When Tom Brady is your quarterback, it’s Super Bowl or bust. The Bucs are in year three of experiencing that firsthand. 

Brady came to Tampa Bay two seasons ago and helped the franchise to its second-ever Lombardi Trophy. Last year, he threw for more than 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns while leading the Bucs to a franchise-record 13 wins. But ill-timed injuries and inopportune coverage breakdowns cost the team a chance to repeat as champions. Instead, Brady and the Bucs bowed out of the playoffs in the NFC Divisional Round, losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Rams.

Now, after an offseason that had three offseasons’ worth of twists and turns, the Bucs find themselves as favorites to challenge for a second championship in three years. They have a significant presence in BetOnline.ag’s “12 most-likely Super Bowl matchups,” anyway.

Four of the top-12 likeliest Super Bowl matchups involve Tampa Bay. That’s the most of any NFC team, with Green Bay and Los Angeles both involved in three. Dallas and San Francisco are the only other NFC teams represented on the list.

Bills Lead The Way With Five Appearances In Top 12

While Tampa Bay is the best-represented NFC team on this list of odds, Brady and the Bucs aren’t the best-represented team overall. That honor goes to the Buffalo Bills, who represent the AFC in five of the 12 most-likely matchups.

Bucs WR Breshad Perriman – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs and Bills meet in what is the odds-on favorite (22/1) to be the Super Bowl LVII contest. But the three “likeliest” Super Bowls all feature Buffalo. Josh Allen and co. also appear in the 10th- and 12th-likeliest matchups.

Tampa Bay and Buffalo aren’t scheduled to meet during the 2022 regular season. But the two sides met last December, with Allen helping the Bills erase a 24-3 halftime deficit to force overtime at Raymond James Stadium. However, the Bucs got a stop to start overtime, and that set up a 58-yard walk-off catch-and-run by Breshad Perriman. One can only guess how the two teams would follow that up with the Lombardi Trophy on the line in Glendale, Arizona next February.

Examining The Bucs’ Other Potential Super Bowl Opponents

Outside of appearing in the most likely matchup, the Bucs are in two matchups that tie for fourth-likeliest (33/1), as well as one tied for 10th-likeliest (45/1).

Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes – Photo by: USA Today

The first of those matchups with 33/1 odds is a Super Bowl LV rematch with the Chiefs. Of course, Tampa Bay steamrolled Kansas City in that game back in February of 2021, winning 31-9 at Raymond James Stadium.

The other contest with 33/1 odds pits the Bucs against the Chargers. Los Angeles, fueled by a rising star in quarterback Justin Herbert and a new addition in All-Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack, appears on this top 12 list three times. The Bucs and Chargers last met in 2020, when Brady led a big comeback for a 38-31 win in Tampa.

The final matchup on this list that includes the Bucs comes in with 45/1 odds, and that one is against the new-look Broncos. Denver traded for longtime Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason, placing them in contention in an AFC West that is more competitive than ever. Tampa Bay and Denver last met in 2020, with the Bucs cruising to a 28-10 win at Mile High Stadium.