2017 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season

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2017 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
OwnerThe Glazer family
General managerJason Licht
Head coachDirk Koetter
Home fieldRaymond James Stadium
Results
Record5–11
Division place4th NFC South
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersLB Kwon Alexander
DT Gerald McCoy

The 2017 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 42nd season in the National Football League, the 20th playing their home games at Raymond James Stadium and the second under head coach Dirk Koetter.

On March 9, 2017, the Buccaneers signed former

Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson, defensive tackle Chris Baker, former Dallas Cowboys safety J. J. Wilcox (traded to Pittsburgh Steelers), former New York Jets kicker Nick Folk, and veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick
.

The team's Week 1 game against the Miami Dolphins was rescheduled to November 19 due to Hurricane Irma. Week 11 was originally the two teams' bye week. Week 1 would become the bye week for both teams and they would not play until Week 2. This was first time since the Arizona Cardinals in 2001 in which a team had a bye week in Week 1.

The Buccaneers were hampered with poor performance and an early kicking situation, as they failed to improve or match their 9–7 record from the previous season. After a loss to the Detroit Lions on December 10, 2017, they were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with a 4–9 record. The Bucs finished the season 5-11. This was their tenth consecutive season without a playoff appearance, with their last being in the 2007 season. Also, the Bucs finished last in the NFC South for the seventh time in nine seasons.

The preseason was documented on HBO's Hard Knocks.

Offseason

Signings

Position Player Age 2016 Team Contract
WR DeSean Jackson 30
Washington Redskins
 3 years, $33.5 million
DE Chris Baker 29
Washington Redskins
 3 years, $15.7 million
FS
J.J. Wilcox
 28 Dallas Cowboys 2 years, $6.2 million
C Joe Hawley 28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 years, $5.5 million
CB Josh Robinson 26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 years, $5 million
FS Chris Conte 28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 years, $5 million
RB Jacquizz Rodgers 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 years, $3.3 million
K Nick Folk 32 New York Jets 1 year, $1.7 million
DT Sealver Siliga 28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 year, $1.1 million
LS Garrison Sanborn 31 Buffalo Bills 1 year, $950,000

Departures

Position Player Age 2017 Team
QB Mike Glennon 27 Chicago Bears
WR Russell Shepard 26 Carolina Panthers
DT Akeem Spence 25 Detroit Lions
FS Bradley McDougald 26 Seattle Seahawks
LB Daryl Smith 35 Retired
CB Alterraun Verner 28 Miami Dolphins
WR Cecil Shorts 29 Retired
WR Vincent Jackson 34 Retired
OT Gosder Cherilus 32 Retired

Acquisitions

The first transactions of the year occurred shortly after the conclusion of the

Mike Liedtke, cornerback Cody Riggs, running back Blake Sims, and tight end Tevin Westbrook to reserve/futures contracts.[1]

On January 4, the Bucs signed tight end

Edmonton Eskimos wide receiver Derel Walker, Saskatchewan Roughriders Jeff Knox Jr and guard Jarvis Harrison.[3]

On September 3, the club signed T. J. Ward, previously with Denver, for a one-year deal worth $5 million.[4]

2017 NFL draft

Main article:
2017 NFL Draft

Pre-draft

Draft

2017 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft
Round Selection Player Position College
1 19 O.J. Howard TE Alabama
2 50 Justin Evans S Texas A&M
3 84 Chris Godwin WR Penn State
107 Kendell Beckwith LB LSU
5 162 Jeremy McNichols RB Boise State
7 223 Stevie Tu'ikolovatu DT USC

