2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season 35 Brief
The 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the club's 35th season as a franchise in the NFL. The Buccaneers entered the season attempting to improve on their 3–13 record and last place finish in the NFC South in 2009, a feat they accomplished after only six games. The Buccaneers achieved the best turnaround in franchise history and became the first team since the NFL merger in 1970 to start 10 rookies and achieve a winning season. Raheem Morris spent his second season as head coach. The Buccaneers had the third overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, with which they selected Gerald McCoy.
John McKay, the team's first head coach, became the second inductee into the Ring of Honor on December 5 during a game against Atlanta. McKay's son Rich, a former Buccaneers general manager, and current president of the Falcons, accepted the award for his late father. The Buccaneers wore throwback uniforms for the Falcons game.
Despite finishing the season with a 10–6 record (a seven-game improvement from the year before), the team failed to sell out any of its home games at Raymond James Stadium. It is the second NFL stadium that failed to sell out any of the team's home games, the first stadium was Sun Devil Stadium back in 2005. This was the team's last winning season until the 2016 season.
| PRESEASON | ||||
| Date | Opponent | Week/Record | Outcome | |
| Saturday Aug. 14 |
|
@ Miami Dolphins Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL |
PS - wk 1
0-1 |
Lost 7-10 |
| Saturday Aug. 21 |
|
Kansas City Chiefs Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
PS - wk 2
1-1 |
Won 20-15 |
| Saturday Aug. 28 |
 |
Jacksonville Jaguars Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
PS - wk 3
1-2 |
Lost 13-19 |
| Thursday Sep. 2 |
|
@ Houston Texans Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX |
PS - wk 4
2-2 |
Won 24-17 |
2010 Season ResultsRecord: 10-6, 3-3 (3rd in NFC South) |
||||
| Date | Opponent | Week/Record | Outcome | |
| Sunday Sep. 12 |
|
Cleveland Browns Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 1
1-0 |
Won 17-14 |
| Sunday Sep. 19 |
|
@ Carolina Panthers
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
RS - wk 2
2-0 |
Won 20-7 |
| Sunday Sep. 26 |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 3
2-1 |
Lost 13-38 |
| Sunday Oct. 3 |
BYE | RS - wk 4
2-1 |
||
| Sunday Oct. 10 |
|
@ Cincinnati Bengals
Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH |
RS - wk 5
3-1 |
Won 24-21 |
| Sunday Oct. 17 |
|
New Orleans Saints
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 6
3-2 |
Lost 6-31 |
| Sunday Oct. 24 |
|
St. Louis Rams Raymond James Stadium, Glendale, AZ |
RS - wk 7
4-2 |
Won 18-17 |
| Sunday Oct. 31 |
|
@ Arizona Cardinals
University of Phoenix Stadium, New Orleans, LA |
RS - wk 8
5-2 |
Won 38-35 |
| Sunday Nov. 7 |
|
@ Atlanta Falcons
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA |
RS - wk 9
5-3 |
Lost 21-27 |
| Sunday Nov. 14 |
|
Carolina Panthers
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 10
6-3 |
Won 31-16 |
| Sunday Nov. 21 |
|
@ San Francisco 49ers
Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA |
RS - wk 11
7-3 |
Won 21-0 |
| Sunday Nov. 28 |
|
@ Baltimore Ravens
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD |
RS - wk 12
7-4 |
Lost 10-17 |
| Sunday Dec. 5 |
|
Atlanta Falcons
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 13
7-5 |
Lost 24-28 |
| Sunday Dec. 12 |
|
@ Washington Redskins
FedEx Field, Landover, MD |
RS - wk 14
8-5 |
Won 17-16 |
| Sunday Dec. 19 |
|
Detroit Lions
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 15
8-6 |
Lost 20-23 (OT) |
| Sunday Dec. 26 |
|
Seattle Seahawks
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 16
9-6 |
Won 38-15 |
| Sunday Jan. 2 |
|
@ New Orleans Saints Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA |
RS - wk 17
10-6 |
Won 23-13 |
| PLAYOFFS | ||||
| Date | Opponent | NFC/Superbowl | Outcome | |
| Season Ended |
|
@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
None
None |
00-00 |
