The National Football League's 2025 season has come to a close with the Seattle Seahawks defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. Regardless of if you're a Jets-Devils fan or a Giants-Devils fan, you had no horse in the race... again. Nevertheless, with the NFL season now over, one team's regular season mirrors the New Jersey Devils' disappointing year so far.
The Devils looked impressive right out of the gate this year. With a little hiccup against the Carolina Hurricanes in the season debut, the Devils responded perfectly by going on an astonishing eight-game win streak and producing a record of 16-7-1 over their first 24 games. The past 33 games have been a completely different story, however.
Jack Hughes's injury, poor special teams, and a lack of goalscoring led the Devils to a 12-20-1 record over that stretch, causing them to plummet in the standings. With so many offensive weapons such as Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Timo Meier, their record doesn't match their expectations and talent level.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers were one of the NFL's biggest surprises in football at the beginning of the year. Starting the season off at 6-2, with notable victories against powerhouse teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, their performance the rest of the season was lackluster, similar to the Devils now. Tampa Bay eventually ended its season by missing the playoffs and leaving fans wondering "what happened?", a question Devils fans are finding themselves asking in the midst of their current collapse.
Buccaneers Player | Devils Comparison |
|---|---|
Baker Mayfield | Nico Hischier |
Bucky Irving | Jesper Bratt |
Mike Evans | Jack Hughes |
Chris Godwin | Timo Meier |
Tez Johnson | Arseny Gritsyuk |
Lavonte David | Brett Pesce |
With the immense level of talent on both the Buccaneers and Devils, each team looked like a championship contender on paper.
Baker Mayfield, the soul of Tampa's offense, is a guy who leaves everything out on the field, playing for every last one of his teammates. For the Devils, that is none other than their captain, Nico Hischier. The Bucs have a multitude of offensive firepower, players like Bucky Iriving, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin, who can cut up defenses and produce a highlight reel play at a moment's notice.
For New Jersey, that trio is similar to Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, and Timo Meier (Hughes and Evans are eerily similar, as each was poised for a big year but derailed by injuries). Both franchises have talented young rookies in Tez Johnson and Arseny Gritsyuk, both of whom provide depth and a spark to the offense. On the other side of the ball, or puck, the Devils have Brett Pesce and Tampa Bay has Lavonte David, both veteran players who are the reliable backbone of the defense.
Two franchises in two different sports, in two different cities, in two different leagues, but each sharing the same feeling of disappointment. The similarities between the Devils and the Buccaneers are scary, and they'll be even scarier if (or perhaps when at this point) New Jersey suffers the same fate as Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers are a case study of a team that had off-the-charts talent and success to start the year, but missed the postseason because they couldn't maintain it. If the Devils don't figure things out soon, fans will be replacing their hopes of a playoff run with hopes they get a good lottery pick.
The Devils' next game is February 25th at home against the Buffalo Sabres after the Olympic break.