Staff

2017 Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Final roster

2017 Tampa Bay Buccaneers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 active, 12 inactive, 11 practice squad

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 11 at Cincinnati Bengals L 12–23 0–1
Paul Brown Stadium
 Recap
2 August 17 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 12–8 1–1
EverBank Field
 Recap
3 August 26 Cleveland Browns L 9–13 1–2 Raymond James Stadium Recap
4 August 31 Washington Redskins L 10–13 1–3 Raymond James Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 Bye[A]
2 September 17 Chicago Bears W 29–7 1–0 Raymond James Stadium Recap
3 September 24 at Minnesota Vikings L 17–34 1–1 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap
4 October 1 New York Giants W 25–23 2–1 Raymond James Stadium Recap
5 October 5 New England Patriots L 14–19 2–2 Raymond James Stadium Recap
6 October 15 at Arizona Cardinals L 33–38 2–3
University of Phoenix Stadium
 Recap
7 October 22 at Buffalo Bills L 27–30 2–4
New Era Field
 Recap
8 October 29 Carolina Panthers L 3–17 2–5 Raymond James Stadium Recap
9 November 5 at New Orleans Saints L 10–30 2–6
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
 Recap
10 November 12 New York Jets W 15–10 3–6 Raymond James Stadium Recap
11 November 19[A] at Miami Dolphins W 30–20 4–6 Hard Rock Stadium Recap
12 November 26 at Atlanta Falcons L 20–34 4–7 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
13 December 3 at Green Bay Packers L 20–26 (OT) 4–8 Lambeau Field Recap
14 December 10 Detroit Lions L 21–24 4–9 Raymond James Stadium Recap
15 December 18 Atlanta Falcons L 21–24 4–10 Raymond James Stadium Recap
16 December 24 at Carolina Panthers L 19–22 4–11 Bank of America Stadium Recap
17 December 31 New Orleans Saints W 31–24 5–11 Raymond James Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 2: vs. Chicago Bears

Week Two: Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 0 077
Buccaneers 10 16 0329

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

After a bye in Week 1 due to Hurricane Irma, Tampa Bay began their season in Week 2 against Chicago. Jameis Winston threw for 204 yards and 1 touchdown pass to Mike Evans, as the Buccaneers routed the Bears 29–7. Bears quarterback (and former Buccaneer) Mike Glennon lost a fumble, and threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings

Week Three: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 0 14017
Vikings 7 14 10334

at

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Before the game, wide receivers

national anthem protests two days prior. The Vikings jumped out to a 28–3 lead by the third quarter, while the Buccaneers defense could not contain Case Keenum, who threw for 369 yards and three touchdown passes. After quarterback Jameis Winston
threw his second interception, a frustrated Evans was seen kicking over the ice tub on the sidelines. Minnesota held on to top Tampa Bay by the final score of 34–17.

Week 4: vs. New York Giants

Game information

Jameis Winston threw for 332 yards and three touchdown passes, but Tampa Bay found themselves trailing by a point late in the fourth quarter to the New York Giants. Tampa Bay jumped out to a 13–0 lead in the first quarter, but kicker Nick Folk missed an extra point and later missed two field goal attempts. The Giants took a 23–22 lead with 3:16 remaining in regulation after a 2-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Rhett Ellison. In the final three minutes, Winston drove the Buccaneers to the Giants' 16-yard line. Folk kicked a 34-yard field goal just inside the left upright as time expired, and Tampa Bay won 25–23.

Week 5: vs. New England Patriots

Week Five: New England Patriots at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Patriots 3 10 3319
Buccaneers 0 7 0714

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

The Tampa Bay defense played significantly better, picking off Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (his first interception of the season) and getting a sack fumble. Running back Doug Martin returned from his suspension, and had a productive showing, rushing for 74 yards on 14 carries and scoring a touchdown. However, the Tampa Bay offense mostly struggled through the first three-quarters. Meanwhile, Buccaneers kicker Nick Folk struggled mightily, missing on all three of his field goal attempts. Late in the fourth quarter, Jameis Winston threw a touchdown pass to tight end Cameron Brate, making the score 16–14 with just over two minutes left in regulation. After a failed onside kicked, the Patriots scored a field goal putting themselves up by five. The Buccaneers got the ball back with 1:10 remaining, and zero timeouts left. Winston drove the Buccaneers to the New England 18-yard line with 3 seconds to go. Winston's pass to O. J. Howard in the endzone as time expired fell incomplete, ending the team's six-game home winning streak. After missing six kicks since the Giants game (five field goals and one extra point), kicker Nick Folk was placed on injured reserve.

