The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fresh coming out of their much-needed bye week. Over the last two weeks, the one thing the Bucs needed to happen did happen. The Atlanta Falcons lost both games and didn’t lengthen their lead over Tampa in the NFC South standings. Now, the Bucs season is very much in their hands whether they make the playoffs or not. Coming out of the bye with the record of 4-6, they haven’t left themselves much room for error.
Fortunately, starters Mike Evans and Jamel Dean are expected back. Tampa also made the additional of safety Mike Edwards during their bye week, claiming the veteran safety off waivers after being released. The return of Evans will be the biggest impact, the offensive production has noticeably dropped since he and fellow receiver Chris Godwin went down with injuries against the Ravens. The remainder of the Buccaneers schedule only has one playoff team from last year on it. This could be a blessing as they strive for the playoffs this year, but it could be a curse as well. Given the schedule, if Tampa was to continue losing that could spell the end for Head Coach Todd Bowles.
Buccaneers Route To Playoffs
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently sitting outside of the NFL playoff bracket. Tampa has lost their last three games by a combined 14 points, so they have been in every single game just not able to pull them out at the end. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has done his best superhero impression over the past few games, putting this team on his back when it mattered most. Still, they find themselves needing to dig out of a hole and go on a run. It would help if Atlanta could keep losing games they are favored to win too, especially with their schedule being much more challenging down the final stretch than Tampa’s.
Good news for the Bucs struggling defense, it might be time to build their confidence back up. The remaining teams on their regular season schedule are all games they can win against. The remaining quarterbacks this Tampa defense will face are Tommy DeVito, Cooper Rush, Gardner Minshew, Derek Carr, Bryce Young (Twice), and Justin Herbert.
Outside of Justin Herbert, this team doesn’t face another top 15 quarterback until they reach the playoffs. This Sunday the Bucs square off against DeVito and the Giants, in what should in all likelihood be an easy get-right type of game for Tampa coming out of the bye.
Schedule Blessing or a Curse?
Though this schedule looks like the best thing for Tampa Bay in regard to making the playoffs, it could turn into something else very quickly. If the Bucs should go on and lose against quarterbacks like DeVito or Cooper Rush, that could be the nail in the coffin for Bowles. The defense has been the thing dragging this team down most of the year, and if their defensive mastermind of a head coach can’t right the ship, he won’t be there next year.
The Buccaneers need to go at least 6-1 over the last part of the year to make the playoffs. To win the NFC South for a fifth consecutive season, they would also need Atlanta to go 3-3 in that stretch. That may seem like asking a lot but the Falcons still have contenders like the Chargers, Commanders, and Vikings left on their schedule. Not to mention another matchup with the Saints, who already beat the Falcons.
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