1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season

1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season

The 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season continued the losing streak that encompassed the entire 1976 season, and extended it to 26 games, which as of as of 2012 remains a record in the modern National Football League. Fear of becoming the Buccaneers' first victim provided motivation to opposing teams. It took nearly two seasons for the Buccaneers to achieve their first franchise victory, a 33–14 win over the New Orleans Saints in the second-to-last game of the year. A crowd of 8,000 celebrating fans gathered at team headquarters to greet the team on their return from New Orleans. The very next week, the Bucs earned their first home victory, over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Coach John McKay declared the team to be “stronger at every position, with the exception of the quarterback position” than the 1976 team. Injuries, especially at quarterback and offensive line, prevented the offense from gaining any consistency, while the inexperienced line was able to provide neither adequate pass protection nor lanes for the running backs. Opponents lauded the Buccaneer defense’s performance, even while posting record numbers of sacks against the Tampa Bay offense. The offense managed only six touchdowns in the entire season, and set a league record of six shutout losses that still stands.