2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
OwnerThe Glazer family
General managerJason Licht
Head coachDirk Koetter
Home fieldRaymond James Stadium
Results
Record9–7
Division place2nd NFC South
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
2
AP All-Pros
3

The 2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 41st season in the National Football League and the first under head coach Dirk Koetter. In week 13, the club won their seventh game, eclipsing their win total from 2015.

After winning on opening day, Tampa Bay sputtered through the rest of September. Starting running back Doug Martin was sidelined for eight weeks with a hamstring injury, necessitating back-up running backs taking his place in the lineup. After receiving adequate performances from Charles Sims and Antone Smith, both subsequently ended up on injured reserve, along with wide receivers Vincent Jackson and Cecil Shorts. A victory on Monday night against division rival Carolina saw Tampa Bay begin a streak in which they won seven out of their next nine games. Between weeks 10 and 14, the Buccaneers achieved their first five-game winning streak since their first Super Bowl championship season.

Losses to the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints late in the season hampered the Buccaneers' playoff hopes; heading into week 17, the team was still mathematically alive for a wild card berth, but despite defeating the Carolina Panthers, the team missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Buccaneers finished tied with the Detroit Lions for the last NFC playoff spot, but lost the tiebreaker because they had a worse record against common opponents than the Lions did. Nevertheless, the Buccaneers achieved their first winning season since the 2010 campaign, when they also narrowly missed the playoffs.

Draft

2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
111 Vernon Hargreaves IIICBFlorida
239 Noah SpenceDEEastern Kentucky University
259 Roberto AguayoKFlorida State
4108 Ryan SmithCBNorth Carolina Central
5148 Caleb BenenochOTUCLA
6183 Devante BondOLBOklahoma
6197 Dan VitaleTENorthwestern

Notes

Staff

2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff
Front office
  • Owner/president – Estate of Malcolm Glazer
  • Co–Chairman – Bryan Glazer
  • Co–Chairman – Edward Glazer
  • Co–Chairman – Joel Glazer
  • General manager – Jason Licht
  • Director of player personnel – John Spytek
  • Director of football operations – Shelton Quarles
  • Director of college scouting – Mike Biehl
  • Pro scouting coordinator – Rob McCartney
  • Director of football administration – Mike Greenberg

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Dirk Koetter
  • Assistant to head coach – Zack Grossi

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Head strength and conditioning – Dave Kennedy
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Joe Vaughn
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Chad Wade

Final roster

2016 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, 14 inactive, 10 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 11 at Philadelphia Eagles L 9–17 0–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
2 August 20 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 27–21 1–1 EverBank Field Recap
3 August 26 Cleveland Browns W 30–13 2–1 Raymond James Stadium Recap
4 August 31[upper-alpha 1] Washington Redskins L 13–20 2–2 Raymond James Stadium Recap

Regular season

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 11 at Atlanta Falcons W 31–24 1–0 Georgia Dome Recap
2 September 18 at Arizona Cardinals L 7–40 1–1 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
3 September 25 Los Angeles Rams L 32–37 1–2 Raymond James Stadium Recap
4 October 2 Denver Broncos L 7–27 1–3 Raymond James Stadium Recap
5 October 10 at Carolina Panthers W 17–14 2–3 Bank of America Stadium Recap
6 Bye
7 October 23 at San Francisco 49ers W 34–17 3–3 Levi's Stadium Recap
8 October 30 Oakland Raiders L 24–30 (OT) 3–4 Raymond James Stadium Recap
9 November 3 Atlanta Falcons L 28–43 3–5 Raymond James Stadium Recap
10 November 13 Chicago Bears W 36–10 4–5 Raymond James Stadium Recap
11 November 20 at Kansas City Chiefs W 19–17 5–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
12 November 27 Seattle Seahawks W 14–5 6–5 Raymond James Stadium Recap
13 December 4 at San Diego Chargers W 28–21 7–5 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
14 December 11 New Orleans Saints W 16–11 8–5 Raymond James Stadium Recap
15 December 18 at Dallas Cowboys L 20–26 8–6 AT&T Stadium Recap
16 December 24 at New Orleans Saints L 24–31 8–7 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
17 January 1 Carolina Panthers W 17–16 9–7 Raymond James Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Atlanta Falcons

Week One: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 14 14031
Falcons 10 3 8324

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

Quarterback Jameis Winston threw for 281 yards and four touchdown passes, as Tampa Bay defeated Atlanta 31–24. The Buccaneers jumped out to a 31–13 lead late in the third quarter, then held off a rally by the Falcons. Atlanta got the ball back trailing by 7 with just under two minutes to go, but managed only one first down, and turned the ball over on downs to end the game.

Week 2: at Arizona Cardinals

Week Two: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 0 0 707
Cardinals 0 24 9740

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Arizona routed Tampa Bay 40–7. Quarterback Jameis Winston threw four interceptions and lost one fumble. Running back Doug Martin left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury.

