1998 Divisional Playoff vs Vikings

Lore & Background

The Buccaneers joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Seattle Seahawks, and played their first season as a member of the AFC West. Before the 1977 season, they switched conferences and divisions with Seattle, becoming a member of the NFC Central. As a result of the league's realignment before the 2002 season, the Buccaneers joined three former NFC West teams to form the NFC South.

Reader's Guide

The Buccaneers have won two Super Bowl championships and, along with the Baltimore Ravens, are the only two NFL franchises that are undefeated in multiple Super Bowl appearances. They were regarded as a perennial losing franchise for most of their first two decades due to suffering 26 consecutive losses in their first two seasons and 14 consecutive losing seasons from 1983 to 1996.

Did You Know?

• Tampa Bay is the first post-merger expansion team to clinch a division title, win a playoff game, and host a conference championship, all by their fourth season in 1979.
• The team's first championship came in 2002, also the first for any of the six organizations built after the merger.
• In 2024, the team tied the New Orleans Saints for the most NFC South titles with seven, and set franchise and division records with four consecutive division titles and five consecutive playoff appearances.