Wk 3 · 2026
Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Sun, Sep 27
Sun, Sep 27 ·
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
· Fox FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
4:05pET
MIN -1.5 · total 42.5 DraftKings opened -1.5 · 3 toward MIN
Ratings differential MIN by 5.0
What is at stake
An NFC game between two divisions. It decides neither division, but conference record is the tiebreaker that follows head-to-head, and both of these are chasing the same 7 NFC playoff places. Division standings.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The Gridiron King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
1.7 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two rosters that have
been through a draft and a free-agency window since.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense
Defense
Points / game
Points allowed / game
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The Gridiron King’s 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats
The box-score store these rows are built from has not been produced for this league yet, so no preview carries points and yards for and against. The form, trend and series blocks below are built from this site’s own files and are not affected.
Vikings form
W 23-13at NOW 15-10vs MIAW 23-16at TBW 9-3at CHIW 39-22vs GB
2026 season
Buccaneers form
W 24-16at DALL 14-17vs GBL 16-23vs MINL 19-23vs CLEL 27-33at CIN
2026 season
Vikings this season
Straight up5-0 · 100% (5 games)
Against the spread4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Over / under1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Buccaneers this season
Straight up1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Against the spread1-3-1 · 25% (5 games)
Over / under2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 6
| Opponent | Vikings | Buccaneers |
|---|---|---|
| Packers NFC | vs W 39-22 preview | vs L 14-17 preview |
| Bears NFC | at W 9-3 preview | at Wk 9 · scheduled preview |
| Saints NFC | at W 23-13 preview | vs Wk 15 · scheduled preview |
| Lions NFC | at Wk 8 · scheduled preview | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
| Falcons NFC | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview |
| Panthers NFC | vs Wk 13 · scheduled preview | at Wk 7 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Buccaneers leads 5–3 · Vikings won the last one
8 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
1.8 points toward Buccaneers
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-27 | Vikings 23 — 16 Buccaneers | at TB | Vikings |
| 2023 | 2023-09-10 | Buccaneers 20 — 17 Vikings | at MIN | Buccaneers |
| 2020 | 2020-12-13 | Vikings 14 — 26 Buccaneers | at TB | Buccaneers |
| 2017 | 2017-09-24 | Buccaneers 17 — 34 Vikings | at MIN | Vikings |
| 2014 | 2014-10-26 | Vikings 19 — 13 Buccaneers | at TB | Vikings |
| 2012 | 2012-10-25 | Buccaneers 36 — 17 Vikings | at MIN | Buccaneers |
| 2011 | 2011-09-18 | Buccaneers 24 — 20 Vikings | at MIN | Buccaneers |
| 2008 | 2008-11-16 | Vikings 13 — 19 Buccaneers | at TB | Buccaneers |
Vikings leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Kyler Murray QB #1 | 45/71, 433 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Carson Wentz QB #11 | 23/39, 276 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Rushing | Aaron Jones Sr. RB #33 | 72 CAR, 297 YDS, 1 TD |
| Jordan Mason RB #27 | 15 CAR, 59 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Kyler Murray QB #1 | 10 CAR, 42 YDS | |
| Receiving | T.J. Hockenson TE #87 | 22 REC, 195 YDS, 1 TD |
| Justin Jefferson WR #18 | 13 REC, 179 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Jordan Addison WR #3 | 11 REC, 163 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Aaron Jones Sr. RB #33 | 9 REC, 68 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Blake Cashman LB #51 | 33 |
| Joshua Metellus S #44 | 25 | |
| Eric Wilson LB #55 | 24 | |
| Sacks | Dallas Turner LB #15 | 5.5 |
| Andrew Van Ginkel LB #43 | 3 | |
| Blake Cashman LB #51 | 2.5 | |
| Interceptions | Andrew Van Ginkel LB #43 | 1 |
| Byron Murphy Jr. CB #7 | 1 | |
| Isaiah Rodgers CB #2 | 1 |
Buccaneers leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Baker Mayfield QB #6 | 61/96, 615 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Jalon Daniels QB #10 | 19/30, 148 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INT | |
| Rushing | Bucky Irving RB #7 | 56 CAR, 241 YDS, 1 TD |
| Baker Mayfield QB #6 | 11 CAR, 65 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jalon Daniels QB #10 | 9 CAR, 64 YDS | |
| Receiving | Cade Otton TE #88 | 15 REC, 157 YDS |
| Emeka Egbuka WR #2 | 15 REC, 154 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Chris Godwin Jr. WR #14 | 16 REC, 142 YDS | |
| Ted Hurst III WR #17 | 8 REC, 128 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Josiah Trotter LB #45 | 34 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr. S #31 | 24 | |
| Alex Anzalone LB #34 | 22 | |
| Sacks | David Walker LB #51 | 2 |
| Alex Anzalone LB #34 | 1 | |
| A'Shawn Robinson DT #91 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | A'Shawn Robinson DT #91 | 1 |
| Josiah Trotter LB #45 | 1 | |
| Jacob Parrish CB #25 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since signed elsewhere, been traded or retired still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game.