Another Midseason Bucs Nosedive, 8-9 Record Predicted – JoeBucsFan.com

Another Midseason Bucs Nosedive, 8-9 Record Predicted
July 6th, 2026

Prediction season is about to begin, when Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht annually fills his bag of receipts.

On SiriusXM NFL Radio, Sunday was “NFC South day.” Joe was glued to the airwaves with a tray of Hooters wings. Not even Erling Haaland could distract Joe.

Former Pro Bowl Oilers/Titans left tackle Brad Hopkins spent a long time dissecting the Bucs’ prospects and rolled into a game-by-game prediction for 2026.

Hopkins has the Bucs jumping out to a 3-1 record after losing the season opener to the Bengals in Cincinnati. Then comes a nosedive, what has become an annual losing stretch for the Todd Bowles Buccaneers. Hopkins has the Bucs limping to a 7-8 record with two games remaining. He then calls a home upset for the Bucs with a win against the Rams in Week 17 — before closing with a loss to New Orleans in Tampa to wrap the season. Hopkins doesn’t see the Bucs beating the slimy Saints twice.

For the math challenged, that’s an 8-9 prediction.

Overall, Hopkins believes the NFC South will remain the NFL landfill. Along with the Bucs, he picks the Falcons to go 8-9, Carolina to finish 7-10 and the Saints to “bring up the rear” at 5-12.

A big part of Hopkins’ feelings were tied to the NFC South facing all AFC North and NFC North teams this season.