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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are moving on up in the power rankings. Last week, they were ranked 25th on average but a solid win over the Carolina Panthers has moved them up into 20th place, according to national writers. Here's what they had to say:
SB Nation - 19th (up from 25th):
I wondered last week if ranking Tampa Bay 25th was too low. After one week it appears it was. It avoided the basement in the NFC South, beating Cam Newton and the Panthers.
The Bucs averaged 8.6 yards per catch and 3.6 per carry, and still won their opener. (Sando)
Fox Sports (Brian Billick) - 19th (no change)
The Bucs looked decent in Greg Schiano's debut as head coach, but after getting off to an early 10-0 start on Sunday, I would have liked to see them put away the game a little more easily. Josh Freeman completed 16 passes, but for only 138 yards . . . not very explosive
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) - 20th (up from 27th):
The defense, which was horrible last year, looked much better. They played well up front, but now face a tough test at the Giants.
Pro Football Talk - 23rd (no change):
Whether the players buy in to the Schiano system after one win remains to be seen. For now, the PFT panel remains skeptical.
National Football Post - 20th (up from 24th):
We don't know what the win over Carolina tells us yet about Schiano's club, but this is a much more physical Bucs' team than we saw in 2011.
NFL.com expert rankings - 18th (up from 25th):
NFL.com (Elliot Harrison) - 18th (up from 25th):
The "Doesn't Look Anything Like 2011" award goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who entered this season with a 10-game losing streak, only to come out and completely handle the Panthers. (The same team that beat Tampa by a combined score of 86-35 last year.) Great job, Greg Schiano.