Todd Bowles reveals 'gut feeling' of 5-1 Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, through the first six weeks, have been as good as any team in football, and their 5-1 record backs that up.

Given the state of the NFC South, the Buccaneers already appear to be in a great spot within the division, but this team has NFC and Super Bowl aspirations, and yes, we get it, it is only through six weeks, but Tampa Bay has all the ingredients to be a legit contender.

And for Todd Bowles, when asked if he has a gut feeling that this version of the Buccaneers can be a special team in 2025, he played a straight bat.

“I have a gut feeling off the field that it's a special team, but football is week to week, and you got to go out and prove that,” Bowles said. “You can feel as good as you want, this league will bring you down and make you feel terrible. And you can feel terrible, and they can bring you up to feel great.

"So that gut feeling has not hit me since I've been coaching. But week to week, you have a confidence of trusting your guys and knowing they can go out there and do a good job as long as everybody's on the same page."

More: Buccaneers get brutal injury update ahead of key Lions clash

Buccaneers get chance to prove NFC credentials vs. Lions

Bowles says that his team has to go out and prove that they are special weekly, and there is no bigger test in football right now than the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, which is what awaits the Buccaneers in Week 7.

Go on the road and win that, yeah, people will see this team as special, and if not, on the way to being as such. But it won't be easy with the Buccaneers dealing with a host of injuries, and it is looking like Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving won't be suiting up, and Mike Evans isn't a sure bet either.

So, Baker Mayfield will need to beat the Lions with most of his top weapons missing, and while beating the San Francisco 49ers with no key weapons is one thing, the Lions are a different proposition.

The Buccaneers have the potential to be special; let's see if that potential can be realized against Detroit.

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• Buccaneers’ Emeka Egbuka injury update is crushing blow to WR depth chart | Sporting News
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