Buccaneers: Tampa Bay can’t afford another bad loss down the stretch

Tampa Bay Buccaneers can’t afford a bad loss down the stretch

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sit at 7-5 and second in the NFC wild-card race as we head down the stretch of the 2020 season, but there’s still a lot can go wrong or right for the team as we progress through the next month.

The Buccaneers have a bye this week and will be looking to rebound and recover from two-straight losses against two teams in the Rams and Chiefs that are both seemingly playoff bound.

As the team looks to rebound in the coming weeks, it’s becoming increasingly clear that they don’t have many more losses to spare.

Already at 7-5, it is probably going to take a 10-6 record for the Buccaneers to make the playoffs

For those playing along, if the Bucs need to have at least a 10-6 record (which is what it’s shaping up to look like), they are going to have to go 3-1 in the next four games.

The good news? Tampa Bay should be favored in every single one of their final four matchups.

The Bucs will take on the Minnesota Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons, the Detroit Lions and then the Falcons again to close out their season. If they have their sights set on making the playoffs, they simply can’t afford but one loss because 9-7 (even with the third wild-card spot) might very well not be good enough.

We are heading down the stretch of a season and the Bucs again are in position to make a run at a playoff berth. The only question at this point is if this team will respond and do what no Bucs team has done in the past 12 years.

Or, if they’ll crumble under pressure and suffer a bad loss or two down the stretch that keeps them from a postseason spot.