The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have ruled over the NFC South with an iron fist ever since Tom Brady took over the reins for the franchise. Winning the division every season, they’ve been a constant presence in the playoffs, including a Super Bowl victory on their resume in the 2020s.
Unfortunately, what seemed like a year where they could attempt to scale those heights again has fallen woefully short of expectations. At 7-5, they are barely holding on, with the Carolina Panthers, at 7-6, right behind them. Could their playoff hopes fall apart in the blink of an eye?
Can the Buccaneers Make the Playoffs?
For a team boasting superstar talent like Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka, the ceiling always seemed sky high. However, injuries have prevented them from trotting out their full lineup at full strength.
That has reflected in the standings, where a 3-0 start with three consecutive game-winning drives has quickly evaporated as they’ve lost five of their last eight. Unfortunately, the injury luck hasn’t shifted in their favor just yet.
Coming off three-straight losses, including a blowout at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams that saw their quarterback go down with an injury and remain on the sideline in a sling for the rest of the night, the climb back to the top looked like an arduous one for Tampa Bay.
However, the Buccaneers secured a 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 to get back on track.
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As things currently stand, PFSN’s Playoff Predictor is giving them the benefit of the doubt, given the two teams’ resumes and talent on the roster. While the Bucs have a 65.70% chance of making the postseason, the Panthers are at half that number (39.20%).
But, as the NFL has taught us year after year, execution on the field and the right matchup can trump any potential talent deficit; otherwise, Eli Manning and the New York Giants wouldn’t have two Super Bowl victories over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
For the Buccaneers, they have to treat each game as a potential must-win scenario to maintain their spot in the playoff race. With both their games against Carolina still on the schedule, they have a chance to cement their place atop the division and guarantee a playoff spot.
However, with the Mayfield injury, alongside the pre-existing multitude of blows to the squad already, no win is guaranteed at this point. As a result, head coach Todd Bowles and his group need to fight tooth and nail to make it back to the playoffs.
