Let me get this straight. The Buccaneers won their home opener, improved to 1-1 (which is now the same record as the New Orleans Saints) to tie for first place in the division and… dropped in the rankings almost across the board?
The Bucs took on their second-straight division opponent and shut them out in the first half. They almost let the Carolina Panthers back in the game, but a complete effort both offensively and defensively staved them off. The Panthers are also toward the bottom of most power rankings with an entirely new staff and a ton of roster turnover, but it's hard to fault a team that gets a win they're supposed to, isn't it?
Yahoo! Sports was the only below outlet to raise the Bucs from 19 to 14, after grossly overreacting to the Bucs' Week One loss. Apology accepted.
And while USA Today only dropped the Bucs one spot, the reasoning for it completely missed the mark:
"They're not firing on all cylinders yet defensively, either, 2019 sack champion Shaquil Barrett still trying to get on the board," wrote Nate Davis.
So, 5.0 sacks from four different players and four takeaways also all from different players (and levels) of the defense this past Sunday isn't firing on all cylinders? Barrett may not yet have a sack but his counterpart on the other side has 2.0 in two games. There is definitely room for improvement still – on both sides of the ball – which could warrant a drop, sure. But don't say the defense isn't largely doing its job because teams are game-planning for one player.
Anyway, see the full list of NFL power rankings below.
Find out where the Bucs landed on this week's Power Rankings. And to ensure your powered electronics and appliances are always protected, sign up today for Tampa Electric's Zap Cap Systems! Receive FREE installation when you sign up by 11/30, a $44.95 value. Visit http://tampaelectric.com/zapcap
- Rank: 12
- Last Week: 13
- NFL Top 5: Raven, Chiefs, Packers, Steelers, Seahawks
- NFC South: Saints (9), Falcons (24), Panthers (28)
- Week 3 Opponent Ranking: Broncos (23)
- Rank: 13
- Last Week: 10
- NFL Top 5: Chiefs, Packers, Ravens, Steelers, Bills
- NFC South: Saints (11), Falcons (20), Panthers (31)
- Week 3 Opponent Ranking: Broncos (24)
- Rank: 12
- Last Week: 11
- NFL Top 5: Ravens, Chiefs, Seahawks, Packers, Steelers
- NFC South: Saints (6), Falcons (20), Panthers (30)
- Week 3 Opponent Ranking: Broncos (24)
- Rank: 14
- Last Week: 19
- NFL Top 5: Ravens, Chiefs, Bills, Seahawks, Steelers
- NFC South: Saints (8), Falcons (21), Panthers (31)
- Week 3 Opponent Ranking: Broncos (24)
- Rank: 15
- Last Week: 13
- NFL Top 5: Chiefs, Ravens, Seahawks, Packers, Saints
- NFC South: Saints (5), Falcons (22), Panthers (30)
- Week 3 Opponent Ranking: Broncos (24)
