Who Are The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Biggest Rivals?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have inspired many rivalries from their time in the NFL. Specifically, the Buccaneers’ biggest rivals are the New Orleans Saints, the Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons, which makes sense as all four professional football teams are part of the NFC South Division. Established in 1974, the Buccaneers have accrued much hatred from fans of the Saints, Panthers, and Falcons, especially since the Tampa, Florida-based football team has made it to the NFL Playoffs recently and even won the Super Bowl in 2020.

New Orleans Saints

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ biggest rivalry is with the New Orleans Saints. The rivalry began when the two teams first competed against each other on December 11, 1977 at the Saints’ home stadium in New Orleans. So far, the Saints have won 39 games against the Buccaneers, whereas the Bucs have only won 24 games against the New Orleans-based football team. 

The rivalry’s most intense year came in 2002 when the Buccaneers lost only two times during the regular season, both to the Saints, but then went on to win their first NFC South title and even their first Super Bowl championship. The Buccaneers continue to struggle winning against the Saints, but, as the rivalry increases between both teams, the Tampa Bay-based football team aims to turn the tables around under Tom Brady’s new management and earn more wins against the Saints.

Carolina Panthers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ second biggest rivalry is against the Carolina Panthers. Overall, the Panthers have beaten the Buccaneers 25 times, whereas the Buccaneers have only won 20 games against the Charlotte, North Carolina-based professional football team. However, in recent years, the Panthers have repeatedly lost against the Bucs during the regular football season.

In particular, the Buccaneers won against the Panthers on both January 9, 2022 and January 1, 2023. However, the Carolina Panthers did win on October 23, 2022 against the Bucs. Despite the number of setbacks that Brady experienced during the 2022-2023 football season, the Bucs are aiming to add more wins to their belt against the Carolina Panthers. Fans of the Panthers and Buccaneers should expect to see this rivalry heat up in the next football season.

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ third biggest rival. The Falcons, at one point, had more wins against the Bucs, but this changed during the 2022-2023 season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers now have 30 wins against the Falcons, whereas the Falcons have won 29 games. The Bucs’ latest win was on October 9, 2022, winning 21 to 15 against the Falcons. However, on January 8, 2023, the Falcons won 30 to 17, defeating the Buccaneers in a crushing game. The rivalry between the two NFC South Division teams has heated up in the past few years, especially after Tom Brady joined the Buccaneers.

Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have losing streaks against the Saints and Panthers, the Florida-based team has won two Super Bowl championships, whereas the only other NFC South Division football team to win a Super Bowl is the New Orleans Saints (and the team has claimed only one Super Bowl championship title). The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which is one of the most popular professional football teams in the NFL, continues to add fuel to the fire against its rivalries in the NFC South Division.

FAQ