2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 7–9, finishing 3rd in the NFC South, and missed the playoffs. They scored 389 points and allowed 394.
- Record
- 7–9
- Home
- 3–5
- Road & neutral
- 4–4
- Points
- 389–394
- NFC South
- Place 3 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 389 points, the 13th-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 394, the tenth-most. Their point differential was -5.
How the season unfolded
The Buccaneers started 1–3 and were 4–4 after eight games. They went 1–3 over the final four weeks to finish 7–9.
Their longest winning streak was four games, from Week 8 to Week 11.
Their longest losing streak was five games, from Week 12 to Week 16.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 38–10 over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6 (October 14, 2012).
Their heaviest loss was 41–0 to the New Orleans Saints in Week 15 (December 16, 2012).
They scored a season-high 42 points against the Oakland Raiders in Week 9 (November 4, 2012), winning 42–32.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 3–7.
They played one overtime game and won it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 3–3 against the NFC South, sweeping the Panthers, splitting with the Falcons, and getting swept by the Saints.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 2–3 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 10–6, three games better than their record.
Before and after
That was a three-win improvement on 2011, when they went 4–12.
In 2013, they went 4–12.
2012 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 9, 2012 | vs Carolina Panthers | W 16–10 |
| Week 2 | Sep 16, 2012 | at New York Giants | L 34–41 |
| Week 3 | Sep 23, 2012 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 10–16 |
| Week 4 | Sep 30, 2012 | vs Washington | L 22–24 |
| Week 6 | Oct 14, 2012 | vs Kansas City Chiefs | W 38–10 |
| Week 7 | Oct 21, 2012 | vs New Orleans Saints | L 28–35 |
| Week 8 | Oct 25, 2012 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 36–17 |
| Week 9 | Nov 4, 2012 | at Oakland Raiders | W 42–32 |
| Week 10 | Nov 11, 2012 | vs San Diego Chargers | W 34–24 |
| Week 11 | Nov 18, 2012 | at Carolina Panthers | W 27–21 (OT) |
| Week 12 | Nov 25, 2012 | vs Atlanta Falcons | L 23–24 |
| Week 13 | Dec 2, 2012 | at Denver Broncos | L 23–31 |
| Week 14 | Dec 9, 2012 | vs Philadelphia Eagles | L 21–23 |
| Week 15 | Dec 16, 2012 | at New Orleans Saints | L 0–41 |
| Week 16 | Dec 23, 2012 | vs St. Louis Rams | L 13–28 |
| Week 17 | Dec 30, 2012 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 22–17 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2012 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.