Week 3: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week Three: Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Rams 10 7 71337
Buccaneers 6 14 01232

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

With Los Angeles leading 37–32 at two minute warning, the game was suspended for an hour and ten minutes due to lightning in the area. When the game resumed, the Rams faced 3rd & 11 at their own 5 yard line. Case Keenum threw an incompletion, and the Rams punted to Tampa Bay. Jameis Winston drove the Buccaneers to the Rams 15 yard line in the final minute. With 4 seconds left in regulation, Winston rolled out to his left, but with no receivers open, scrambled 10 yards downfield, and was tackled at the 5 yard line to end the game.

Week 4: vs. Denver Broncos

Week Four: Denver Broncos at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Broncos 7 10 3727
Buccaneers 7 0 007

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

For the second consecutive week, Tampa Bay endured a weather delay. Midway through the fourth quarter, the game was suspended for 90 minutes due to lightning. Denver defeated Tampa Bay 27–7. Jameis Winston ran for a touchdown, but threw two interceptions in the loss.

Week 5: at Carolina Panthers

Week Five: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 3 8317
Panthers 0 0 14014

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Game information

Tampa Bay snapped Carolina's six game winning streak in the series, as the two clubs met on Monday Night Football. With Cam Newton sidelined due to concussion protocol, Derek Anderson started for Carolina. Anderson threw two interceptions and lost one fumble. With the game tied 14-14, Tampa Bay drove to the Panthers 20 yard line in the final minute. After missing two attempts earlier in the game, Roberto Aguayo kicked a 38-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

Week 7: at San Francisco 49ers

Week Seven: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 0 17 10734
49ers 14 0 0317

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Game information

Jameis Winston threw for 269 yards and three touchdown passes, while Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 154 yards. After falling behind 14–0, Tampa Bay scored 27 unanswered points, and pulled away for a 34–17 victory.

Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week Eight: Oakland Raiders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Raiders 0 3 147630
Buccaneers 3 7 014024

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

In this Super Bowl XXXVII rematch, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw for 513 yards and four touchdown passes as the Raiders won in overtime. With 1:55 remaining in the overtime period, on a 4th down & 3, Carr threw a game-winning 41-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts.

Week 9: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week Nine: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 10 10 131043
Buccaneers 7 7 01428

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

Tampa Bay's only highlight came in the fourth quarter when Mike Evans made a spectacular one-handed sideline catch. However, he was hit and left the game with a concussion. He did finish on a solid note with 11 receptions along with 150 yards and two scores.

Week 10: vs. Chicago Bears

Week Ten: Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 3 7 0010
Buccaneers 7 10 12736

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: November 13
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 62,898
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dan Hellie, David Diehl and Holly Sonders
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Tampa Bay beat Chicago in dominating fashion for their first home victory of the season. Chris Conte intercepted a Jay Cutler pass and returned the ball 20 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter to start the scoring. Jameis Winston threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns, including a busted play and scramble to his own endzone which resulted in a remarkable 39-yard completion to Mike Evans. Doug Martin returned to the lineup, and scored a rushing touchdown.

Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week Eleven: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 0 9 3719
Chiefs 3 7 0717

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Tampa Bay won their second straight game, this one against a team that was highly favored to win. Jameis Winston threw for over 300 yards while Mike Evans received for over 100 yards. The offense was efficient, especially on third down where they went 11 of 15. The defense came up big as well, with safety Chris Conte getting an interception in the end zone, his second straight game with a pick. Rookie kicker Roberto Aguyao, who has struggled throughout the season, went 5/5 on kicks, making 4 field goals and 1 extra point. With this win, the Bucs got back to .500, took sole possession of second place in the NFC South, and improved their road record to 4-1.

Week 12: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week Twelve: Seattle Seahawks at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 5 005
Buccaneers 14 0 0014

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: November 27
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 63,674
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Coming into a game where Seattle was highly favored to win, Tampa Bay earned their third straight win in impressive fashion. After scoring two Winston to Evans touchdowns in the first quarter, the defense held up and didn't allow any offensive touchdowns. The only points scored against them were a safety after a holding call in the endzone and a Seattle field goal. The defense also held Seattle to just one 3rd down conversion on 11 attempts, with the sole conversion coming in the 4th quarter. Seattle QB Russell Wilson was sacked six times and two of his passes were intercepted, one of those interceptions coming from CB Alterraun Verner. With this upset win, the Bucs moved over .500 for the first time through 11 games since 2012, and sits a half a game behind the final wildcard spot.

Week 13: at San Diego Chargers

Week Thirteen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 7 0 101128
Chargers 7 7 7021

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 4
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 53,832
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, David Diehl and Holly Sonders
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Bucs won their fourth consecutive game. After being down at the half 14–7, the Bucs outscored the Chargers 21–7 in the second half. The win gives the Bucs a 7–5 record (5–1 on the road) and since the Redskins (6–4–1) lost, the Bucs took over the final wildcard spot. Also since the Falcons (7–5) lost, they are now tied with them atop the NFC South. After the game, the Week 15 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys was flexed from a normal 1 p.m. kickoff to Sunday Night Football.

