2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season

2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
Head coach	Dirk Koetter
General manager	Jason Licht
Owner	The Glazer family
Home field	Raymond James Stadium
Results
Record	6–5
Division place	2nd NFC South
Uniform

The 2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season is the franchise's 41st season in the National Football League and the first under head coach Dirk Koetter. In week 12, the club won their sixth game, matching their win total from 2015.

After winning in impressive fashion on opening day, Tampa Bay sputtered through the rest of September. Starting running back Doug Martin was sidelined for eight weeks with a hamstring injury, necessitating back-up running backs taking his place in the lineup. After receiving adequate performances from Charles Sims and Antone Smith, both subsequently ended up on injured reserve, along with wide receiver Vincent Jackson. A crucial victory on Monday night against division rival Carolina saw Tampa Bay begin a streak in which they won five out of their next seven games. After a upset win against Seattle in week 12, the Buccaneers got over .500 through eleven games for the first time since 2012 and sat a half game behind for the final wildcard spot.

Draft

Notes

• On April 3, 2015, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded safety Dashon Goldson to the Washington Redskins, along with a seventh round pick (#232), for a sixth round pick (#197) in the 2016 NFL Draft.^[1]

Staff

Current roster

Schedule

Preseason

Regular season

Notes

• Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
• Networks and times for Weeks 15 and 17 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling.
• The Week 14 game against the Saints was flexed from 1:00 p.m. EST to 4:25 p.m. EST.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Atlanta Falcons

Quarterback Jameis Winston threw for 281 yards and four touchdown passes, as Tampa Bay defeated Atlanta 31–24. The Buccaneers jumped out to a 31–13 lead late in the third quarter, then held off a rally by the Falcons. Atlanta got the ball back trailing by 7 with just under two minutes to go, but managed only one first down, and turned the ball over on downs to end the game.

Week 2: at Arizona Cardinals

Arizona routed Tampa Bay 40–7. Quarterback Jameis Winston threw four interceptions and lost one fumble. Running back Doug Martin left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury.

Week 3: vs. Los Angeles Rams

With Los Angeles leading 37–32 at two minute warning, the game was suspended for an hour and ten minutes due to lightning in the area. When the game resumed, the Rams faced 3rd & 11 at their own 5 yard line. Case Keenum threw an incompletion, and the Rams punted to Tampa Bay. Jameis Winston drove the Buccaneers to the Rams 15 yard line in the final minute. With 4 seconds left in regulation, Winston rolled out to his left, but with no receivers open, scrambled 10 yards downfield, and was tackled at the 5 yard line to end the game.

Week 4: vs. Denver Broncos

For the second consecutive week, Tampa Bay endured a weather delay. Midway through the fourth quarter, the game was suspended for 90 minutes due to lightning. Denver defeated Tampa Bay 27–7. Jameis Winston ran for a touchdown, but threw two interceptions in the loss.

Week 5: at Carolina Panthers

Tampa Bay snapped Carolina's six game winning streak in the series, as the two clubs met on Monday Night Football. With Cam Newton sidelined due to concussion protocol, Derek Anderson started for Carolina. Anderson threw two interceptions and lost one fumble. With the game tied 14-14, Tampa Bay drove to the Panthers 20 yard line in the final minute. After missing two attempts earlier in the game, Roberto Aguayo kicked a 38-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

Week 7: at San Francisco 49ers

Jameis Winston threw for 269 yards and three touchdown passes, while Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 154 yards. After falling behind 14-0, Tampa Bay scored 27 unanswered points, and pulled away for a 34-17 victory.

Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders

Oakland quarterback David Carr threw for 513 yards and four touchdown passes as the Raiders won in overtime. With 1:55 remaining in the overtime period, on a 4th down & 3, Carr threw a game-winning 41-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts.

Week 9: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Tampa Bay's only highlight came in the fourth quarter when Mike Evans made a spectacular one-handed sideline catch. However, he was hit and left the game with a concussion. He did finish on a solid note with 11 receptions along with 150 yards and two scores.

Week 10: vs. Chicago Bears

Tampa Bay beat Chicago in dominating fashion for their first home victory of the season. Chris Conte intercepted Jay Culter and returned the ball 20 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter to start the scoring. Jameis Winston threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns, including a busted play and scramble to his own endzone which resulted in a remarkable 39-yard completion to Mike Evans. Doug Martin returned to the lineup, and scored a rushing touchdown.

Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs

Tampa Bay won their second straight game, this one against a team that was highly favored to win. Jameis Winston threw for over 300 yards while Mike Evans received for over 100 yards. The offense was efficient, especially on third down where they went 11 of 15. The defense came up big as well, with safety Chris Conte getting an interception in the end zone, his second straight game with a pick. Rookie kicker Roberto Aguyao, who has struggled throughout the season, went 5/5 on kicks, making 4 field goals and 1 extra point. With this win, the Bucs got back to .500, took sole possession of second place in the NFC South, and improved their road record to 4-1.

Week 12: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Coming into a game where Seattle was highly favored to win, Tampa Bay earned their third straight win in impressive fashion. After scoring two Winston to Evans touchdowns in the first quarter, the defense held up and didn't allow any offensive touchdowns. The only points scored against them were a safety after a holding call in the endzone and a Seattle field goal. The defense also held Seattle to just one 3rd down conversion on 11 attempts, with the sole conversion coming in the 4th quarter. Seattle QB Russell Wilson six times and intercepted two of his passes, one of those interceptions coming from CB Alterraun Verner, whose father had passed away on Friday. With this upset win, the Bucs moved over .500 for the first time through 11 games since 2012, and sits a half a game behind the final wildcard spot.

Week 13: at San Diego Chargers

Attempting to win their 4th straight, the Bucs will travel to San Diego for a matchup against the San Diego Chargers.

Standings

Division

Conference

Awards

• Week 1: Offensive Player of the Week — Jameis Winston
• Week 1: FedEx Air Player of the Week — Jameis Winston
• Week 5: Castrol Edge Clutch Performer of the Week — Roberto Aguayo
• Week 11: Special Teams Player of the Week — Roberto Aguayo

Notes

References

External links

• Official website