarterback competition and no matter who wins, it’s likely the Falcons lose. Tua Tagovailoa was just jettisoned from Miami despite then still owing him over $50 million. And former first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. inspired so much confidence last year that the new management regime made Tua a priority (sarcasm). The Falcons will run the ball, something the Bucs contain quite well. But if they have to throw, the Bucs could have a strong path to winning.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby and Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Several team personnel will be excited for this matchup. For Baker Mayfield, this is a chance to beat his former head coach Kevin Stefanski, which will be the highlight of Mayfield’s year. Similarly, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will want to beat his most recent employer. Look for him to give head coach Todd Bowles an intimate scouting report of the Falcons’ offense and the strengths and weaknesses of their personnel.

To boot, Atlanta just lost its star edge rusher, Jalon Walker, last year’s first-round pick, to a torn ACL. Add in fellow second-year edge rusher James Pearce Jr., who is facing serious legal and league trouble and the Falcons’ pass rush could be extremely weak when the Bucs host Atlanta later in the year. That could mean big things for Mayfield and Tampa Bay’s passing attack.