ESPN FPI projects win total, playoff chances for Buccaneers in 2020

The offseason love for the Buccaneers continued Tuesday when the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) projections were released for the 2020 season.

FPI has Tampa Bay at No. 8 in the league, with a projected win total of 9.1 and playoff chances set at 63%. Only the Chiefs, Ravens, 49ers, Saints and Cowboys have better win total projections than the Bucs, while the Eagles are tied with them at 9.1. The 63% chance to make the playoffs is the seventh-highest mark in the projections.

Of course, it’s not surprising that this—or any—prediction model likes the 2020 Bucs. Adding Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, as well as what looks to be a strong draft class, to an already-talented roster has the hype levels through the roof for Tampa Bay this fall. In fact, the Bucs’ 4% chance of winning the Super Bowl has them right outside the top five, considering the Cowboys came in at No. 5 with a 5% chance of winning it all next February.

Interestingly enough, though, ESPN’s Seth Walder pointed out in his breakdown of the FPI that these preseason projections are the worst for a Brady-led team since the inception of these projections back in 2015.

As for Tampa Bay’s NFC South foes, only the Saints (No. 4) have a better ranking. In fact, New Orleans is the favorite to win the division and the NFC as a whole. But in the eyes of FPI, there is a lot of separation between the top half of the division and the bottom, with the Falcons at No. 18 and the Panthers at No. 29.

The Chiefs (No. 1) and Saints (No. 4) are the only FPI top-10 teams on the Bucs’ schedule this fall. The next-best teams are the Rams (No. 11) and Vikings (No. 13).