Last year, the Bucs had a very challenging schedule coming off a 13-4 season in 2021, and faced some of the league’s best quarterbacks, which left Tampa Bay battered and bruised with an 8-9 record. Among the top QBs the Bucs squared off against were future Hall of Famers like Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Super Bowl LVI champion Matthew Stafford of the L.A. Rams, and Pro Bowl-caliber passers like Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson and Seattle’s Geno Smith, who was also the league’s Comeback Player of the Year.

The Bucs went 2-4 in those games, narrowly beating a wounded Rams team with a come-from-behind win and slugging out a win against the Seahawks over in Germany. Rodgers, Mahomes, Jackson and Burrow each triumphed over Tampa Bay – and did so at Raymond James Stadium.

Bucs S Antoine Winfield, Jr. and Eagles QB Jalen Hurts – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Todd Bowles’ Pewter Pirates have an easier schedule this year thanks to playing in the downtrodden NFC South, a division the Bucs won last year despite a losing record, as well as the weak AFC South division. But a team’s strength of schedule doesn’t always mean much because teams change from year to year.

And while Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and Buffalo’s Josh Allen are on this year’s schedule, there isn’t quite the star power – or firepower – among the other quarterbacks the Bucs will face in 2023. Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, whom the Bucs face this year, did make the Pro Bowl last season, but aren’t considered to be in the class of players like Mahomes, Rodgers, Burrow or Jackson.

New Orleans’ Derek Carr made the Pro Bowl last year as a replacement for Burrow, while Detroit’s Jared Goff was added to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for Hurts. The Bucs will face Carr twice this year within the division and will also host Goff and the Lions.

Bucs Will Possibly Play Against Four Rookie QBs In 2023

Falcons QB Desmond Ridder – Photo by: USA Today

But a good amount of the quarterbacks the Bucs will face in 2023 will be young quarterbacks – many of whom will be rookies or unproven players. Tampa Bay will play every team that selected a quarterback in the first or second round in this year’s draft: Carolina (Bryce Young), Houston (C.J. Stroud), Indianapolis (Anthony Richarson), Tennessee (Will Levis) and Detroit (Hendon Hooker).

Whether the Bucs will actually play against these young QBs will be determined later. The Panthers signed veteran Andy Dalton this offseason, while the Texans still have Davis Mills. Indianapolis added veteran Gardner Minshew and Tennessee still has oft-injured veteran Ryan Tannehill. Detroit will continue to start Goff as long as he is effective.

Meanwhile, the Bucs face the Packers again – but this time without Rodgers. Now, it’s the unproven Jordan Love’s turn. Atlanta, whom Tampa Bay sees twice within the division, will start Desmond Ridder, last year’s third-round pick who finally saw some action at the end of the season and beat the Bucs in Week 18.

Chicago will start Justin Fields, who is more dangerous as a runner than he is a passer right now. Tampa Bay will also get another shot at San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, who beat the Bucs last year as a rookie fill-in starter.

Bucs Haven’t Always Had Success vs. Unheralded QBs

Bucs ILB Devin White, 49ers QB Brock Purdy and OLB Anthony Nelson – Photo by: USA Today

Of course playing younger quarterbacks or veteran backups isn’t always easy and doesn’t guarantee a win. Todd Bowles’ team found that out the hard way last year, losing to rookies like Purdy and Ridder, the combination of Pittsburgh rookie Kenny Pickett and backup Mitchell Trubisky, in addition to Cleveland’s Jacoby Brissett and Carolina’s P.J. Walker.

Those unheralded quarterbacks combined to give the Bucs five losses.

In addition to beating Stafford and Smith, Tampa Bay also beat the likes of Dallas’ Dak Prescott, Atlanta’s Marcus Mariota, New Orleans’ Jameis Winston and Dalton, Arizona’s Trace McSorley and Carolina’s Sam Darnold.