Week 14: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week Fourteen: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 8 3011
Buccaneers 3 10 0316

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 62,140
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Buccaneers won their fifth consecutive game after another impressive showing from the defense. The defense picked off Drew Brees three times, including one to seal the win. They also held the Saints offense to zero offensive touchdowns. The win puts the Buccaneers at 8–5, and they now have a chance to finish the season with a record over .500, the first since the 2010 season.

Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys

Week Fifteen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 3 14020
Cowboys 0 17 0926

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: December 18
  • Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (roof retracted)
  • Game attendance: 93,101
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Buccaneers five-game winning streak came to an end with this loss. After being down 17–6 at the half, the Bucs came out hot in the second half scoring two touchdowns on throws to receiver Adam Humphries and tight end Cameron Brate, taking a 20–17 lead going into the fourth quarter. After three Dallas field goals in the fourth, the Bucs had a chance to drive down the field for a last second touchdown. On 4th down with around 30 seconds remaining, Winston threw an interception to seal the game. With the loss, the Buccaneers move to 8–6 on the season.

Week 16: at New Orleans Saints

Week Sixteen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 0 7 14324
Saints 7 6 15331

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 73,177
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Bucs' playoff hopes took hits after a second loss in a row, this time to the New Orleans Saints. Their defense was shaky, as they allowed 13 points in the first half of the game, and 18 points in the second half. This put the Bucs outside the playoff picture, and left them requiring victory in week 17 as well as hoping for the Washington Redskins and the Green Bay Packers to both lose. Mark Ingram II scored two touchdowns, during the game, and Jameis Winston was picked off twice during the game, unlike the previous meeting of the two teams a couple weeks ago.[3]

Week 17: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Seventeen: Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 7 0 3616
Buccaneers 3 0 7717

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: January 1, 2017
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 62,037
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Chris Spielman and Peter Schager
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Bucs closed out the season sweeping the season series against Carolina. The game came down to the wire, with Carolina coming within one after scoring a touchdown with 17 seconds left to play. Instead of tying it up with an extra point, Carolina failed on an attempted two-point conversion. In addition to this win, the Buccaneers' playoff hopes required six other Week 17 results (including a tie between the New York Giants and Washington Redskins) to fall their way in order to secure a strength-of-victory tiebreaker over the Green Bay Packers for the final wild-card berth. They were officially eliminated from playoff contention after the New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins. However, they finished 9–7, their first winning record since finishing 10–6 in the 2010 season, and would pick 19th overall in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Standings

Division

NFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Atlanta Falcons 11 5 0 .688 5–1 9–3 540 406 W4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9 7 0 .563 4–2 7–5 354 369 W1
New Orleans Saints 7 9 0 .438 2–4 6–6 469 454 L1
Carolina Panthers 6 10 0 .375 1–5 5–7 369 402 L2

Conference

NFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 Dallas Cowboys East 13 3 0 .813 3–3 9–3 .471 .440 L1
2 Atlanta Falcons South 11 5 0 .688 5–1 9–3 .480 .452 W4
3 Seattle Seahawks West 10 5 1 .656 3–2–1 6–5–1 .441 .425 W1
4 Green Bay Packers North 10 6 0 .625 5–1 8–4 .508 .453 W6
Wild Cards
5 New York Giants East 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 .486 .455 W1
6[lower-alpha 1] Detroit Lions North 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 .475 .392 L3
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[lower-alpha 1] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 9 7 0 .563 4–2 7–5 .492 .434 W1
8 Washington Redskins East 8 7 1 .531 3–3 6–6 .516 .430 L1
9 Minnesota Vikings North 8 8 0 .500 2–4 5–7 .492 .457 W1
10 Arizona Cardinals West 7 8 1 .469 4–1–1 6–5–1 .463 .366 W2
11[lower-alpha 2] New Orleans Saints South 7 9 0 .438 2–4 6–6 .523 .393 L1
12[lower-alpha 2] Philadelphia Eagles East 7 9 0 .438 2–4 5–7 .559 .518 W2
13 Carolina Panthers South 6 10 0 .375 1–5 5–7 .518 .354 L2
14 Los Angeles Rams West 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 .504 .500 L7
15 Chicago Bears North 3 13 0 .188 2–4 3–9 .521 .396 L4
16 San Francisco 49ers West 2 14 0 .125 2–4 2–10 .504 .250 L1
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 3]
  1. 1 2 Detroit finished ahead of Tampa Bay for the No. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents—Detroit's cumulative record against Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New Orleans was 3–2, while Tampa Bay's cumulative record against the same four teams was 2–3.
  2. 1 2 New Orleans finished ahead of Philadelphia based on better record vs. conference opponents.
  3. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Awards

Notes

  1. ↑ The Week 4 preseason game vs. the Washington Redskins at Raymond James Stadium, originally scheduled for September 1, was moved forward to Wednesday, August 31, in an effort to avoid anticipated severe weather from Tropical Depression Nine.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Orr, Conor. "Dashon Goldson traded from Buccaneers to Redskins". NFL.com. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Buccaneers-Redskins Preseason Game Moved to Wednesday Night". Tampa Bay Buccaneers. August 29, 2016. Archived from the original on August 31, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Buccaneers vs. Saints - Game Recap - December 24, 2016 - ESPN".
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