Schedule The Buccaneers'
2020 schedule was announced on May 7. Registering a 13.1 rating, it was the
highest-rated regular season game of the
2020 NFL season, and second most-watched measured by total viewers (25.9 million).
Week 2: vs. Carolina Panthers Tom Brady threw for 217 yards and one touchdown pass, as Tampa Bay defeated
Carolina in their home opener, their first win of the season. Due to
COVID-19, the game was played at
Raymond James Stadium without spectators.
Leonard Fournette rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns, while
Mike Evans, who saw limited play in week 1 due to a hamstring injury, rebounded with 104 yards receiving and one touchdown. The Buccaneers jumped out to a 21–0 lead at halftime and held on for a 31–17 victory. The Tampa Bay defense forced four turnovers, and stuffed one
fake punt attempt by the Panthers. This game marked the first time Brady beat the Panthers since 2009, and his first win as a Buccaneer.
Week 3: at Denver Broncos Tom Brady threw for 297 yards and three touchdown passes, and the Buccaneers defense recorded six sacks and two interceptions in a blowout win over the Broncos. It was Tampa Bay's first win over the
Broncos since
1999, and first win in Denver since
1993.
Shaquil Barrett returned to
Empower Field for the first time since the 2018 season, when he played for the Broncos. He punished his old team, and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after, totaling 5 solo tackles, 6 total, three tackles for loss, and two sacks, the first of which was a
safety. Week 4: vs. Los Angeles Chargers The Chargers jumped out to a 24–7 lead in the second quarter, but the Buccaneers rallied in the second half to win by the score of 38–31. Quarterback
Tom Brady, who threw a
Pick 6 in the first quarter, rebounded to pass for 369 yards, and 5 touchdown passes (to five different receivers). The Chargers were up by 17 points with less than one minute left in the first half.
Ndamukong Suh forced a fumble on
Joshua Kelley, and the Buccaneers recovered at the Chargers 6-yard line. Brady's touchdown pass to
Mike Evans with 28 seconds left before halftime made the score 24–14, and proved to be the turning point of the game. Tampa Bay scored touchdowns on the first three drives of the second half, and led 38–31 with 2:44 left in the fourth quarter. With 2:35 remaining in regulation,
Justin Herbert's pass was intercepted by
Carlton Davis near midfield. Tampa Bay ran out the clock, and it was the franchise's biggest comeback win since 2008.
Week 5: at Chicago Bears On
Thursday Night Football, the Buccaneers jumped out to a 10–0 lead in the first quarter, but it was thwarted as the Bears scored two touchdowns in the final 1:48 of the first half, including a one-handed 12-yard touchdown reception by
Jimmy Graham. In the third quarter, the Buccaneers responded with a long field goal, but Bears kicker
Cairo Santos countered with a long field goal of his own. The two teams then traded a field goals. Trailing 20–19 in the final minute of regulation, Tampa Bay was driving near midfield. Quarterback
Tom Brady threw an incomplete pass, not realizing it was 4th down, which effectively ended the game. Bears quarterback
Nick Foles finished with 243 yards, a touchdown, as well as an interception. Tom Brady finished with 253 yards and one touchdown pass to
Mike Evans. With the loss, the Buccaneers dropped to 3–2. Notably, this was Brady's only career loss to the Monsters of the Midway, whom he defeated in five meetings out of five during his two-decade run in New England and defeated a sixth time with the Bucs the following season before retiring.
Week 6: vs. Green Bay Packers Tampa Bay soundly beat previously undefeated
Green Bay by the score of 38–10 at
Raymond James Stadium, in front of a limited crowd of approximately 25% capacity.
Aaron Jones scored a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, as the Packers built a 10–0 lead. But the remainder of the game was dominated by the Buccaneers. Early in the second quarter,
Aaron Rodgers' pass was intercepted by
Jamel Dean who returned it for a 32-yard touchdown. Three plays later, Rodgers was intercepted again. A tipped pass fell into the hands of
Mike Edwards, who ran it back 37 yards to the 2-yard line.
Ronald Jones scored the first of two rushing touchdowns, as Tampa Bay took a 14–10 lead.
Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter, including his 79th regular season touchdown pass to
Rob Gronkowski. The Tampa Bay defense shut out Rodgers and the Packers offense for the rest of the game. Rodgers was sacked five times, and the Packers never crossed midfield in the second half. The Buccaneers also tied a team record with zero penalties, a feat accomplished only once by the club in 1983. This is also their first 4–2 start since
2011. Down by 28, Rodgers would be benched midway through the fourth quarter and replaced with
Tim Boyle. Boyle did not fare well either, as on his third snap, he was sacked by
Jason Pierre-Paul. The ball was fumbled, but recovered by the Packers. The game would ultimately be a preview of the
NFC Championship Game, in which the Buccaneers beat the top-seeded Packers for the second time this season at
Lambeau Field on January 24, 2021.
Week 7: at Las Vegas Raiders Tampa Bay made their first-ever trip to
Las Vegas to face the
Raiders. The game was played without spectators. They faced former head coach
Jon Gruden for the first time since
1999 and for the first time since Gruden (who was the Buccaneers head coach from
2002 to
2008, winning
Super Bowl XXXVII) was fired from the club. Quarterback
Tom Brady threw for 369 yards, four touchdown passes, and ran for a touchdown, as the Buccaneers defeated the Raiders 45–20.
Derek Carr was sacked three times and intercepted once, as the Tampa Bay defense continued to excel. The Raiders were held to only 76 yards rushing, and the Buccaneers lead the NFL in fewest rushing yards per game allowed. The game was originally scheduled for
Sunday Night Football but was moved to 4:05 p.m. after four starting offensive linemen for the Raiders were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Devin White, who was passed on by the Raiders in the
2019 draft, finished with 11 total tackles, 9 solo, two tackles for loss, and 3 sacks.
Week 8: at New York Giants Tampa Bay defeated the
Giants on
Monday Night Football to improve to a record of 6–2, the club's best start since their
2002 Super Bowl-winning season. After a shaky first half for the team,
Tom Brady rallied the Buccaneers in the second half for a 25–23 victory. The Giants led 14–6 at halftime, and received the opening kickoff of the second half. On the second play from scrimmage in the third quarter, quarterback
Daniel Jones was intercepted by
Carlton Davis, which led to a Tampa Bay field goal. After a three-and-out by the Giants, Brady connected with
Rob Gronkowski for a 3-yard touchdown pass, and a 15–14 lead. With just over 12 minutes left in regulation, Jones threw his second interception. Hurried and pressured, his pass was picked off by a diving
Sean Murphy-Bunting. The turnover led to Brady's second touchdown pass, an 8-yard fingertip grab to a diving
Mike Evans in the right corner of the endzone. In the final three minutes, the Giants were driving for a potential game-tying score. Twice Jones converted on fourth down and long, and connected with
Golden Tate for a touchdown with 33 seconds left in regulation. With the score 25–23, the Giants attempted a two-point conversion to tie the game and force overtime. Jones' pass attempt to
Dion Lewis was broken up by
Antoine Winfield Jr. A flag for
pass interference was initially thrown by one of the officials, but after a conference, the flag was picked up and the conversion failed. Tampa Bay held on to win 25–23, their first win at
MetLife Stadium, and first win at the
Meadowlands since
1997.
Week 9: vs. New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay hosted
New Orleans on
Sunday Night Football. The Saints routed the Buccaneers 38–3 to sweep the season series.
Tom Brady threw three interceptions in the loss. Tampa Bay snapped a streak of 22 touchdowns scored when facing a "Goal to Go" situation. Early in the third quarter, Tampa Bay recovered a
Drew Brees fumble, and subsequently faced a 1st & Goal at the New Orleans 1 yard line. In four plays the Buccaneers could not punch the ball in for a score, and failed to score a touchdown in a game for the first time in two years (Week 10 of
2018). This was the first time in Tom Brady's career that he was swept in two meetings by a division rival in the regular season; it was also the largest margin of defeat for Brady in his career as a starter, surpassing a
31–0 loss to Buffalo in the 2003 season and the worst defeat for an eventual Super Bowl champion in NFL history.
Antonio Brown, signed by Tampa Bay on October 27, made his first appearance with the team. He made three receptions for 31 yards.
Week 10: at Carolina Panthers Ronald Jones II scored on a 98-yard touchdown run, the longest rush and longest play from scrimmage in team history, as Tampa Bay swept the season series against
Carolina. The Buccaneers rebounded after their lopsided loss to the Saints the previous week. Quarterback
Tom Brady threw for 341 yards and three touchdown passes, and ran for a touchdown, as Tampa Bay racked up 544 yards of total offense. Carolina led 17–10 late in the second quarter, but
Mike Evans made a leaping touchdown catch at the back of the endzone with 27 seconds left in the half to tie the game at 17–17. Miscues then began piling up for the Panthers.
