As much as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not be the force of nature that they were under Tom Brady and Bruce Arians, it does seem like many people are ruling this team out a little too early.

Sure, it does seem like this season could go downhill fast and the Bucs could end up one of the worst teams in the NFL, but some fans may be surprised to know that the Bucs aren't completely out of it yet.

With the Falcons, Panthers, and Saints all being massive question marks on their own, it is fair to say that a very weak NFC South is still anyone's to win.

Going through the NFC South, the head coaches fall flat across the board. This tends to leave no team with an advantage in that category, at least not in this upcoming year.

As for starting quarterback, the most important position, Baker Mayfield isn't great, but the alternatives are Derek Carr, Desmond Ridder, and Bryce Young-a rookie.

If Mayfield isn't in competition for the top spot, he is certainly the second-best quarterback of this bunch in 2023.

As for weapons, no other team has the pass catchers that Tampa does, and one could argue that the Bucs have the better pass-catchers by a mile.

Finally, on the defensive side of the ball, the Bucs have the best defense of the division with play-makers at all three levels and enough depth to sit this group apart from the competition.

Again, there is a chance that some or all of this could come back to bite the Bucs in some way, shape, or form, but at the end of the day, the hunt for a playoff spot in the worst division in football is actually going to be pretty close.

Buccaneers fans need to accept harsh truth

It is time to look at this season with some realism.