The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting hot at the right time.  Winners of four straight after throttling the Jaguars 30-12, the Buccaneers have a chance to do something on Sunday that seemed impossible a month ago – clinch their third straight division title. 

It's a simple scenario for the Buccaneers.  Win either against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday or at the two-win Carolina Panthers the following week, and the Buccaneers are the 2023 NFC South champions. 

Here are the NFC South standings through 16 weeks: 

1) Tampa Bay 8-7
2) New Orleans 7-8
3) Atlanta 7-8
4) Carolina 2-13

The Buccaneers' chances of winning the division continued to climb with the win over the Jaguars.  Per the New York Times' playoff tracker, Tampa Bay's chances jumped from 67% to 84% after Week 16. 

There isn't really a scenario where the Buccaneers could win the division if they lose their last two.  The Saints and Falcons play in Week 18.  If the Falcons beat the Bears on Sunday and the Saints beat the Bucs, one of those teams would reach 9 wins in Week 18, or at worst they both go 8-8-1 in a tie.  That would mean the Bucs would miss out at 8-9. 

There's also a weird scenario where the Falcons lose to the Bears, the Saints beat the Bucs, the Falcons beat the Saints, the Bucs lose in Week 18, and all teams are at 8-9.  In that situation, per Fox Sports NFC South reporter Greg Auman, that tiebreaker would go to the Falcons. 

In short, it's simple.  Win one of two remaining games, and the division belongs to the Bucs.  If they can't do that, they don't deserve to be in the playoffs anyways. 

The conference standings are pretty much firmed up as far as where the Bucs will end up if they win the division.  Here are the NFC Standings through 16 weeks.

1) San Francisco 11-4
2) Philadelphia 11-4
3) Detroit 11-4
4) Tampa Bay 8-7
5) Dallas 10-5
6) Los Angeles 8-7
7) Seattle 8-7

In the hunt: Minnesota 7-8, Atlanta 7-8, Green Bay 7-8, New Orleans 7-8

The Bucs are locked in as the four seed if they win the NFC South, so that's been decided.  There won't be any moving up if they win out.  The only question as far as conference standings is if they lose out and still try to claim a wild card.  It would take Los Angeles and/or Seattle losing their final two games and other teams in the hunt not getting to 9 wins.  Tiebreakers would then come into play for the Buccaneers to have any chance there. 

Regardless, the Buccaneers have what any team could want through 16 weeks: a chance against two teams with losing records to win once and clinch their division.  That's not something many people outside of the Tampa Bay area thought possible when the season kicked off. 

Buccaneers get good news about important starter

Good news for the Buccaneers.