After really hitting a new low with this past Sunday’s 23-19 home loss to the Browns — one that dropped them to 0-2 for the first time since 2014 — the Bucs can’t afford to sink any lower. They’re at a crossroads very early in this 2026 season, and this Sunday’s Week 3 matchup against the 2-0 Vikings at Raymond James Stadium feels like a must-win.
On the one hand, Tampa Bay has lost its first two games by a combined 10 points. Flip a play or two? This team could be 1-1, if not 2-0.
But on the other hand, Todd Bowles and Co. are 2-9 in their last 11 games dating back to last season. For as many changes as there were to the defensive side of the ball and for all the talk about getting healthy and operating an offense more in line with the one they ran so successfully in 2024, the first two games of the 2026 season have felt like a continuation of that awful final stretch in 2025.
The leash got way longer for quarterback Baker Mayfield when he signed a new three-year, $165 million deal prior to the start of the regular season. However, the heat is on Bowles, who is now an even 35-35 in the regular season as the Bucs’ head coach. He’s squarely on the hot seat, and the more losses that stack up, the clearer it’ll get that his time will be up and Tampa Bay will be in the market for a new head coach to start 2027.
A win over the Vikings on Sunday at least stops the bleeding for the Bucs and quiets some of the angst surrounding this team. A loss, and it’s a long, long road back from 0-3, especially with the Packers and Cowboys looming in Weeks 3 and 4.
Here’s a general preview of Sunday’s game between Tampa Bay and Minnesota at Ray Jay:
The Last Time…
The Bucs and Vikings last met in Minnesota to start the 2023 season. It was Baker Mayfield’s first game with Tampa Bay, and he endeared himself to the fan base right away to begin the post-Tom Brady era. It was a gritty performance from No. 6, while the Buccaneer defense and kicker Chase McLaughlin did their part in a 20-17 win.
Bucs K Chase McLaughlin – Photo by: USA Today
Mayfield threw touchdown passes to Mike Evans and Trey Palmer, while the moment of the day came when the new Buccaneers quarterback stiff-armed Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy on a 5-yard run and finished it with a chirp, telling him to get his weight up. That drive would end with what ultimately proved to be the difference in the game, a 57-yard field goal from McLaughlin.
Antoine Winfield Jr. had a sack-fumble and recovery with it to kickstart his All-Pro season, while Joe Tryon-Shoyinka also recovered a fumble and Christian Izien came up with an interception of Kirk Cousins in his NFL debut.
The Vikings hold the all-time series lead over the Bucs at 33-24, though Tampa Bay has won back-to-back games (2023, 2020) against its former NFC Central foes.
How The Bucs And Vikings Are Trending
The Bucs are in a bad spot. They came into the 2026 season with hopes of returning to the top of the NFC South and making a run in the playoffs. But at 0-2, they’re already up against it. They have never made the playoffs or finished with a winning record in a full season after an 0-2 start. At 0-3? You can forget about it.
A lot has contributed to these back-to-back losses to start this season. Perhaps one of the biggest culprits has been quarterback Baker Mayfield, who hasn’t come close to living up to his $55 million price tag. He has four turnovers through two games, and he has left quite a few plays out there. Mayfield has always been somewhat of a roller coaster ride, but the first two weeks have been a display of the 31-year-old quarterback at his worst.
Bucs OC Zac Robinson and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
While he feels like the main issue for the offense through two weeks, it’s not just Mayfield falling short. After a solid debut in Week 1, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson felt extremely predictable in Week 2 against the Browns. Screen after screen for 1 yard or no gain isn’t going to cut it, nor is waiting until late in the first half or early in the second to target Chris Godwin Jr. or Emeka Egbuka.
Also up there on the list of problems for the Bucs offense is that the offensive line isn’t playing up to its usual standard. Guard play in particular has been rough, with Ben Bredeson allowing two sacks and five total pressures in two games and Cody Mauch giving up a team-high eight pressures. Ill-timed penalties from center Graham Barton plagued the progress of the Tampa Bay offense last week, too.
The defense isn’t blameless by any means, either. After a letdown of a start against the Bengals, the Bucs’ supposedly revamped pass rush was still invisible against the Browns. In some ways, Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson neutralized what little pressure was coming by moving out of the pocket and making plays. But the likes of Yaya Diaby, Rueben Bain Jr., Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey need to do more. Bain’s health is up in the air right now, which both complicates things for the rookie and opens up an avenue for David Walker, Al-Quadin Muhammad and perhaps Anthony Nelson to get more reps.
Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
Tampa Bay has had its share of tackling woes, too, especially on Denzel Boston’s game-tying 55-yard touchdown in Week 2. The biggest offender in that department has been Alex Anzalone, whose play has been hideous all-around in his first two games in red, white and pewter. The veteran inside linebacker and team captain has received heavy criticism over these last two weeks, and he needs to turn it around in a big way.
The Vikings have been a surprise early on in the 2026 season, getting out to a 2-0 start with two NFC North victories, therefore setting themselves up with a strong lead in the division over the 1-1 Lions, 1-1 Bears and 1-1 Packers. Minnesota entered the season with the lowest odds to win its division, but is off to a great start with wins that came in very different ways. First, it was a 39-22 victory over Green Bay at home. The Vikings trailed 22-10 in that game before scoring the game’s final 29 points. Then came a 9-3 win over the Bears in Week 2, and that was a Bears team that had scored 59 points in Week 1.
A big reason for the lack of faith in Minnesota coming into the season came as a result of its quarterback situation. Yes, head coach Kevin O’Connell is frequently lauded for his track record with quarterbacks. However, the team’s decision to move on from Sam Darnold after a 13-4 2024 season in favor of 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy was still fresh, especially considering Darnold went on to win the Super Bowl with Seattle while McCarthy played out a poor and injury-plagued season and has since been relegated to QB3 duties.
Vikings QB Kyler Murray – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
Kyler Murray, the former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 Draft, signed with the Vikings this offseason after being released by the Cardinals. He was named the starter pretty early on in camp, with McCarthy knocked down to QB3 and veteran Carson Wentz taking the backup role. And it’s been Wentz who has guided this team to a 2-0 start after Murray went down with a concussion 11 plays into his Vikings debut against the Packers. After missing most of that game and sitting out the team’s Week 2 win, Murray will return this week against the Bucs.
Murray has all-world receiver Justin Jefferson as his go-to guy. The former LSU star has 11 catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns thus far in 2026, with veteran tight end T.J. Hockenson as the second-leading pass-catcher with seven for 65 yards and a touchdown. It’s been a slow start for Jordan Addison (two catches on seven targets for 21 yards), but he’s a threat, too, as is running back Aaron Jones Sr. (35 carries, 145 yards, 1 TD, 4.1 avg.).
The more dangerous side of the ball for this Vikings team is the defense, led by Brian Flores, one of the most aggressive and most respected defensive coordinators in the NFL. Unsurprisingly, Minnesota leads the league in blitz rate at around 76%, with Carolina’s 48% a distant No. 2. Tampa Bay can expect heavy pressure this Sunday. It’s not just all-out blitzes from this defense, either. It’s unique pressures that attack the weak points in the opposing offense, and based on what we’ve seen through two weeks with the Bucs offense, there will be quite a few weak points Flores will be looking to exploit.
The pressure is one thing, and the takeaways they can help create are another factor. The Vikings had two takeaways in their Week 1 win over the Packers and two more in their Week 2 road victory over the Bears. They held Chicago to three points only seven days after that offense put up 59. And the takeaways are coming from all over, as Byron Murphy Jr. and James Pierre have interceptions while Jalen Redmond, Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel have forced fumbles. Van Ginkel and Isaiah Rodgers have come up with the team’s two recoveries.
Vikings DC Brian Flores – Photo by: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Here’s how the two teams stack up heading into Week 3:
Bucs Offense: 16th in scoring offense (23.0 PPG), T-19th in total offense (297.5 yards per game), 23rd in passing offense (184.5 yards per game), T-12th in rushing offense (113.0 yards per game)
Vikings Offense: T-13th in scoring offense (24.0 PPG), 32nd in total offense (242.5 yards per game), 31st in passing offense (129.5 yards per game), T-12th in rushing offense (113.0 yards per game)
Bucs Defense: T-24th in scoring defense (28.0 points allowed per game), 13th in total defense (309.5 yards allowed per game), 21st in passing defense (234.0 yards allowed per game), 4th in run defense (75.0 yards allowed per game)
Vikings Defense: 4th in scoring defense (12.5 points allowed per game), 25th in total defense (358.0 yards allowed per game), 28th in passing defense (258.0 yards allowed per game), 14th in run defense (100.0 allowed per game)
As of Wednesday night, the Vikings are 1.5-point road favorites, with the Over/Under set at 42.5 points (per Hard Rock Bet).
Bucs vs. Vikings Game Information
When: Sunday, September 27
Where: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL)
Kickoff: 4:05 p.m. ET
TV: FOX – Kenny Albert (Play by Play), Jonathan Vilma (Analyst), Megan Olivi (Reporter)
Bucs Radio: 98Rock – Tony Castricone (Play by Play), Dave Moore (Color), Jay Recher (Reporter)
Spanish Radio: 96.1 Caliente – Martín Gramática, Santiago Gramática