When it was announced in 2017 that Raymond James Stadium would be the site for Super Bowl LV in 2021, Twitter was full of bold predictions about the Buccaneers becoming the first team to win a Lombardi Trophy in its home stadium.
(Yours truly even joined in on the fun)...
Well, fast forward just under four years and here we are. Tampa Bay is now one win away from getting a chance to do exactly that. How did we get here?
At the time that this year’s Super Bowl location was moved from Los Angeles to Tampa, the Bucs were coming off of a 9-7 season led by head coach Dirk Koetter and quarterback Jameis Winston, as well as Mike Smith’s dominant defense.