Sixth-easiest schedule belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can get off to a hot start, there is reason to believe they will have a solid chance of making the playoffs in 2019.

According to an analysis done by CBS Sports and a ranking by their writer John Breech, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not only have the easiest schedule in the NFC South, but also the sixth-easiest schedule in the entire NFL. I guess that is one way to compensate for stealing a home division game away from Raymond James Stadium and the fans that would have packed it.

In addition to seeing their home game against the division rival Carolina Panthers be moved to London, the Buccaneers will also see a seven-week stretch on the road. This should serve as bulletin board material for the Bucs in 2019, but regardless, the rest of the schedule looks keen according to CBS Sports’ formula.

Breech makes note that the formula weighs the first three weeks of the season, as teams who start the season on a high note are 79 percent more likely to make the playoffs. On the other hand, starting a season 0-3, “almost always means you’ll miss the postseason” (via CBS Sports).

Good news for the Buccaneers, their best stretch of games, as identified by Breech and CBS Sports, is their first three games of the season. During this stretch of games, the Buccaneers play the San Francisco 49ers, head to Carolina to play the Panthers in primetime, then face the New York Giants who have not had a stellar offseason.

Their toughest stretch of games is identified as the seven-week stretch away from Raymond James Stadium, which seems rather obvious. During that stretch of games, the Buccaneers face three playoff teams, including the two teams who faced off in the NFC Championship game in the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams; the Seattle Seahawks are the third playoff team they face.

It is imperative, and CBS Sports agrees, for the Buccaneers to start the season hot so they may carry some momentum into the dead zone in the middle of the schedule. If the Buccaneers can even with three of their six games on the road during that stretch, then they should be in good shape, according to their schedule, to make the playoffs in 2019.