Week 6: at Arizona Cardinals

Week Six: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 0 0 62733
Cardinals 14 10 7738

at

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Game information

The Buccaneers started off horribly, both offensively and defensively as the Cardinals scored early. Five days earlier, veteran running back Adrian Peterson had been traded to Arizona from the Saints. Peterson started his first game for the Cardinals, scoring on the opening drive. Down 24–0 in the second quarter, Jameis Winston was sidelined with a shoulder injury and was replaced by backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Winston would not return. After Fitzpatrick threw an interception early in the third quarter, the Cardinals scored again taking a 31–0 lead. The Buccaneers mounted a comeback, outscoring the Cardinals 33-7 for the remainder of the game, but came up short 38-33 after failing to recover an onside kick with just 2:02 remaining in regulation.

Week 7: at Buffalo Bills

Week Seven: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 6 0 71427
Bills 3 7 71330

at

New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

Game information

The Buccaneers played a more consistent game, but still came up short in Buffalo. After scoring early in the third quarter, Buffalo took a 17–6 lead. After another Bills field goal, and two touchdown passes from Jameis Winston to rookie tight-end O. J. Howard, the game was tied, 20-20. With just over 3 minutes remaining in regulation, another touchdown pass by Winston, this time a diving catch just inbounds by Mike Evans gave the Buccaneers a 27–20 lead. On the next drive, the Bills drove down the field in three plays to tie the game, aided by an ill-timed 15-yard Unnecessary Roughness penalty by Robert McClain. With 2:20 left in the fourth, a pass from Winston to Adam Humphries was fumbled and recovered by the Bills at Tampa Bay 32-yard line. After running down the clock, the Bills kicked a field goal to win the game. With this loss, the Buccaneers now have lost three straight games, all by less than one score, and sit at 2–4 at the bottom of the NFC South.

Week 8: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Eight: Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 7 3 0717
Buccaneers 0 0 303

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: October 29
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
  • Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 58,545
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Buccaneers drop their fourth straight game in a disappointing loss. The defense improved, while the offense only put up 3 points. With this loss, the Bucs move to 2-5 and are still at the bottom of the NFC South.

Week 9: at New Orleans Saints

Week Nine: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 0 3 0710
Saints 9 7 14030

at

New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: November 5
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST/12:00 pm. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 73,121
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The offense once again struggled as the Bucs lost their fifth straight game and their second straight against a division opponent. Jameis Winston sat out of the second half due to an injury and was replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick. This game was also marred by a brawl on Tampa Bay's sideline in the 3rd quarter when Winston, who was already considered out with the aforementioned injury, went over and pushed Marshon Lattimore in his ear, and Mike Evans suddenly shoved Lattimore from behind to spark the fight; however, there were no ejections.

With this loss, the Bucs move to 2–6. This is the Bucs' longest losing streak since the 2014 season.

Week 10: vs. New York Jets

Week Ten: New York Jets at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Jets 0 3 0710
Buccaneers 3 0 6615

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

The Bucs end their five-game losing streak with a win at home against the Jets. With Jameis Winston out with an injury and Mike Evans out due to a one-game suspension earned in the previous game against the Saints, Ryan Fitzpatrick and rookie Chris Godwin got the starts for the Bucs. The only scores came from field goals until the fourth quarter where both teams scored late touchdowns. The Bucs scored first taking a 15–3 lead, then the Jets scored with 38 seconds left, cutting the lead to five points. A failed Jets onside kick sealed a Bucs win.

Week 11: at Miami Dolphins

Week Eleven: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 17 01030
Dolphins 7 0 6720

at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Game information

After originally being slated to play in Week 1, the Bucs and the Dolphins finally met on what should have been each other's bye week. The Bucs win consecutive games for the first time this year with a 30–20 win. The defense created 4 turnovers in the first half, 3 interceptions and one fumble. Ryan Fitzpatrick started once again, finishing with over 270 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. With this win, the Bucs move to 4–6.

Week 12: at Atlanta Falcons

Week Twelve: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 3 7720
Falcons 3 17 7734

at

Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

The Bucs go 0–3 in the division with a loss at the Falcons. After going down 27–6 in the third quarter, the Bucs fought back to cut the lead to 27–20. After a turn over on downs, the Falcons scored again to end the game. With this loss, the Bucs fall to 4–7, equaling their loss total from last season.

Week 13: at Green Bay Packers

Week Thirteen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Buccaneers 7 3 010020
Packers 3 14 03626

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: December 3
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST/12:00 pm. CST
  • Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 77,684
  • Referee:
    Jennifer Hale
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information