Teddy Bridgewater threw an apparent 42-yard catch to
D. J. Moore, giving the Panthers a chance for a field goal attempt before halftime. But with seconds left, a delay of game penalty on the Buccaneers, followed by a timeout, allowed officials to review the play. The play was overturned, and the half ended. After the Jones touchdown run midway through the third quarter, Bridgewater threw an interception, which led to a Buccaneers field goal. Bridgewater would later leave the game with a knee injury. Tampa Bay scored points on nine straight drives, including a touchdown run by Brady and a touchdown catch by
Rob Gronkowski, both in the fourth quarter, to seal the victory. The Bucs swept the Panthers for the first time since
2010.
Week 11: vs. Los Angeles Rams Quarterbacks
Tom Brady and
Jared Goff met for the first time since
Super Bowl LIII. On
Monday Night Football, Goff threw for 376 yards and three touchdown passes, as the Rams held off the Buccaneers to win 27–24. Brady finished the game with only 216 yards passing, and threw two interceptions. After a prolific ground performance the week before,
Ronald Jones II was held to only 10 carries for 24 yards rushing. With the game tied 24–24,
Matt Gay kicked a 40-yard go-ahead field goal with 2:36 left in regulation. Brady and the Buccaneers then took over, looking to score to win or force overtime. Brady's deep pass was intercepted at the 31-yard line, and the Rams secured the victory. It was the third loss in four primetime appearances for the Buccaneers. The game was significant in NFL history as it featured the first all-
African American officiating crew.
Week 12: vs. Kansas City Chiefs Tyreek Hill racked up 269 yards receiving and three touchdown passes, much of it in the first half, as the defending
Super Bowl champions
Kansas City outlasted Tampa Bay by the score of 27–24. The Buccaneers lost their second straight game, and third game in four weeks heading into their bye week. After trailing 20–7 at halftime, the Buccaneers narrowed the deficit.
Tom Brady connected with
Rob Gronkowski for a 48-yard completion to the Kansas City 5-yard line. They had to settle, however, for a
Ryan Succop field goal. Brady connected with
Mike Evans for two fourth quarter touchdowns, and closed to within 3 points with 4:14 remaining in regulation. Needing a defensive stop to get the ball back, the Buccaneers could not contain
Patrick Mahomes, who first scrambled for two first downs, and then moments later connected with Hill for a game-clinching first down with 1:15 to go. This was the Buccaneers' first loss to the Chiefs since
1993. This would be a preview of
Super Bowl LV, in which the Buccaneers would knock off the Chiefs this time, 31–9.
Week 14: vs. Minnesota Vikings Coming off their bye week, and after dropping three of their previous four games, Tampa Bay defeated
Minnesota 26–14 to improve to 8–5 and bolster their playoff hopes. Quarterback
Tom Brady threw for 196 yards and two touchdown passes, but the stories of the day were the miscues and kicking woes by the Vikings. Kicker
Dan Bailey missed three field goals and an extra point.
Kirk Cousins was sacked six times and had two fumbles (one lost). Three critical defensive penalties on the Vikings also aided the Buccaneers. The first quarter was dominated by the Vikings, as
Dalvin Cook rushed for 78 yards and one touchdown in the first half alone. But the Vikings could not capitalize on the strong start. After Cook's touchdown run, Bailey missed the extra point. Then the next two Vikings drives ended with missed field goal attempts. Midway through the second quarter, Brady connected to
Scotty Miller with a 48-yard touchdown bomb and a 7–6 Tampa Bay lead. With 44 seconds left in the half, a 1-yard touchdown run by
Ronald Jones II gave Tampa Bay a 14–6 lead. The Vikings went three-and-out, and punted the ball back to Tampa Bay with 21 seconds to go. Brady's deep pass intended for
Rob Gronkowski fell incomplete in the endzone as time expired, but the Vikings were called for Pass Interference. With one untimed play,
Ryan Succop kicked a chip-shot field goal, and Tampa Bay led 17–6 at halftime. On the first drive of the third quarter, Brady and Gronkowski connected for a 2-yard touchdown pass, and a 23–6 lead. Late in the fourth quarter, with Tampa Bay leading 26–14, the Vikings were attempting to rally. On 4th down & 13 with 2:13 left in regulation,
Jason Pierre-Paul sacked
Kirk Cousins, and stripped the ball away for a turnover. The sack thwarted any chance of a comeback, and the Buccaneers ran out the clock to secure the victory.
Leonard Fournette was inactive (coach's decision) for the game, while
Ronald Jones II rushed for 80 yards on 18 carries, including one touchdown.
Week 15: at Atlanta Falcons The
Atlanta Falcons jumped out to a 17–0 halftime lead, but Tampa Bay rallied in the second half for a 31–27 victory. Quarterback
Tom Brady threw for 390 yards and two touchdown passes - nearly all of it in the second half, as the Buccaneers improved to 9–5 on the season and put themselves on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth.
