Whenever a team makes it to the red zone, the good teams capitalize on those chances, whereas the bad ones miss them. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024 were among the best teams in the NFL at making opponents pay if they got that close to the goal line.
PFF’s Lauren Gray compiled the list of the best offenses and defenses in the red zone during the last NFL season. While the Bucs defense was lacking, they made up for it as being the third-best team in the NFL in capitalizing.
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Gray writes, “Tampa Bay placed in the top 10 in nearly every red-zone metric last season, including the top five in PFF passing grade (79.4) and PFF run-blocking grade (68.8). Baker Mayfield ranked fifth in red-zone completions (63) and passing yards (426), and second in passing touchdowns (31). He logged four big-time throws and three turnover-worthy plays across 86 red-zone attempts and generated the NFL’s highest red-zone passer rating (113.7). Bucky Irving was the team’s highest-graded red-zone player (79.7). He rushed 42 times for 164 yards and eight touchdowns, pacing all rookie running backs in each category. . .Mike Evans (16), Cade Otton (16) and White (11) paced Tampa Bay in red-zone targets. . .White led the team with a 77.1 red-zone PFF receiving grade after securing each of his 11 targets for 78 yards (team high) and five touchdowns.”
With so many of the same players returning for the 2025 season, they have a chance at least to maintain their level of dominance in the redzone. To win a fifth straight division title, they will need to be.
The ultimate wild card in this scenario is the departure of Liam Coen, though. At the same time, they have a familiar face in Josh Grizzard, who was promoted from passing coordinator to playcaller. The team has rallied behind him early, and if the performance of the offense against the Titans is any indication, they will be alright once again.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs’ offense one of the best in unique situation from the 2024 season