Preseason Regular season Game summaries Week 1: vs. Carolina Panthers The first game for new head coach
Lovie Smith was against division
rival Carolina. A lackluster first three quarters saw the Panthers run out to a 17–0 lead, with
Derek Anderson making his first start since 2010 in place of an injured
Cam Newton. In the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers rallied, scoring late two touchdowns, and trimming the lead to 17–14 with 2:06 remaining. The Bucs defense forced a 3 & Out, and Carolina punted, giving the ball back to the Bucs offense with just under two minutes to go. On the first play of the drive, however,
Bobby Rainey's catch was fumbled away, and Carolina recovered.
Week 2: vs. St. Louis Rams St. Louis kicker
Greg Zuerlein kicked a 38-yard field goal with 42 seconds remaining to take a 19–17 lead. On the ensuing drive, Tampa Bay quarterback
Josh McCown completed a 19-yard pass to
Bobby Rainey, then spiked the ball to stop the clock with 20 second left in regulation. McCown completed a 29-yard pass to
Mike Evans at the St. Louis 32 yard line. As the team scurried to line up and spike the ball, A hesitant Evans was injured on the play. With no timeouts left, Tampa Bay was forced to accept a ten-second runoff penalty, and time expired.
Week 3: at Atlanta Falcons Atlanta throttled the Buccaneers by the score of 56–14, tied for the second-most lopsided defeat in franchise history. The Falcons jumped out to a 56–0 lead by the third quarter, including
Devin Hester's NFL-record 19th
return touchdown. In the first half alone, the Falcons forced three turnovers, and held Tampa Bay to 63 yards offense and only two first downs. This was the first NFC vs. NFC game to air on CBS since the
1993 NFL season.
Week 4: at Pittsburgh Steelers Tampa Bay won their first game of the season, as well as the first win for new head coach
Lovie Smith. One week after a humiliating loss at Atlanta, the Buccaneers bounced back, and upset the
Steelers, the first win in franchise history at Pittsburgh. Trailing 24–20 just inside the two-minute warning, Tampa Bay drove to the Pittsburgh 14 yard line. The Steelers forced a turnover on downs, and took over at their own 14. The Tampa Bay defense held the Steelers to a 3 and out, and forced a punt with 50 seconds left in regulation.
Brad Wing's punt was high and short, and was downed inside Pittsburgh territory on the 46. Two plays later
Mike Glennon, connected to
Louis Murphy, who broke free for a 41-yard gain all the way to the 5 yard line. With 7 seconds left, Glennon completed the game-winning touchdown pass to
Vincent Jackson in the left corner of the endzone.
Week 5: at New Orleans Saints Mike Glennon passed for 249 yards and two touchdown passes, as the Buccaneers led the Saints 31–20 in the fourth quarter. New Orleans rallied to tie the game and force overtime. The Saints won the coin toss in overtime, and proceeded to score a touchdown on the first possession to win the game.
Week 6: vs. Baltimore Ravens Ravens quarterback
Joe Flacco threw five touchdown passes in the first 17 minutes of regulation (setting a new NFL record), as Baltimore jumped out to a 38–0 halftime lead (also an NFL record for a road team). The Ravens handed Tampa Bay their second dominating loss of the season.
Week 8: vs. Minnesota Vikings Offensive futility plagued both teams in the first half, with Minnesota kicking a field goal as time expired in the second quarter to take a 3–0 lead into halftime. Trailing 10–6 in the fourth quarter,
Mike Glennon threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to
Austin Seferian-Jenkins with 2:02 remaining in regulation. The Buccaneers briefly took a 13–10 lead, but the Vikings were able to tie the game at 13–13 and force overtime. In the overtime period, Tampa Bay won the coin toss and received. On the first play from scrimmage in overtime,
Austin Seferian-Jenkins caught a 10-yard pass at the 27 yard line, but fumbled the ball as he was tackled.
Anthony Barr scooped up the ball and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown, and Minnesota won 19–13.
Week 9: at Cleveland Browns Mike Evans caught two touchdown passes from Mike Glennon, as Tampa Bay led 17–16 in the fourth quarter. Cleveland scored with 8:59 remaining in regulation, and won the game by the score of 22–17. In the final two minutes, Tampa Bay drove to the Cleveland 28 yard line, but an offensive pass interference penalty pushed them back to the 47. Facing 4th down & 11, Glennon's pass was incomplete, and the Browns defeated Tampa Bay for the first time since
1995.
Week 10: vs. Atlanta Falcons Josh McCown returned as the starting quarterback for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers led 17–16, but Atlanta scored a go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter and held on for the win. In the final two minutes, Tampa Bay drove to the Atlanta 4 yard line, but McCown's pass to Vincent Jackson was tipped and intercepted in the endzone, sealing the game for Atlanta.
Week 11: at Washington Redskins Mike Evans had a breakout game, catching 7 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns (36 yards and 56 yards, respectively). Tampa Bay won their second game of the season.
Week 12: at Chicago Bears The Buccaneers blew a 10–0 halftime lead with three turnovers in the third quarter. The Bears scored two touchdowns off of turnovers, and a total of 21 points in the third quarter to take the lead and the win. This was head coach
Lovie Smith's first return to Chicago since the Bears fired him following the
2012 season.
Week 13: vs. Cincinnati Bengals Trailing 14–13 in the closing seconds, Tampa Bay completed a 21-yard pass to the Bengals 20 yard line, but a replay showed they had 12 men on the field for the play. The penalty took the Buccaneers out of field goal range.
Week 14: at Detroit Lions With the loss, the Buccaneers were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Week 15: at Carolina Panthers Like the meeting in week 1, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was on the sidelines, this time due to injuries suffered in a car accident. Carolina swept the Buccaneers, using backup quarterbacks in both games.
Week 16: vs. Green Bay Packers Green Bay won for the first time at Raymond James Stadium since 2003, and for only the second time ever.
Week 17: vs. New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay took a 20–7 lead into halftime, but New Orleans rallied for the victory.
Drew Brees threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to
Marques Colston with 1:57 remaining. On the ensuing drive, the Saints defense sacked
Josh McCown for a safety, and secured a 23–20 victory. The Saints swept Tampa Bay for the third straight season, and won their seventh overall in the rivalry. The Buccaneers, finishing 2–14, clinched the first pick in the
2015 NFL draft. The Bucs had also finished 0–8 at home, and 0–6 against their division. Finishing winless at home for the first time since 1976 and lost their 9th straight home game. ==Standings==