Matt Ryan racked up 235 passing yards and two touchdown passes in the first half alone, while the Buccaneers were held to only 60 total yards of offense in the first half. Ryan would also pass the 50,000 career passing yards milestone. Brady was mostly ineffective, being sacked twice, and completing only ten passes for 70 yards. Running back
Leonard Fournette was held to only three carries for 4 yards.
Younghoe Koo kicked a 32-yard field goal with 18 seconds left in the first half, and the Falcons led 17–0 at the half. The Buccaneers received the ball to start the third quarter, and Brady engineered a spirited comeback. He drove Tampa Bay 80 yards in 7 plays, highlighted by a 32-yard reception to
Mike Evans all the way to the 1 yard line. Fournette would pound the ball in for a score on the next play. On their next drive, Brady and Evans connected twice with pivotal catches, which led to another touchdown. With the Falcons leading 24–14 in the closing minutes of the third quarter, the Atlanta defense was called for a double penalty (
Pass interference and
Face mask) which advanced the Buccaneers to the 17-yard line. Fournette's second touchdown run made the score 24–21 in favor of the Falcons to start the fourth quarter. The two teams traded field goals, and the Falcons clung to a 27–24 lead. A potential go-ahead touchdown pass from Ryan to
Calvin Ridley was knocked away at the last second by
Antoine Winfield Jr., then
Devin White sacked Ryan for the first time of the game. With 6:19 left in regulation, Brady threw a 46-yard bomb to
Antonio Brown for the go-ahead touchdown. It was Brown's first touchdown as a member of the Buccaneers. The Tampa Bay defense stiffened, and forced a three-and-out. With under three minutes left, the Falcons got the ball back, but were pinned at their own 12-yard line. White sacked Ryan for the third time, and two plays later, Atlanta turned the ball over on downs. The Buccaneers managed one first down, and ran out the clock to secure the victory.
Week 16: at Detroit Lions Tampa Bay clinched a playoff berth for the first time since
2007 defeating
Detroit on a record-setting day. The Buccaneers routed the Lions 47–7 at
Ford Field on a Saturday afternoon game. The Lions were without multiple members of their coaching staff, due to
COVID-19 protocols, and failed to score any points on offense. Quarterback
Tom Brady threw for 348 yards and four touchdown passes for a perfect 158.3 passer rating, en route to a 34–0 halftime lead. Brady rested in the second half, and backup
Blaine Gabbert took over in the third quarter. The Buccaneers won their third straight game off their bye week, and ended the regular season with a 6–2 road record, tied for the best in team history.
Mike Evans caught ten passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns to bring his season total to 960 yards, just shy of his 7th straight 1,000-yard receiving season. Evans would set an NFL record if he were to become the first player to have 1,000 yards receiving in his first seven seasons. Brady's four touchdown passes put him at 36 total for the year, a single-season franchise record. It was also Brady's 300th career regular season game. The Buccaneers offense had 410 net yards of offense in the first half, and 588 total yards in the game, both club records. The 34–0 halftime lead was the largest such in team history, and the 40-point winning margin was the second-largest in team history. Trailing 40–0, the Lions finally got on the board midway through the third quarter with a 74-yard punt return touchdown by
Jamal Agnew. Quarterback
Matthew Stafford left the game early with an ankle injury, and backups
David Blough and
Chase Daniel combined for only 135 yards, 4 sacks, and 1 interception.
Rob Gronkowski scored on two touchdown passes, and
Antonio Brown got his second touchdown reception with the Buccaneers. One day earlier on Christmas Day,
New Orleans clinched the NFC South division title. Tampa Bay with the victory, secured a wild card berth, their first playoff appearance in thirteen seasons. It is also their first appearance as a wild card team since 2001. This was the last time the Buccaneers failed to clinched the NFC South until
2025.
Week 17: vs. Atlanta Falcons Quarterback
Tom Brady threw for 399 yards and four touchdown passes as Tampa Bay swept the
Falcons on the season. The Buccaneers finished the regular season with a record of 11–5, their best finish since
2005, and secured the fifth seed in the NFC playoffs. Brady's four touchdown passes brought his season total to 40, a single-season franchise record. In the first quarter,
Mike Evans made three receptions for 46 yards, to become the first player in NFL history to record 1,000+ receiving yards in his first seven seasons. However, on the play after setting the record, Evans was targeted in the endzone, where he slipped on the slick sod. He hyperextended his knee, and was out for the remainder of the game. With Tampa Bay leading 23–20 after three-quarters, the Buccaneers put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter.
Ronald Jones II scored on a rushing touchdown, then
Chris Godwin and
Antonio Brown each caught their second respective touchdown passes of the game.
Standings Division Conference ==Postseason==