2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season 33 Brief
The 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the 33rd season for the club in the National Football League. Though the team finished with a winning record (9–7), they failed to defend their 2007 NFC South championship and did not qualify for the playoffs after finishing the year on a four-game losing streak. Just weeks after the conclusion of the regular season, head coach Jon Gruden was fired, a move that came as a surprise both to sports writers and Gruden himself. General manager Bruce Allen was also fired.
The failure of the Buccaneers to return to the Super Bowl marked the 24th consecutive year in which the Super Bowl did not include the team in whose region the game was being played, also it set off the beginning of an active playoff drought lasting from 2008 to 2016, in which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have failed to enter the postseason as of 2016.
Season Summary
Tampa Bay's offseason gained attention when they expressed interest in free agent quarterback Brett Favre. After Favre signed with the Jets, tension was reported between head coach Jon Gruden and incumbent quarterback Jeff Garcia. Garcia was recovering from a preseason injury, but was still named the starter. After dropping the season opener, Garcia was benched in favor of Brian Griese.
Griese helped the team to victories in the next three games. With Garcia back as the starter for week 6, the Buccaneers went 6–1 over the next 7 games. At the end of November, Tampa Bay found themselves in first place in the NFC South. They tied a franchise best start of 9–3, were undefeated at home (6–0), and controlled their own destiny for a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The month of December, however, saw the Buccaneers season collapse. A humiliating loss on Monday Night Football against Carolina took away their hopes of a division title. Meanwhile, longtime defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin announced he was leaving to join his son Lane at Tennessee. The defense began to struggle mightily, especially against the run. An overtime loss at Atlanta, followed by two home losses, dropped the Bucs to 9–7, and out of the playoffs. Less than three weeks later, head coach Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen were fired.
| PRESEASON | ||||
| Date | Opponent | Week/Record | Outcome | |
| Saturday Aug. 9 |
|
@ Miami Dolphins Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL |
PS - wk 1
1-0 |
Won 17-6 |
| Sunday Aug. 17 |
|
New England Patriots Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
PS - wk 2
2-0 |
Won 27-10 |
| Saturday Aug. 23 |
|
Jacksonville Jaguars Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
PS - wk 3
2-1 |
Lost 17-23 |
| Thursday Sep. 28 |
|
@ Houston Texans Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX |
PS - wk 4
3-1 |
Won 16-6 |
2008 Season ResultsRecord: 9-7, DIV: 3-3 (3rd in NFC South) |
||||
| Date | Opponent | Week/Record | Outcome | |
| Sunday Sep. 7 |
|
@ New Orleans Saints Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA |
RS - wk 1
0-1 |
Lost 20-24 |
| Sunday Sep. 14 |
|
Atlanta Falcons
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 2
1-1 |
Won 24-9 |
| Sunday Sep. 21 |
|
@ Chicago Bears
Soldier Field, Chicago, IL |
RS - wk 3
2-1 |
Won 27-24 |
| Sunday Sep. 28 |
|
Green Bay Packers
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 4
3-1 |
Won 30-21 |
| Sunday Oct. 5 |
|
@ Denver Broncos
Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, CO |
RS - wk 5
3-2 |
Lost 16-13 |
| Sunday Oct. 12 |
|
Carolina Panthers
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 6
4-2 |
Won 27-3 |
| Sunday Oct. 19 |
|
Seattle Seahawks Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 7
5-2 |
Won 20-10 |
| Sunday Oct. 26 |
|
@ Dallas Cowboys
Texas Stadium, Irving, TX |
RS - wk 8
5-3 |
Lost 13-9 |
| Sunday Nov. 2 |
|
@ Kansas City Chiefs
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO |
RS - wk 9
6-3 |
Won 30-27 |
| Sunday Nov. 9 |
BYE | RS - wk 10
6-3 |
||
| Sunday Nov. 16 |
|
Minnesota Vikings
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 11
7-3 |
Won 19-13 |
| Sunday Nov. 23 |
|
@ Detroit Lions
Ford Field, Detroit, MI |
RS - wk 12
8-3 |
Won 38-20 |
| Sunday Nov. 30 |
|
New Orleans Saints
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 13
9-3 |
Won 23-20 |
| Monday Dec. 8 |
|
@ Carolina Panthers
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
RS - wk 14
9-4 |
Lost 23-38 |
| Sunday Dec. 14 |
|
@ Atlanta Falcons
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA |
RS - wk 15
9-5 |
Lost 10-13 (OT) |
| Sunday Dec. 21 |
|
San Diego Chargers
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 16
9-6 |
Lost 24-41 |
| Sunday Dec. 28 |
|
Oakland Raiders Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 17
9-10 |
Lost 24-31 |
| PLAYOFFS | ||||
| Date | Opponent | NFC/Superbowl | Outcome | |
| Season Ended |
|
@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
None
None |
00-00 |
