Metrodome Roof Collapse Could Aid Bucs Playoff Push

Welcome to the realm of the bizarre; it’s December football and this is the time of year things get weird. The roof of Mall America Field in Minneapolis after nearly 20 inches of snow and high powered winds slammed the Twin Cities last night qualifies as weird; that having a direct effect on the Buccaneers push qualifies as bizarre and very possible. The New York football Giants are currently stranded Planes, Trains and Automobile’s style in Kansas City awaiting to play the Minnesota Vikings. The Giants are in the hunt for one of two Wild Card slots in the NFC Playoffs and not only don’t know where they are going to play, but they will be playing on an unscheduled short week as they play divisional rival Philadelphia next week.

This is massive because if the Giants lose both of those games, the Buccaneers can go 3-1 the rest of the season and finish with the sixth  seed in the NFC playoffs. This particular scenario would send the Bucs to Chicago for their Wild Card Weekend match-up. The likelihood the Giants lose their next two games just rose massively because for starters the Giants are stuck in a hotel in Missouri at the moment and still have no idea where they are going to play tomorrow night.  The Vikings aren’t the best team to invest your playoff spoiling dreams in, but they are hot and are mathematically still alive for a playoff spot so they still have something to fight for. As for next week, the Giants take on the Eagles, who lead the NFC East and will most likely (under this scenario) will have the second seed in the NFC and a first round bye. The Eagles will be the hardest opponent of the next two the Giants play because nothing is locked up at the moment, the Eagles can still miss the playoffs, however unlikely that is.

Buccaneers Playoff Scenarios

The Buccaneers will make the Playoffs as the sixth seed if:

• Tampa Bay wins at least 3 of their last 4.
• The New York Giants lose to Minnesota, Philadelphia and Washington
• If Green Bay loses 3 of their last 4 including a loss to the Giants

The Buccaneers will make the Playoffs as the fifth seed if:

• Tampa Bay wins their last 4 games.

If this scenario plays out and the Giants lose their next two games and the Bucs win out, the Bucs get the fifth seed and travel to St. Louis or whoever to play NFC West Division Champ. This is a very fragile scenario, for Bucs fans need to root against the Giants the next two games and the turn around and root for them to beat Green Bay in Week 16, otherwise Tampa Bay needs to win out to get into the playoffs as Green Bay would get the final playoff spot with a win in their last two games. If Green Bay loses three of their last four, the scenario above will come to fruition. The bottom line is the playoff picture will become a lot more clear after this week is over as clearly its a very complicated situation. The trouble in that is the week won’t be over until possibly Wednesday. Until then Bucs fans will have to wait and see how things work out but it’s December football, realm of the bizarre and land of the weird where anything is possible.