Outside of Tampa Bay, expectations for the Buccaneers coming into the 2023 season were low. With no Tom Brady and $75 million in dead cap money, the Bucs were dead on arrival.
Tampa Bay clearly had other ideas.
At 3-1, Tampa Bay is firmly in control of the NFC South and a playoff contender. It comes as little surprise that the defense is above average, powered largely by 10 forced turnovers, the second-most in the NFL this year. The source of these turnovers and the defense’s resiliency, on the other hand, may be unexpected.
The biggest surprises come on offense. Things were going to be different under new offensive coordinator Dave Canales, but as a rookie playcaller, it was a mystery whether he would be a change for good or not. A quarter of the way through the season, it would be difficult to argue that Canales is not an upgrade for the Bucs offense.
Here are the biggest surprises from the first four games of Tampa Bay’s season: