The 2021 NFL season will be the first time 17 games will be on the regular season schedule. That change will set the bar even higher for a team wanting to go undefeated. The only quarterback to win every regular season game is now playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will get another chance to reach the ultimate goal of a perfect season in 2021.
Tom Brady’s perfect season was ended by the New York Giants in the 2007 Super Bowl and at 44-years of age, finding a way to win back-to-back Super Bowls and tack on a perfect season to his magnificent resume would truly be the cherry on top of the greatest NFL career of all time.
Betting on win totals, division titles, and Super Bowl appearances is a traditional side of sports betting. However, DraftKings Sportsbook is offering a twist for the coming season. They have posted odds on whether four teams will go 17-0 or 0-17 in the 2021 regular season. The Chiefs have the best odds to do just that with a +3300 line. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers come in second to go 17-0 with a +4000 line, while the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans are the favorites to go 0-17 at +2800 and +2200 respectively.
Below, we will take a look at the Buccaneers 2021-22 schedule to see what it will take for Tampa Bay to win every regular season game.
Easy matchups
Week 2: vs Atlanta Falcons
Week 6: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 10: at Washington Football Team
Week 11: vs New York Giants
Week 13: at Atlanta Falcons
Week 16: at Carolina Panthers
Week 17: at New York Jets
Week 18: vs Carolina Panthers
Playing in the same division as the Panthers and Falcons helps the ease of their schedule for sure, but also playing the NFC East is a nice boon. Upsets are just the nature of the NFL, but this group isn’t poised to put up much of a fight against a healthy Buccaneers team. And if they can get past that Week 14 Bills game without a loss, they can coast to an undefeated record even with some resting against the Panthers twice and the Jets once to end the season.
Winnable, but could be close
Week 1: vs Dallas Cowboys
Week 4: at New England Patriots
Week 5: vs Miami Dolphins
Week 7: vs Chicago Bears
Week 8: at New Orleans Saints
Week 12: at Indianapolis Colts
Week 14: vs New Orleans Saints
We have a mixed bag here for sure. Who knows what this saints team will be this season. It’s probably better to face them early in the year than mid to late after they find an identity, so the Bucs didn’t get lucky there. I see the Bears as possibly ending up on the easy matchup side of things, especially if Justin Fields isn’t starting, but they did beat Tampa Bay last season in Chicago. I just don’t see it happening again and in Tampa. The Colts are the best team on this list and if Carson Wentz is even serviceable, they’ll be able to play any team tough. The Dolphins 10 wins last year might have come a bit early and I think we could see some regression, but there’s no doubt they’ve built a solid roster. And last but not least, the Brady vs Belichick extravaganza. In reality this is a game the Bucs should cruise, but you know Belichick will pull out all the stops. The fact that it is in Week 4 should favor the Bucs, as the quarterback situation in New England could still be in flux.
Tough matchups
Week 3: at Los Angeles Rams
Week 14: vs Buffalo Bills
By my count, the Bucs have an extremely easy schedule and just two games that they’ll have to be playing their best football to win. The Rams in L.A. with that defense and Matthew Stafford at the helm instead of Goff is going to be tough. If they get past that game, it won’t be until a late season matchup against the Bills in Tampa where they might not be big favorites.
Tampa Bay didn’t truly get on track in 2020 until after their loss to the Chiefs in Week 12. Coming out of their Week 13 bye week they won their last four games and then of course their next four playoff games including the Super Bowl. They’ll go into 2021 on an eight game winning streak and with a great schedule for a Super Bowl winning team, they’ll have a real shot at going undefeated and at some great odds.
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