Bucs get a big break that could shape their season without lifting a finger on Sunday
Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes are stronger on Sunday with the team watching from home.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a terrible run of things lately. And by lately, I mean going on six weeks now since they came out of their Week 9 bye at 6-2.
The Bucs have gone on a 1-5 run to fall out of the NFC South division lead going into Sunday morning. The latest indignities are back-to-back divisional home losses, highlighted by a 14-point fourth-quarter lead gagged away to Kirk Cousins and the 5-9 Atlanta Falcons in a 29-28 loss on Thursday night. Some players, most notably Mike Evans, were visibly frustrated afterwards, and Todd Bowles went on an expletive-filled rant with blame pointed at his players.
It’s an awkward and uncomfortable situation at One Buc Place nowadays, and it’s one that begs the question of what the franchise will be looking like in 2026 if they end up missing the playoffs.
However, regarding that last point for those still hoping the Bucs can rally and win the division, they got a big helping hand on Sunday afternoon in the Superdome. The Saints rallied in the fourth quarter to clip the Panthers 20-17, which brings Carolina and Tampa Bay even again in the standings.
Saints give Bucs a helping hand with upset of Panthers on Sunday
The Bucs are currently atop the division by way of a tiebreaker. As the Bucs and Panthers both have division records of 2-2, Tampa Bay tops Carolina by way of record against common opponents, per ESPN’s playoff standings.
That means that Tampa Bay is now in position to potentially close out the division with two more wins this season. Tampa Bay and Carolina play twice in the next three weeks. The Bucs can win the NFC South with either two wins over Carolina, or with one win over Carolina and a win over the Miami Dolphins on December 28. There’s another scenario where Tampa Bay could clinch the division with a one win over Carolina and with the Panthers also losing to Seattle and the Falcons losing one more game, per FOX Sports’ Greg Auman.
Had Carolina won today against New Orleans, the Bucs would be in position to be eliminated from the division race and the playoffs with a loss to the Panthers next weekend.
Instead, the Bucs’ playoff hopes are alive and well and back in their hands to control. However, with the way this team is playing, can they keep from fumbling them away?
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