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Where are the Bucs in latest power rankings following game-winning drive vs. Jets?

After a thrilling game-winning drive against the New York Jets, find out where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand in the latest NFL power rankings and what it means for the rest of the season.
Oct 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA;  Detailed view of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmet Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Oct 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmet Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 3-0, but it hasn't been easy sledding for them.

Despite being undefeated early in the 2025 season, the Bucs have had to scratch and claw their way to victories against the Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, and New York Jets — each coming on a game-winning drive within the last two minutes of the game.

The combined records of the Bucs' opponents thus far are abysmal at 1-8, so being 3-0 isn't something to write home about. However, that doesn't seem to matter to NFL.com, as they have the Buccaneers standing pat from last week's power ranking as the fifth-best team in the league.

Bucs stand pat in latest NFL power rankings

Baker Mayfiel
Sep 21, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"The Bucs allowed the Jets and backup QB Tyrod Taylor to drive 80 and 73 yards for fourth-quarter touchdowns and settled for too many field goals on offense, going 1-for-5 in the red zone. The Jets nearly shocked the Steelers in Week 1, and the Bucs were lucky they were not victimized," wrote NFL.com's Eric Edholm. "Their late offensive execution was clutch again, but this should have been a statement victory with the way things trended in the second and third quarters."

READ MORE: Buccaneers' Todd Bowles makes bold statement on Emeka Egbuka

The Buccaneers are fortunate not to have lost any ground in the power rankings here, being listed between the fourth-place Los Angeles Chargers and the sixth-place Green Bay Packers.

As mentioned, the Buccaneers have struggled to put together a complete four quarters yet this season, and it almost cost them yet again this past week against the Jets, who have struggled to open the season and were starting a backup quarterback.

The heroics to come out victorious are obviously great, but the law of averages figures to hit Tampa Bay at some point, meaning some of these close victories should become losses at some point during the season if they can't figure out how to put together a whole game.

The Bucs have dealt with a myriad of injuries, which have likely caused them not to be as dominant as many had expected entering the season. They are expected to get a few of their key players back here in the near future, so hopefully that will help ignite some fire in the team to get things rolling to move further up the power ranking board.

READ MORE: Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield sends message ahead of Eagles showdown

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2025 season.

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Caleb Skinner
CALEB SKINNER

Caleb is from Nashville, TN and graduated from Florida State University in 2018 with majors in Sociology and History. He has previously written for an FSU outlet and started covering the Buccaneers in March of 2022. Caleb is an avid sports fan and former host of the Tribeoholics podcast. You can follow Caleb on Twitter @chsnole

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